Healy warns lack of energy and technique could turn home Ashes into nightmare for Australia

ANI June 18, 2025 225 views

Ian Healy has sounded the alarm over Australia's shaky batting lineup ahead of the home Ashes. The former wicketkeeper singled out 38-year-old Usman Khawaja's fading form and Marnus Labuschagne's year-long century drought as major concerns. He warned England's precision bowlers could exploit these weaknesses if not addressed before November. With no clear replacements in sight, Healy fears an Ashes nightmare for the aging stars.

"If you limp to the end of your career and the last series you are hanging out for is the Ashes, it is going to be a nightmare." - Ian Healy
Melbourne, June 18: Former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy issued a warning to Aussies ahead of the West Indies tour to sort out their top-order batting issues, particularly Usman Khawaja, who, despite being a prolific run-scorer in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), will be turning 39 in December during the home Ashes series against England.

Key Points

1

Healy warns Khawaja's age and form could derail farewell Ashes

2

Labuschagne's century drought raises red flags before England tour

3

Australia's top-order collapse in WTC final exposes vulnerabilities

4

England's targeted bowling attack threatens underprepared Aussie batsmen

The ICC WTC final against South Africa was a nightmare for the new-look Aussie top-order. Khawaja failed to step up when it mattered the most, scoring 0 and 6, while Marnus Labuschagne (17 in 22) could not adapt well to the demands of opening the innings. Cameron Green (4 and 0), also failed to fire at number three on his return to international cricket.

As Australia kickstart their new WTC 2025-27 cycle with a series against West Indies of three Tests from June 25 onwards, there are concerns over their batting, with Labuschagne having not scored a century in the last 16 Tests and Khawaja not having the age on his side.

Healy warned, particularly Khawaja, that if he is not at the top of his game, energy and technique-wise, a potential farewell Ashes series could turn out to be a nightmare.

"If you limp to the end of your career and the last series you are hanging out for is the Ashes, it is going to be a nightmare," Healy said as quoted by SEN.

He warned that England bowlers are coming for Aussies big time".

"They are picking the right style of bowler, and they are looking at batsmen who can prosper in Australian conditions. They are going so specific (with selection) that they are going to be all over us. If you are not right on the top of your energy levels and your technique - which we are not at the moment - you are going to get hurt," he added.

"In your last series, if you are not there, if you thought it was going to be fun, it is a nightmare," he continued.

With the Ashes series starting during late November, Healy feels that the issues the side has been facing have not been addressed.

"We are less than 6 months from this big series we are supposed to be building towards, and the issues have not been fixed," Healy said.

"So, do we fix them now? Or do we replace them? It is a bit of an unknown who we are going to replace them with. That is the discussion, that is for sure," he concluded.

Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments on the cricket article:
R
Rahul K.
As an Indian cricket fan, I find this Aussie batting crisis fascinating! Our team went through similar transition phases after legends retired. Maybe they need to blood young talents like we did with Gill and Iyer. Age catches up with everyone, even great players like Khawaja. 🇮🇳🏏
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Priya M.
Healy makes valid points but seems too harsh on Khawaja. The man scored 1000+ Test runs last year! One bad match doesn't make him finished. We Indians know how quickly fans turn on players - remember what happened to Rahane? Hope Ussie gets a proper farewell if this is his last season.
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Sanjay T.
England's bowling attack against aging Aussie batsmen? This Ashes could be more competitive than we think! Bazball vs Australian grit - can't wait to watch. Hope Star Sports shows all matches with Hindi commentary too. 🏏
A
Ananya R.
Interesting how all cricket nations face similar challenges. India rebuilt after Sachin/Dravid retired, now Australia's golden generation is aging. But their domestic cricket system is strong - they'll find new heroes. Maybe time to give younger players chances against West Indies?
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Vikram J.
As a neutral observer, I think Healy is overreacting. Australia just won WTC! Every team has ups and downs. Remember how everyone wrote off Kohli during his slump? Class players bounce back. Though England's bowling does look dangerous with Wood's pace and Anderson's experience.
N
Neha P.
The real question is - will this Aussie batting weakness help India when we tour there next? 😉 Jokes aside, transition phases are tough. Hope they sort it out before Ashes - we want to see competitive cricket between arch-rivals! #RespectTheGame

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Tags:
Ian Healy Usman Khawaja Marnus Labuschagne Ashes 2025 Australia cricket England bowling WTC