Ricky Ponting predicts Ashes scoreline; names Test where England have 'best chance' to win

The Ashes, one of the most sought after Test series in the world is set to begin soon and the hype has been building up for the same. This time Australia will be hosting the England cricket team as the first Test match is scheduled to begin on 8 December at the iconic Gabba Stadium. Former Australian captain and legend Ricky Ponting was asked who he thought would win the upcoming 2021-22 Ashes series and his response was straightforward, Australia.

Speaking in an interview Ponting said that according to him Australia will win because England will struggle to take wickets given that they do not have a strong bowling lineup. He specifically mentioned that England does not have a 'quality spinner' for the Aussie conditions. But he also gave a warning to the Australian players that they should not take the English team lightly or for granted.

Ponting told Cricket.com.au: "I think Australia are going to win because I think England are going to struggle to take 20 wickets in five Test matches with their bowlers and even not having a real quality spinner for these conditions in their lineup. There are potentially some scars from last summer still that the Aussies have to get over, put it behind them. If they take England lightly or take anything for granted then I think it will potentially be a little bit closer than everyone is saying. But I totally think Australia is going to win."

When asked to provide a specific scoreline for Australia's win and where was England's best chance of winning, Ponting responded by saying: "3-1 to Australia. Where are England winning? There best chance to win is in Adelaide I think."

Australia vs England: Squads

Australia

Pat Cummins (Captain), Steve Smith (Vice-captain), Alex Carry (Wicketkeeper), Marcus Harris, Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Cameron Green, Jhye Richardson, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson.

England

Joe Root (Captain), Jos Buttler (Wicketkeeper), Jonny Bairstow (Wicketkeeper), Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Daniel Lawrence, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Craig Overton, Chris Woakes, Rory Burns, Ollie Pope, James Anderson, Dominic Bess, Stuart Broad, Jack Leach, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood.

Image: AP/PTI