Ponting and Broad, who were part of the memorable Ashes themselves, chose a team for Sky Sports, featuring the best of both countries from the modern era. The duo chose Matthew Hayden and Alastair Cook as openers. Hayden’s ability to dominate bowling attacks made him an obvious choice, while Cook’s historic performance of 766 runs in the 2010-2011 Ashes cemented his place.
At number 3 came Ponting himself, one of the most successful captains, and after scoring over 2,500 runs against England, the former brought him on to anchor the innings. England’s all-time top scorer Joe Root was placed at number 4, followed by Australia’s Steve Smith.
Pat Cummins named captain
The No.6 role sparked debate between Andrew Flintoff and Ben Stokes, but Broad and Ponting unanimously leaned towards Stokes, the architect of the unforgettable Headingley 2019 miracle and now England’s captain heading into the upcoming series.
Behind the stumps, the duo teamed up with Adam Gilchrist, who revolutionized the wicketkeeper-batsman role. Spinning duties were clearly handed to the late Shane Warne, who played memorable spells against the Three Lions
The pace attack involved Pat Cummins, aka captain of the XI, followed by Broad and legendary seamer Glenn McGrath. The biggest shock, however, was the absence of James Anderson. With 704 Test wickets, Anderson’s omission raised eyebrows.
Meanwhile, England last won a Test in Australia in 2011, and the last time they were there they suffered a 4-0 defeat in 2021-2022. On the other hand, Australia are without Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood for the first Test. With Steve Smith as captain, questions remain about Australia’s new opening pair and their vulnerable top position.
Ricky Ponting, Stuart Broad’s combined Ashes XI:
Matthew Hayden, Alastair Cook, Ricky Ponting, Joe Root, Steve Smith, Ben Stokes, Adam Gilchrist (WK), Shane Warne, Pat Cummins (C), Stuart Broad, Glenn McGrath
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