Brisbane [Australia], December 21 : England's renowned all-rounder Ian Botham is confident about his former side doing wonders against Australia in next year's Ashes.
On Tuesday, when dark clouds surrounded The Gabba and rain confined the Indian and Australian players to the dressing room, England slumped to a 423-run defeat in the third Test against New Zealand.
Even though the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy was lifted by England, the manner of the defeat left visiting Test captain Ben Stokes "disappointed."
This however hasn't had much of an effect on Botham's confidence in his former side for Ashes 2025.
"They thrashed New Zealand in the first two games. By the time the third one was played, the series was over. I can understand England capitulating. The way these England guys play is box office. It should be a great series. They're two aggressive sides," Botham said as quoted from The Sydney Morning Herald.
After the last year Ashes's concluded at 2-2 with Australia retaining the urn, England have conceded series defeats against India (4-1) and Pakistan (2-1). Even in the World Test Championship standings, while England have been ruled out of the final, Australia stay strong in its resolve to defend the mace.
Even in the Ashes, the scoreline underlines Australia's dominance, 5-0 (2013-14), 4-0 (2017-18) and 4-0 (2021-22). Yet Botham doesn't believe that the young English side will be intimidated by the seasoned stars in Australia.
"Overawed by what? They won't be. Quite the opposite. I think they'll be pumped up. England are in a good position. They won't be rabbits in headlights, I can assure you of that. They're ready for it," Botham said.
"I think they'll come here to win. All they do is think about winning. That's a good attitude to have. You want to play against the best, and Australia is right up there. They've got quite a bit of Test cricket to come before they get here, so I think they'll be in good nick," he added.
The Ashes 2025 will take place in Australia, beginning on November 21, in Perth.