The historic Ashes rivalry between England and Australia faces its latest chapter as the 2025 Test series begins in Perth on Friday, with Ben Stokes and Pat Cummins leading their teams into battle once more.
The Struggle for Competitive Balance
While recent Ashes contests in England have delivered memorable drama, including Steve Smith's dominant batting and Ben Stokes' miraculous Headingley performance in 2019, the rivalry has lost its edge in Australian conditions. For over a decade, Tests down under have been disappointingly one-sided, with Australian victories becoming almost expected rather than hard-fought triumphs.
The statistics tell a sobering story: England haven't won an Ashes Test in Australia for nearly 15 years. Memorable moments like Scott Boland's devastating 6-7 at the MCG represented English collapse rather than Australian excellence forged in competitive fire.
The Rising Challenge from India
Meanwhile, Australia's cricketing relationship with India has blossomed into what many consider a more compelling modern rivalry. Last year's Border-Gavaskar Trophy captivated audiences, with 838,000 attendees making it the fourth most-attended series in Australian history and the highest for any non-Ashes contest.
Television audiences were equally enthralled, with eight sessions averaging more than 2 million viewers. The emotional farewells to Indian stars Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli at the SCG demonstrated how much these contests now mean to Australian cricket fans.
Former Australian captain Greg Chappell acknowledged this shift, noting that while England remains "our biggest traditional rival," cricket "wouldn't be the same without India."
Broader Significance Beyond Cricket
The changing dynamics reflect wider societal shifts. India is set to surpass the UK as the source of the largest group of foreign-born Australian residents as early as this year, according to ABS migration data. This demographic transformation is mirrored in cricket's power structures and audience engagement.
The multi-format women's series between Australia and India scheduled for February-March is already being promoted as a de facto world championship, further emphasising the growing importance of contests between these nations.
For Australia's current team under Pat Cummins, victory in India remains the final frontier. Despite potentially reclaiming the Ashes this summer, failure to win the five-Test Border-Gavaskar Trophy in India in early 2027 would leave this generation's legacy incomplete.
As the Perth Test approaches, England carry more than just the hopes of their supporters. They bear responsibility for preserving what many still consider cricket's greatest rivalry. The alternative - a comfortable Australian victory - might confirm that while tradition endures, true sporting rivalry requires genuine competition.
