“Bigger than Ashes…”- Michael Vaughan sparks controversy ahead of Ashes 2025/26
The former England captain, Michael Vaughan, has sparked a controversial statement ahead of the Ashes 2025/26 to compare the battle of Ashes and the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT).
The upcoming Ashes 2025/26 is just a couple of weeks away before its commencement on November 21 between Australia and England at the Optus Stadium. The biggest news of the series is that the home side’s captain, Pat Cummins, has been ruled out of the curtain raiser with Steve Smith returning to don the captain’s blazer for another time.
But going into the series, the discussion has been around whether the Ashes brings more hype to the fans than the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is played between Australia and India. The final-match series between the two sides last year attracted a huge fanbase, while the Ashes contain the history and memories of the game.
“No question the India v Aussie series of late down under has been more competitive .. but don’t tell them they are bigger than an Ashes .. the buildup down in Oz for this Ashes is absolutely huge .. you don’t do that for an IND v Oz series.” The former England captain, Michael Vaugh, sparks controversy with his statement on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Michael Vaughan fires controversy on X ahead of Ashes 2025/26 in comparison with BGT
Australia is currently featuring in the five-match T20I series against the Suryakumar Yadav-led side. The home side is 2-1 down in the series heading into the fifth and final game at the Gabba in Brisbane. Before the T20I leg, the focus for them was on the three-match ODI series, which the Mitchel Marsh-led side won by a 2-1 margin.
Since announcing their Test retirements respectively, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma returned to the ODI format after playing their last international clash for India during the Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand. The former smashed an unbeaten half-century during the third ODI at the SCG while Rohit remained unbeaten for a century.
Australia’s several players have shifted their focus to the Ashes by preparing in the Sheffield Shield game. The management decided to drop Sam Konstas for the series after his poor returns of 50 runs in six innings with two ducks in the Caribbean earlier this year.
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