LONDON: Australia great Glenn McGrath believes the form of England spearhead James Anderson could determine the course of the Ashes.
Australia hold the urn but head into Thursday’s opening Test at Edgbaston looking for their first series win in England since 2001.
Anderson, 37 on Tuesday, has been battling to overcome a calf injury but McGrath believes he could have a huge impact on the five-Test series if he stays fit.
“On home soil with the Dukes ball, he’s the best in the world bowling in those conditions,” McGrath told the Sun in an interview.
“He is a big player and if he has a big series for England, Australia will find it tough. If Australia bat well and can get on top of him, that’ll make a massive impact on their chances.”
The 49-year-old McGrath, working with online trading broker ThinkMarkets to encourage more young people to get into sport, added: “But Jimmy is on his way to 600 Test wickets, which is absolutely incredible.”
Anderson is now just 25 wickets shy of becoming the first fast bowler to take 600 in Tests, having surpassed former paceman McGrath’s haul of 563 against India last September.
“Jimmy’s got the record now and it won’t be beaten,” said McGrath. “For a fast bowler to beat whatever record he sets, they are going to have to play 150 Tests-plus.”
This season’s Ashes is being played with last year’s Dukes ball, which has a bigger seam than the one now in use for the 2019 English domestic season.
While that should benefit both Anderson and new-ball partner Stuart Broad, six-time Ashes winner McGrath thinks the 2018 Dukes will aid Australia’s attack as well.
“Pat Cummins will bowl really well with it and if Mitchell Starc is swinging that new ball 150 kilometers (93 miles) per-hour-plus and bowling attacking lengths, he’s a handful for anyone,” he said.
“It’s going to be whether our batsmen have learned and adjusted from last time they were here, when they just went too hard at the ball.”
Australia have won just three of their past 19 Tests in England including the match at Edgbaston in 2005, when McGrath was ruled out on the morning of the match after injuring his ankle treading on a stray ball during fielding practice.
While the former paceman refused to give one of his trademark Australia whitewash forecasts, he said Tim Paine’s men could retain the Ashes.
“Teams around the world are becoming stronger at home and worse away. That is a massive concern,” he said.
“But having been here for the World Cup, a lot of Australia’s players have been able to adapt and adjust to conditions, to play on the pitches and get a little bit of a feel for everything.
“We have got the players to do it. But they are going to have to be on the top of their game if they are going to compete with England in their own conditions.”
Anderson could hold key to Ashes, says McGrath
Anderson could hold key to Ashes, says McGrath
- “For a fast bowler to beat whatever record he sets, they are going to have to play 150 Tests-plus.”
Three LIV Golf wild card spots up for grabs in Florida
- Total of 22 players advance to weekend action, with chance to join 2026 LIV Golf League season
LECANTO, FLORIDA: While South Korea’s Jeunghun Wang and others at the top of Friday’s leaderboard at LIV Golf Promotions advanced comfortably into the weekend at Black Diamond Ranch, former wild card player Anthony Kim faced an 8-foot birdie putt to decide his fate on the final hole.
Kim rolled in the putt, arguably his biggest clutch moment in the two years since returning to pro golf from a 12-year retirement, to shoot a 1-under 69 and make the cut on the number.
A total of 22 players among the field of 47 in the second round moved on to compete for the three open wild card positions for the 2026 LIV Golf League season. Scores will now reset for the final 36 holes.
Kim is one of seven players Friday to sneak in on the number and is the only remaining American of the 12 who started the week in the field. His final birdie at the par-4 18th capped off a rollercoaster finish that included a chip-in to save par at the 13th hole after his tee shot found the water, along with bounce-back birdies after each of the two bogeys he made in the final five holes.
“We can talk about rollercoasters on the round today, but my life has been a pretty big rollercoaster, so this is pretty smooth for me,” said the 40-year-old Kim, who was exempt into the second round after suffering relegation on LIV Golf last season.
Another former LIV Golf player, Australian Matt Jones, is hoping to earn a wild card spot after playing all 50 LIV Golf tournaments as a member of Ripper GC during the first four seasons. Jones started strong on Friday and was 4 under at the turn before hanging on to shoot 69 after making three bogeys in a five-hole stretch to start his back nine.
Zimbabwe’s Kieran Vincent also advanced by shooting 69. Vincent is the only player in the field to have previous Promotions success, earning one of the three spots in 2023 that placed him on Jon Rahm’s expansion Legion XIII team in 2024.
Wang, meanwhile, continued his early-week success in LIV Golf Promotions, shooting a 5-under 65 to lead the field on Friday. In 2024, Wang shot the best opening round in Promotions and tied for third best in the following round but could not keep up the pace on the 36-hole final-day finish. He is glad to see the format change to 18 holes over two days this weekend.
“It’s more comfortable for me to play 18, 18,” said Wang, who was exempt from Round 1 due to his International Series status. “I’m really excited to play the next two days. I’ll just give it my best.”
Canadian Richard T. Lee, whose 6-under 64 was the lowest score in Thursday’s first round, followed with a 66 on Friday as one of Wang’s three closest pursuers. His round was fueled by eagles on both of the par-5 holes, with his 5-wood second shot at the ninth hole settling to 5 feet, and his 5-iron from a waste bunker at the 16th finished within 3 feet.
Like Wang, Lee has made the weekend for the second consecutive Promotions tournament but has not converted that into a LIV Golf spot.
“I played 6 under yesterday and 4 under, and I think that’s plenty good enough for this course,” said Lee, who is seeking to become the first Canadian player on LIV Golf.
Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana — who played in LIV Golf’s inaugural 2022 season — and Sweden’s Bjorn Hellgren matched Lee’s 66, while nine players shot 67.
As for Kim, he managed to survive-and-advance on a tough day after a performance he called a “5” on a scale to 10. But like the other 21 competitors still alive at Black Diamond Ranch, he is hoping to find some magic during the last 36 holes to earn one of the coveted LIV Golf spots.
“This is what I signed up for,” Kim said. “I’m glad that I got to be in that position and have to make a birdie to get into the next two rounds. There’s a long way to go, but I feel really good about it going into this weekend.”
