The Ashes 2025-26: Pick your combined Australia-England team of the series

Australia retained the Ashes series, leading England 3-1 heading into the fifth Test. Now it's your turn to shape this iconic rivalry by combining the best of both teams in a single XI for our quiz.

**Opening Batters:** Choose two players from Jake Weatherald, Travis Head, Zak Crawley, and Ben Duckett to be your opening duo. Who will be your first choice to open the innings?

Weatherald: 8 innings, 146 runs, average: 20.85
Head: 8 innings, 437 runs, average: 54.62
Crawley: 9 innings, 272 runs, average: 30.22
Duckett: 9 innings, 160 runs, average: 17.77

**Middle Order/All-Rounders:** Select four players from Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Will Jacks, Jacob Bethell to fill slots three to six in your team. Who will be your key player in the middle order?

Khawaja: 5 innings, 153 runs, average: 30.60
Labuschagne: 8 innings, 174 runs, average: 24.85
Smith: 6 innings, 136 runs, average: 45.33
Green: 6 innings, 112 runs, average: 18.66; wickets: 3, average: 71.66
Inglis: 3 innings, 65 runs, average: 21.66
Pope: 6 innings, 125 runs, average: 20.83
Root: 9 innings, 306 runs, average: 43.71
Brook: 9 innings, 310 runs, average: 44.28
Stokes: 8 innings, 183 runs, average: 22.87; wickets: 13, average: 21.69
Jacks: 5 innings, 118 runs, average: 23.60; wickets: 4, average: 61.50
Bethell: 3 innings, 51 runs, average: 17

**Wicketkeeper:** Choose one player from Alex Carey and Jamie Smith to be your wicketkeeper. Who will be behind the stumps?

Carey: 6 innings, 291 runs, average: 48.50; dismissals: 25
Smith: 8 innings, 139 runs, average: 19.85; dismissals: 13

**Bowlers:** Select four players from Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Pat Cummins, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Nathan Lyon, Jhye Richardson, Jofra Archer, and Brydon Carse to fill slots eight to eleven in your team. Who will be the key bowler for your attack?

Stern: 5 matches, wickets: 27; average: 18.74
Boland: 5 matches, wickets: 17; average: 24.47
Cummins: 1 match, wickets: 6; average: 19.50
Doggett: 2 matches, wickets: 7; average: 30.71
Neser: 3 matches, wickets: 11; average: 20
Lyon: 2 matches, wickets: 5; average: 31.40
Richardson: 1 match, wickets: 2; average: 15
Archer: 3 matches, wickets: 9; average: 27.11
Carse: 5 matches, wickets: 19; average: 25.57
 
πŸ€” So I'm thinking the opening duo should be Head and Weatherald... 🏟️ He's been on fire with the bat, you know? πŸ’₯ And Weatherald's got some decent numbers too, not to mention he's played some great cricket in the Ashes. πŸ‘ Plus, they're both a bit old school, you feel me? 😎 Like they're from another era or something. πŸ•°οΈ Anyway, that's my pick for now... what about you? 😊
 
i think england would struggle without steve smith in the middle order πŸ€”... hes got this dominant stroke game that just cant be matched by anyone else in their squad. plus, he's had some huge innings for them in big games before - like that 135 off 148 against australia last year? πŸ™Œ his ability to get big totals on the board would really put pressure on australia to respond and i think they'd struggle to keep up with him.
 
I think Head would be a great opener for me, I mean he's been in incredible form and Australia is leading the series so far πŸ€”. He's got a lot of runs under his belt already and I think he'd set the tone for the rest of the team. Plus, Weatherald has had some good games too but I'm gonna go with Head as my first choice πŸ“ˆ
 
omg i'm so stoked australia won the ashes πŸŽ‰πŸ this series is going to be epic for our quiz i think we should go with head as one of our opening batters he's been in scorching form lately and has a solid record to back it up 54.62 avg is insane πŸ’₯ for our middle order i'd choose labuschagne as my key player he's always been reliable with the bat and has some great all-rounder skills #LabuschagneForTheWin also gotta give props to root who's been dominating with the bat average of 43.71 is no joke 🀯
 
I think Ben Duckett would be a solid choice for the opening duo! He's had some decent runs and has shown his ability to score quickly, which could help set up the team for a strong batting performance πŸ€”
 
omg i no why england lost dis ashies series lol. they cudnt stop de aussie batsmen! 🀣 anywayz, if im choosin who to open de innings for me team, ill go wit Jake Weatherald & Travis Head. both of dem r good 4 run scoring & i think dey cud put up some decent partnerships.

de middle order all rounders look pretty strong too tho. i think i'd go wit Marnus Labuschagne as de key player in dat section. hes always been a top notch batsman & can play some great shots. Plus, he's got a good track record of scoring runs in big games. 🀞
 
im gonna pick head and labuschagne as my opening duo πŸ€” gotta get some big runs early to put pressure on englands bowlers. head's got the big numbers but labuschagne's consistency is key for me πŸ’―
 
I'm loving this Ashes quiz! πŸ€” I think my opening batter duo would be Head and Crawley πŸ‘Š. Both of them have been in good form lately and can provide a solid foundation for the team. Head's consistency is unbeatable, while Crawley has shown his ability to adapt to different conditions.

For the middle order, I'd go with Khawaja and Smith 🀝. Khawaja brings stability and experience, while Smith is a match-winner with his incredible batting record. Labuschagne could also be a great addition, but I think I'll stick with these two for now.

