MELBOURNE: Former England captain Ian Botham has raised questions about the team’s lean Ashes preparations and whether the players will be ready to take on an entire nation backing Australia’s bid to retain the urn.

England did not have their full squad in Perth until last Sunday and will play one internal match before the series-opener starts in the Western Australian capital on November 21.

All but one of Australia’s Ashes squad, meanwhile, are warming up with the red ball in domestic Sheffield Shield matches around the country.

A number of England’s players played white-ball cricket in neighbouring New Zealand before arriving but Botham said touring teams traditionally needed time to adjust to Australian conditions.

“It’s not the way I would prepare,” Botham told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday. “I think historically you have to acclimatise when you come down here. You’ve got to remember there’s 24 million people down here, not 11. And you have to take that on board.

“The ball does seems to get to you quicker [in Perth] and the light’s different. You’ve got the ‘Fremantle Doctor’; there’s all kinds of things go into the melting pot.”

Joe Root-captained England played two internal matches against the England Lions before the last 2021/22 Ashes in Australia and lost the series 4-0.

Botham expects a better outcome for Ben Stokes’s team this time around, as long as they can avoid too many injuries.

“It’s one of those big ifs,” the 69-year-old said. “If England’s bowlers can stay fit, which doesn’t happen very often, and the captain can play a full part then I think England have a got a real chance.”

Botham said England could consider unleashing a four-prong pace attack against Australia, saying West Indies had done pretty well with a similar strategy in 2024 and split a two-Test series 1-1 with Pat Cummins’s team.

“I think it’s the right way. You want to be aggressive, come through and players, if they’re not playing very well, don’t like it in the ribs,” he said. “So, yeah, it’ll be interesting.”

Botham was speaking at a press conference looking ahead to the 150th anniversary Test between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) from March 11-15, 2027.

Governing body Cricket Australia is launching a ticket ballot on December 23 for the non-Ashes match, which commemorates the nations’ first test in 1877 at the MCG.

Australia beat England by 45 runs in the centenary match in 1977 at the stadium, with pace bowler Denis Lillee taking 11 wickets for the hosts and England number three Derek Randall named man of the match after scoring a second-innings 174.

Greg Chappell, who captained Australia in the centenary Test, remembered having to “represent” England in back-yard matches against brother Ian, who played as Australia.

“It’s hard to beat 150 years of history,” Chappell said alongside Botham. “Sadly, we’ve been alive for half of it.”

Published in Dawn, November 12th, 2025