Legendary Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath has set a monumental challenge for the current Australian cricket team: conquering their 'Everest' by winning an Ashes series in England in 2027. This declaration comes on the heels of Australia's dominant 4-1 series victory on home soil, which concluded with a five-wicket win in the Sydney Test on January 8, 2026.
The Elusive English Ashes Victory
While Australia has been formidable at home, maintaining an unbeaten Ashes host record since 2011, their quest for a series win on English soil has remained unfulfilled for over two decades. Australia's last Ashes triumph in England came in 2001. Since then, the last two tours in 2019 and 2023 have ended in 2-2 draws, allowing Australia to retain the urn but not claim the series win.
In his column for the BBC, McGrath identified this as the team's paramount objective. "The next goal for this Australia side will be winning in England in 2027," McGrath wrote. "We have drawn the past two series in the UK 2-2 to retain the Ashes, so it has been job done, but we haven’t won there since 2001. It is a big thing for Australia to go there and actually walk away with the win. That is their next goal and their Everest you could say."
Praise for Starc and the Bowling Attack
McGrath heaped praise on the Australian bowling unit, which excelled despite the absence of key players. Captain Pat Cummins missed the first two Tests and opted for rest in the final two, while Josh Hazlewood was sidelined for the entire series due to injury. This thrust Mitchell Starc into a leadership role, and he delivered spectacularly, finishing as the leading wicket-taker with 31 scalps.
"You’ve got to give credit to Starc for the way he stepped up and performed," McGrath stated. He also commended the supporting cast, with Scott Boland taking 20 wickets and Michael Neser claiming 15. "As an attack it was just good, solid Test cricket. They bowled good areas and built pressure – and that is everything you need to do at Test level." McGrath suggested England may have underestimated this reshuffled attack, but Australia's discipline gave the visitors nothing.
Head's Promotion: The Series Turning Point
McGrath pinpointed a bold batting move as the critical turning point in the series. When opener Usman Khawaja suffered back spasms before the first Test in Perth, Travis Head was promoted to open the innings. Head seized the opportunity, finishing as the top scorer with 629 runs at an average of 62.90.
"It just set a whole different tone to Australia’s batting – it got them going and the positivity then just flowed down the rest of the order. Those things were massive," McGrath observed. He also highlighted the exceptional wicket-keeping of Alex Carey and Australia's superior fielding as decisive factors, contrasting it with England's dropped catches.
Looking ahead to 2027, McGrath expressed confidence in the team's quality, noting there won't be many retirements before then. He believes that with Cummins and Hazlewood back, and players like Head and Boland having proven their class, Australia has the squad to finally scale that English peak and achieve what has been elusive for a generation.
