‘No one would go 5-0 for that series to wind them up’: Glenn McGrath hits back at Michael Vaughan over Ashes jibe

‘No one would go 5-0 for that series to wind them up’: Glenn McGrath hits back at Michael Vaughan over Ashes jibe originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Michael Vaughan has stirred the pot ahead of a packed Test calendar.

• Australia greats Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie have hit back with a smile.

• England’s home Ashes record since 2000 gives this argument plenty of context.

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‘Just doing it to wind us up’:Glenn McGrath laughs off Michael Vaughan’s Ashes dig with classic ‘5-0’ prediction comeback

Australia great Glenn McGrath has laughed off former England captain Michael Vaughan’s latest Ashes provocation, and insisted that nobody would predict a 5-0 result just to wind up the opposition. The remark was a gentle dig at Vaughan, and it came from the man who made that very scoreline his personal trademark before almost every Ashes series he played.

Vaughan had suggested on the Stick to Cricket​​​​​​podcast that next summer’s home Ashes would be the easiest of the big Test assignments waiting for England.

The Three Lions are due to play three Tests away against World Champions South Africa in early 2027, and a historic one-off Test against Australia in Melbourne will follow.

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After that, the team is set to fly to Bangladesh for two Tests in March, although the exact dates have not been announced yet. The home Ashes then arrives, with Australia coming to England for a five-Test series.

Alastair Cook was left in fits of laughter, and Vaughan was forced to explain his thinking.

“England plays South Africa for three, Bangladesh for two away,” Vaughan said on the Stick to Cricket Podcast. “From what I see already, I think the Aussie series next summer, the five here in the UK. I think of those three series, it (the Ashes) the easiest.

“South Africa away from home, they are the best team in the world, Bangladesh in their own backyard, two Tests on dusty ones, we are not picking our best spinner… and then Australia at home. We haven’t lost against Australia here in the UK since 2001. I am not wrong. That’s the easiest of the three series.”

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Ashes series results in England since 2000: How the home record backs Vaughan’s argument

Vaughan’s point about 2001 is correct, and the figures below show how England have fared at home against Australia since that defeat.

The table also shows that the picture is more mixed than “unbeaten” suggests, because Australia kept the urn after the last two drawn series.

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Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Damien Fleming react to Vaughan’s Ashes comments

Australian greats Jason Gillespie and Damien Fleming joined McGrath in reacting to the claim, and everyone of them laughed it off. 

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McGrath opened by asking his colleagues whether they had seen what Vaughan had said that day.

“Talking about the Ashes, upcoming Ashes, and he reckons, uh, for England, Bangladesh are more of a concern than what the Australians are going to be. There you go.”

Gillespie was quick to call it a wind-up and labelled Vaughan a classic troublemaker.

“He said it’s going to be the easiest series. He’s a s***-stirrer, isn’t he, really? He just does that to wind us up. Surely,” Gillespie said.

The most telling line came from McGrath, who has spent a career predicting an Australian clean sweep before every Ashes series.

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“No one would go 5-0 for that series either just to wind them up, would they, Pidge?” he said. “You’ve got to have a bit of fun, though, don’t you?”

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Why Michael Vaughan’s ‘easiest series’ Ashes claim is good banter but a risky call for England

Vaughan’s remark is the kind of mischief that fans enjoy, and McGrath was right to answer it with a smile. Pre-series talk has always been part of the Ashes, and a bit of provocation helps to build the mood long before the first Test begins. Nobody should mistake it for a serious scouting report, though.

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The argument itself is not baseless. England have not lost an Ashes series at home since 2001, and South Africa as reigning champions, along with two Tests on dry Bangladeshi pitches, are tough assignments. However, the same table that supports Vaughan also shows that Australia left England with the urn after both of the last two series, which hardly points to an easy contest.

There is a practical risk too. A team that tells itself the Ashes will be simple can walk into the summer with the wrong mindset, and Australia have rarely needed extra motivation against England. McGrath’s own 5-0 predictions have been wrong far more often than right, yet they never stopped him from enjoying the build-up, and that is exactly the spirit Vaughan has tapped into here.

England should enjoy the noise, respect the opposition, and let the results settle the matter.

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