Langer questions England’s killer instinct ahead of Ashes in Australia

Brisbane, 27 August 2025:

Former Australia coach Justin Langer doubts whether England have the “killer instinct” to win the Ashes in Australia later this year.

Langer, 54, won four Ashes series as a player and was unbeaten in two as coach before leaving in 2022. He said England missed opportunities to win recent high-profile series, including the 2-2 draw with India this summer and the 2-2 Ashes tie at home in 2023.

“It’s going to be a really close series,” Langer told Stuart Broad and Jos Buttler on the BBC Sounds For the Love of Cricket podcast. “My question for England will be, have you got the killer instinct to finish off a series if you get a chance? We’ve seen it against India and in the last Ashes. England had the chances to win. The big question is whether they can do it in Australia.”

England have won just once in Australia since 1987, a 3-1 series victory in 2010-11. Their last three tours ended without a single Test win.

Langer said England must rely on their aggressive “Bazball” approach when the series opens Nov. 21 in Perth. “The only players who had success against Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath were those who attacked them,” he said. “It’s going to take courage against Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. They are world-class bowlers.”