Australia's Josh Hazlewood calls England's batting line-up 'unbelievable' and names a player to watch in 2025/26 Ashes series
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By Tom Cantoni
Published 28/08/2025 at 20:42 GMT+1
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The countdown is on for the 2025/26 men's Ashes series, which will be shown live and exclusively on TNT Sports and discovery+. With just a few months to go until the action gets underway, Australia's Josh Hazlewood has described England's batting line-up as "unbelievable". The fast bowler has also named a player to watch, as England try to regain the urn for the first time in a decade.
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Australia’s Josh Hazlewood has been full of praise for his English opponents as the countdown begins for the 2025/26 men’s Ashes series.
The fast bowler is preparing to face what he believes will be the strongest England batting line-up in recent times, describing it as "unbelievable".
It will feature Joe Root and Harry Brook, who are currently the top two batters in the International Cricket Council’s Test rankings.
"I think a fresh face like Harry Brook might find it easier," said Hazlewood, who highlighted the Yorkshireman as one to watch in the coming months.
"There’s no baggage behind him and he can just come out and play with freedom as he does. Joe’s [Root] probably in the form of his life as well.
"So they’re an unbelievable batting line-up, to be honest. The top seven have done really well... so it’s a challenge."
England will be fighting to regain the urn for the first time in a decade, with the five-Test series being shown live and exclusively on TNT Sports and discovery+.
The action begins in Perth in November, before heading to Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne in December. The Sydney Test will then bring the series to a climax in January.
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"England has obviously been quite flat wickets recently, the last few years," added Hazlewood.
"It’s been a really dry summer as well, so they are probably starting to get tired and spin now.
"I think [Brook] will adapt. He’s a good player. He’s at the top of the rankings for a reason, and he’ll be a tough challenge.
"When [Root] first came out, it was a little bit of a different attack. It was probably [Mitchell] Johnson and [Ryan] Harris and [Peter] Siddle. Gaz [Nathan Lyon] has been around a long time now, so he was probably there, but we sort of just jumped on the back of that."
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Josh Hazlewood in action during the last Ashes series in 2023
Image credit: Getty Images
The last Ashes series in 2023 ended in a stalemate, with England’s hopes of an historic comeback coming to an end due to bad weather.
Rain at Old Trafford ensured a draw in the fourth Test, making it impossible to claim victory in the five-match series.
Ben Stokes’ side won the fifth Test at The Oval to level the score at 2–2, but a draw was not enough to prevent Australia from retaining the urn.
England last won the Ashes in 2015, when Ben Stokes skippered the side to glory on home soil.
And you have to go back to the 2010/11 series for their latest triumph in Australia under Andrew Strauss.
Watch and stream top cricket action, including the 2025/26 Ashes series, live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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