Steve Harmison & Marcus North give Ashes 2025 predictions & lift lid on Australia & England rivalry

Former England and Australia cricketers Steve Harmison and Marcus North speak exclusively to Ladbrokes to give their Ashes 2025 predictions and reveal all on their experiences playing in the legendary series ahead of the first Test.

Ben Stokes Backed as England’s Key to Winning the Ashes by Steve Harmison

The one you can't look past is Ben Stokes. And if England are holding the trophy at the end of it all, it means that Stokes has got a Player of the Series medal around his neck.

I can see a world where either side win the series 3-2. I can see either side winning 4-1, and I can see either side winning 5-0... I really can't predict what's going to happen. But I think there are two or three givens in the series. One is that Australia's bowling unit will be very, very good. The other one is that Smith and Root will score runs.

I think Joe Root is one of the all-time greats... it's very difficult to go from era to era, but in this modern generation, he's one of the greats, for sure. Yes, he will want that monkey off his back, in terms of getting 100 in Australia, and I think somewhere like Adelaide will be a nice place for him to bat.

If he doesn't get a century in the first match, then people are just going to continue to put pressure on him, but from the outside I don't think Joe will feel the pressure at all. I don't think Joe has gone into a big Test series in the kind of form that he's in right now. The way he's played over the last 18 to 24 months, you know, if he doesn't get a century in these next five Test matches, then he was destined to never achieve that in Australia.

Will it bother him? It might do, deep down, when the doors are closed. But I don't think it'll show that it's bothering him. He's an unbelievable person and an unbelievable cricketer, and if he does get that 100 Down Under, then although I don't like comparing eras, you'd have to then say he is with the guys that are right up there as the greatest ever.

I'm going to go with a 3-2 England win. I have to back England; my heart is saying 3-2 England, but my head is saying 3-2 Australia. The tipping point for me, is that six months ago I'd have said England all the way. But with Marnus [Labuschagne] back in form, I think that could swing it.

In an Ashes series, Steve Smith and Joe Root are going to cancel each other out in terms of runs, because they're both world-class. But Marnus could be the difference-maker if he's in there at three. That's a game changer, and it's something England are going to need to get over. But the one you can't look past is Ben Stokes. And if England are holding the trophy at the end of it all, it means that Stokes has got a Player of the Series medal around his neck.

Getting abuse Down Under & Goughie and Nasser's fall out

On my first trip to Australia, we got abused at passport control, they were telling us how bad we were. We did our first fielding session out there and I think we dropped something like four catches in 90 minutes, which was great for us. You know, Fletch [Duncan Fletcher] was over the moon with us, and it was a big thing to get him to smile. Anyway, on the news that night, they go with the headline 'England's A-game turn up' and they've got all four of those dropped catches on camera!

As a youngster in that team, I didn't really know what to expect; I was leaning a lot on the older ones. After that session we played a farmers' eleven at the WACA, which we weren't very good in. Darren [Gough] was on the trip, and him and Nasser [Hussain] fell out... at one point, Nasser is throwing things at Goughie, and Goughie is throwing his bowling boots at Nasser! I was just stood there scratching my head, thinking 'passport control are abusing us, the news channels are abusing us, we're going to play against some of the best Australian players ever, and my hero growing up - Darren Gough - is now throwing his boots at Nasser Hussain... I really don't think we're going to win this series!' And that was before my second Test match - and we didn't.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥-𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐀𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐗𝐈 🏏
*that isn’t actually all-time!

We set Darren Gough, Steve Harmison & Marcus North the task of building their all-time combined Ashes XI - but only from players they played with or against! @DGoughie | @Harmy611 | @Marcus_North pic.twitter.com/FEYiP9RQOY

— Ladbrokes (@Ladbrokes) November 20, 2025

Marcus North Predicts a Dominant 3–1 Australia Ashes Victory

I've said it all along, but I reckon it's going to be 3-1 to Australia. I know everyone wants a really tight series, but I just think we're going to be too good.

I think there's a quiet confidence among the Australian supporters, which you always get. Some people will say it's arrogance, but I don't see it as that. But I also think there's a lot of respect deep down, for this England team. I've seen some quotes from Josh Hazlewood in the last couple of days, and there's been a lot of respect in the press, which you don't normally see. They know that England can blow up on their day, just because of that natural striking power, but they also know the game can be won in just a couple of sessions.

I've said it all along, but I reckon it's going to be 3-1 to Australia. I know everyone wants a really tight series, but I just think we're going to be too good. In terms of star players, I'm backing Steve Smith to have a really big series. But then Marnus Labuschagne is in the form of his career, heading into this series. Coming back into the team after being dropped, I think he's going to be pretty motivated. The pair of them are going to be the heavy scorers. But then you can't look past big Josh Hazlewood. I just think he goes under the radar a lot in that team. I'll add one English name in there as well... if he plays enough of the series, which I think he will, the standout could be Brydon Carse. He's got that pace, he swings it away - he's built and looks a bit like an Aussie quick.

Inside Australia’s Sledging Strategy: How Captains Target Rival Leaders

The opposition's captain was always one we'd look to go after and sledge. And that came from Ricky Ponting, who I think inherited it from Steve Waugh. Steve would always go at Nasser [Hussain], England's captain, and so Ricky was the same.

So in team chats, ahead of the series, we'd always say if we kept the captain and the best batter quiet, we'd keep the opposition quiet. Punter was big on that; he would target those guys. In terms of sledgers, Mitchell Johnson obviously comes to mind - but if he got things right, he wouldn't even have to say a word.

We had Doug 'The Rug' Bollinger, who would chirp all the time, but he didn't even know what he was saying; he'd just be entertaining us more than the opposition!

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