Piers Morgan concedes England won’t win Ashes as Australia closes in on 3-0 lead

Piers Morgan conceded England won’t win the Ashes against Australia as the series tightened in the hosts’ favor, with Australia moving to a 3-0 lead after three Tests in Adelaide. The remark marks a high-profile retreat for the outspoken broadcaster, who had repeatedly insisted England would win the series.

Before the series began, Morgan publicly predicted a 4-0 or 5-0 whitewash, saying he genuinely believed England would win because he thought the tourists had a better team, a better captain and better management. The comments underscored the pre-series bravado that followed England’s historically fragile record in Australia.

With Australia closing in on a 3-0 series lead after the second Test at the Gabba, which the hosts won by eight wickets, Morgan took to X to acknowledge the disappointment. In his post, he said the development was incredibly disappointing and implied that the hosts had deservedly dominated so far. He also suggested that England could still win the series, though the margin for error had narrowed dramatically.

"To say this is not how I hoped, or expected, things to go is the understatement of the millennium," he posted on X. "We’ve been battered into supine embarrassing submission by a much better Australian side. Incredibly disappointing."

Reaction from Australian fans on social media quickly followed, with many referencing Morgan’s prior pre-series predictions. Comments skewered the English pundit for his bravado and for underestimating Australia, while others highlighted the performance gap the hosts had demonstrated on the field. A representative sample included jabs about English arrogance and mockery of what some posts called a collapse in English cricket culture, along with reminders that Australia hadn’t been at full strength but still had controlled the series so far.

The episode has fed into a broader narrative about social-media exchanges during major sports series, where bold pre-series forecasts can be turned on their head within a few sessions. England hasn’t won the Ashes on Australian soil since January 2011, a drought that underscores the uphill battle the visitors face in this year’s contest. As Australia extended its dominance in Adelaide, two Tests remain in the five-match series, and the result appears effectively settled for the moment.

The Daily Mail, in reporting on Morgan’s change in tone, noted that the broadcaster’s initial confidence contrasted sharply with the on-field reality of Australia’s performances, which have frequently outplayed England across batting, bowling and fielding. The episode has become a talking point beyond cricket, highlighting how social-media sentiment can amplify a pundit’s predictions when outcomes diverge from expectation.

For England and their supporters, the immediate task is to regroup and salvage pride in the remaining games, while Australia eyes a potential clean sweep that would extend its recent Ashes dominance. The series schedule allocates two more Tests, offering a chance for England to win a single match and avoid the 0-5 whitewash, though the path to victory remains narrow. In the eyes of many observers, Morgan’s concession is a reminder of how quickly sport narratives can shift from confidence to concession in the face of a stronger opponent.