Piers Morgan concedes England won’t win Ashes as Australia closes in on 3-0 lead
Pundit forecast 4-0 or 5-0 whitewash before the series, but Australia has dominated through two Tests and Morgan has acknowledged the outcome may be unlikely.
England’s Ashes hopes suffered another blow as one of its most outspoken supporters conceded the series is slipping away. Piers Morgan publicly accepted that England won’t win the 2025-26 Ashes after Australia moved within sight of a 3-0 series lead heading into next week’s third Test in Adelaide.
Morgan had been outspoken before a ball was bowled, declaring he genuinely believed England would win 4-0 or even 5-0 because of a supposedly better team, better captain and better management. The bold prediction stood in stark contrast to England’s recent form and the tradition of Australia’s dominance on home soil, where England hadn’t won a Test in Australia since January 2011. As Australia pressed toward a decisive advantage, Morgan offered a frank assessment on X:
"To say this is not how I hoped, or expected, things to go is the understatement of the millennium. We've been battered into supine embarrassing submission by a much better Australian side. Incredibly disappointing."
It has taken almost three Tests—coupled with Australia’s periods of clinical dominance—for Morgan to alter his stance about the series.
Following the second Test at the Gabba, which Australia won by eight wickets, Morgan returned to social media with a message that underscored the shift in tone. "Cocky Aussies are gobbing off like they've already won the Ashes," he posted on X on December 8. "They haven't. England have had a shocking start, but we can still win this series. Just need the rest of the team to burn with same ferocious intensity as their leader Ben Stokes. Start blazing, gentlemen."
The post quickly drew a flood of reactions from fans, many of them piling on after a season of trash talk from Morgan’s side. Comments ranged from pointed reminders that England still had a chance to change the trajectory to jabs at Morgan’s pre-series forecast. One responder wrote, "You Poms are so arrogant. You trash talked our boys, saying they were the worst team to play in the Ashes for years. Yet they have demolished you." Another noted, "What’s worse Mr Morgan, is Australia hasn’t been at full strength," while a third added, "There has been a clear gap in skills, mentality and physical fitness between the two teams."
The shift in Morgan’s public stance comes as Australia, captained by Pat Cummins, extended its control of the urn. With the Adelaide Test looming, Australia appeared poised to seal a 3-0 series win, a result that would cap a challenging tour for England and reaffirm Australia’s recent home dominance. England’s crisis of form has amplified scrutiny of their strategy and leadership ahead of future assignments, even as Ben Stokes remains central to the team’s trajectory.
As the series moves to its next stage, the spotlight will be on whether England can salvage pride and scoreboard respect in Adelaide or whether Australia can clinch the win that many observers already consider a foregone conclusion. The Ashes narrative has shifted decisively, and Morgan’s late acknowledgement reflects the real-time recalibration that often accompanies high-stakes cricket in Australia.