Behind the stumps, I'm going to choose Carey πŸ™Œ. She's been in top form and has excellent handling skills behind the wickets.

Now, let's get to the bowling attack! 😎 I'd select Starc, Cummins, Lyon, and Archer ⚑️. These four have the skillset and experience to take down any opposition. What do you guys think? πŸ€”
 
oh man i think the aussies are gonna dominate this quiz 🀯 their middle order is so deep! marnus labuschagne and usman khawaja would be my key players in that department πŸ’ͺ but can't deny head's insane form on his home turf πŸ™Œ

ben duckett as an opener? no way mate, gotta go with head or weatherald for the opening spot πŸ˜‚ and for the wicketkeeper i'd say smith all day long πŸ‘
 
I'm gonna go with Head and Weatherald as my opening duo πŸ€”. Both of them have been in form and I think they'll provide a good balance between aggression and control. Head's ability to score big is a major plus, and Weatherald's experience at the top of the order can't be underestimated.

For my key middle-order player, I'd choose Brook πŸ‘. He's been performing consistently and has a great record in the Ashes. His batting skills complement Smith nicely, and he's also shown promise with his leg-spin bowling.

Wicketkeeper-wise, I think Carey is the way to go πŸ™Œ. She's a top-notch keeper who can handle the pressure of keeping wickets for my team. And finally, for my key bowler, it's gotta be Stokes πŸ’ͺ. He's been one of the best all-rounders in the game and has a proven track record of delivering under pressure.
 
omg i think aussies should go with head and weatherald as openers they've got the stats to back it up head's been a rock for aus in this series and weatherald's shown he can handle the pressure 🀯

for middle order, i'd say labuschagne is key player - he's always looked solid against english bowlers and his run-scoring ability would be huge for australia πŸ’ͺ
 
omg u gotta choose steve smith as ur key player in middle order 🀯 his avg is insane!!! 45.33 is like super duper high!! i think he's gonna carry the whole team on his back πŸ‘Š and with that power, u can just focus on picking the best bowlers... maybe pat cummins or brendan doggett? πŸ€”
 
man this is like a reflection of our own lives - we're all trying to find the right balance between stability and risk taking, between experience and youth... i mean take head as your opener, he's been consistently delivering runs and has that big-game feel about him πŸ€”. but then again, you gotta think about the future too, and the squad that comes in after him is like a blank canvas just waiting to be molded 🎨.

now when it comes to middle order, you got your steady eggs like labuschagne and smith who provide the foundation, but you also need some spark from guys like brook and stokes who can take the game away from the opposition ⚑️. khawaja and green are like the workhorses of the team, doing their job without fuss... but do they have enough firepower to make a real impact? πŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ

and then there's the wicketkeeper position - carey is like the rock that provides stability behind the stumps, while smith is more like the wild card who can turn the game on its head πŸ”₯.

as for the bowlers, you got your experience guys like cummins and boland, but you also need some fresh legs to bring in the wickets πŸŒͺ️. stern might be a dark horse here...
 
I'm loving the Ashes rivalry and now it's time to pick my dream team 🀩 #AshesQuiz #DreamTeam. I'm going with Usman Khawaja as my key player in the middle order because he's been on fire lately πŸ”₯ #KhawajaOnFire. He's got a great record in Test cricket and his batting skills are unmatched. Plus, he's got some decent wicket-taking skills too πŸ€Ήβ€β™‚οΈ #AllRounder.

For my opening duo, I'd choose Travis Head and Jake Weatherald because they're both top-notch batsmen with great average scores πŸ† #HeadAndWeatheraldUnstoppable. They've been in form for a while now and their partnership would be unbeatable at the top of the innings.

My wicketkeeper pick would be Alex Carey because he's an absolute legend behind the stumps πŸ’ͺ #WicketkeepingWizard. He's got great reflexes and can handle any type of delivery.

For my bowlers, I'd go with Mitchell Starc as my key bowler because he's one of the best fast bowlers in the world 🌟 #SarcIsUnstoppable. His accuracy and pace would make him a nightmare for opposing batsmen. Bring it on! πŸ’₯
 
oic i think head would be my first choice to open the innings πŸ€”πŸ ben duckett's stats are a bit meh tbh his average is so low πŸ˜’ but idk maybe he'd make up for it with some big shots? 🎯 meanwhile khawaja and pope seem like solid options for middle order...i'm gonna choose labuschagne as my key player tho 🀩 his batting form looks really consistent and i think he'd do well under pressure πŸ’ͺ also gotta say, smith's stats are pretty cool behind the stumps πŸ‘ carey seems like a great wicketkeeper option too! ⚽️
 
omg you guys need to get it together 🀯 so like head is clearly the first choice for opening batters he's averaging 54.62 which is insane anyone can take a hit for that kinda avg but seriously head and weatherald would be my picks they know how to put bat on ball.

now middle order all-rounders smith is defo your key player he's got this crazy 45.33 average and he's not even the most prolific wicket-taker in that list lol jst saying. ben stokes is also up there with his 13 wickets but like let's be real smith is the man behind the stumps carey's got more runs but smith can handle the wickets better.

key bowler has gotta be cummins he's been lights out so far in this series and when you throw him at the top of the innings it's game over for england πŸ”΄πŸ’₯
 
aww man i feel u πŸ€— this aussie team is lookin super strong but like we gotta pick the best for our quiz πŸ€” head would be my first choice to open the innings btw he's on fire rn πŸ’₯ and labuschagne should def be our key player in the middle order he's so underrated πŸ™…β€β™‚οΈ smith is a great batsman too tho 😊
 
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