After a disappointing first test defeat in two days, England fans are deliberating how they can strike back at the Aussies in their bid to win a series down under for the first time since 1987.
England face Australia again on Thursday 4th December at Brisbane Cricket Ground.
Tom Hartley, the 26-year-old left-arm spinner from Ormskirk, is currently touring Australia with the England Lions team after not featuring in Ben Stokes’ side since their series in India in 2024.
The Lancashire player has had a tumultuous year after sustaining a broken hand early in 2025, which forced him to withdraw from the previous Lions tour down under
Hartley’s first, and to this date, only England call-up against India raised a few eyebrows due to his age and relatively short playing career up to that point.
However, Brendan McCullum’s choice was justified by the spinner’s six-foot four stature which allows him to drive the ball into the ground and generate more bounce than others.
The 24-year-old at the time silenced his critics when he recorded his career-best figures in the second innings of his debut, taking seven wickets for 62 runs after being hit for six off his first ball in India’s first innings.
Hartley finished that series with a total of 22 wickets at an average of 36, which is close to that of preferred spin selection Shoaib Bashir.
The Lancs bowler has also enjoyed a fruitful start to his first-class career, recording 97 wickets at an average of 38 from his 41 games in the County Championship.
For the first test of this series in Perth, England opted to deploy a five-man pace attack and disregarded spin bowling.
Despite the pace bowling’s success, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood are expected not to feature in all five tests due to their injury record, and spin bowling might become imperative to regain The Ashes.
Adelaide oval and Sydney Cricket Ground, the venues for the third and fifth tests respectively are deemed the most optimal pitches for spin bowling. The former’s track is purposefully ‘curated’ to mimic the conditions of a fifth day in a test, with more lateral movement and uneven bounce.
These games might be where McCullum and his team look to bring a spin bowler with them, not only because of the pitch but also to allow one of England’s premium pace bowlers to have a rest especially when games are at such tight turnarounds.
With the Adelaide test to take place on 17th December, replacing one of Wood or Archer, who both can bowl upwards of 90mph, would allow them to have a minimum of 18 days rest between the second and fourth test.
Hartley is out of favour over Somerset spinner Bashir, who seems to be England’s first choice after making his debut in the same series as the Lancashire player in India.
However, Hartley’s first-class stats are better than Bashir’s, as he has taken ten more wickets at a much better average in just seven more games, so there is proof of what the left-hander can do.
