England’s hopes of reviving their 2025–26 Ashes campaign look slim after slipping to a 2–0 deficit in Australia. While fans may cling to memories of dramatic comebacks under captain Ben Stokes, the historical data tells a much harsher story: teams rarely recover from this position in Ashes history, and England in particular have made slow starts a recurring pattern.
England’s Familiar Struggle: 2–0 Down Once Again
This is now the eighth time in the past 10 Ashes tours to Australia that England have lost the opening two Tests. Across both home and away contests since 1989, England have found themselves 2–0 behind a total of 12 times.
Since World War Two, England have trailed 2–0 in an Ashes series 17 times, compared with Australia only twice. Those rare occasions for Australia came in 1978–79 and 2013, both under unusual circumstances.
Simply put: England know this territory all too well, and their record from it is bleak.
How Often Do Teams Recover From 2–0 in the Ashes? Almost Never
Only once in the entire history of the Ashes has a team recovered from 2–0 down to win a five-match series:
- Australia in 1936–37, led by Don Bradman.
Out of 18 Ashes series since the war in which a team fell 2–0 behind, 16 ended in defeat by a margin of at least three matches. England’s best showing in that situation came in 1994–95, when they lost the series 3–1.
Even England’s thrilling 2023 Ashes revival — where they came close to completing a comeback — ultimately ended short. They fought back from 2–0 to finish 2–2, but not to win.
The 2025 Series Looks Much Worse Than 2023
In the 2023 Ashes, England may have trailed early, but the sides were evenly matched. England scored 34.6 runs per wicket, nearly identical to Australia’s 35.8.
This time, the gap is stark:
- England: 22.7 runs per wicket
- Australia: 38.2 runs per wicket
These numbers closely mirror England’s struggles in 2021–22 and 2017–18, both heavy defeats.
England’s Winless Run in Australia Continues
England have now gone 17 consecutive Tests in Australia without a victory. Only once have they endured a longer drought in a single country — 19 Tests in Pakistan over four decades, most of which were draws.
In stark contrast, England’s recent losses in Australia have been decisive:
- Three innings defeats
- Several heavy fourth-innings chases by Australia (eight, nine, or ten wickets)
- Seven defeats batting last, all by 120+ runs
Even the draws offered little comfort, with one narrowly saved by tailenders and the other dominated by Australia.
Bazball Stalls: England Outscored and Outbowled
One surprising feature of the second Test in Brisbane was that Australia scored faster than England, marking the first time in a Bazball-era Ashes Test that England have been outpaced.
- England scoring rate: 3.79 per over
- Australia scoring rate: 4.54 per over
England have also conceded more than 4.5 runs per over in back-to-back Tests — two of the least economical bowling performances of the Stokes–McCullum era.
Lower Order Collapse: A Major Difference Between the Sides
Australia’s tail has outperformed England’s dramatically.
- Starc and Boland produced a pivotal 27.2-over partnership that turned the first innings in Australia’s favour.
- England’s last three wickets across four innings combined have lasted only 27.5 overs total — the equivalent of losing a wicket every 14 balls.
Players such as Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse, who have proven domestic batting ability, contributed only 78 runs for eight dismissals off 91 balls across Perth and Brisbane.
In comparison, Australia’s inexperienced pair Doggett and Boland survived for 125 balls.
A Small Glimmer: England’s Spinners Outperform Australia’s
There is one rare positive. After two Tests, England’s spinners have taken more wickets than Australia’s, a rare scenario in Ashes series played down under.
In the last 50 years, every time this has happened (1978–79, 1986–87, 2010–11), England have gone on to win the Ashes. The statistic is flimsy but offers a sliver of hope.
Will Jacks taking the first spin wicket of the series in Australia since 2019 briefly gave England a quirky 1–0 lead in the spinner-wicket tally.
Searching for Any Statistical Straw to Hold On To
There are a few other unusual historical quirks England supporters can cling to:
- The last time England were bowled out under 80 overs in each of the first two Tests? 2005 — a triumphant Ashes year.
- Every time England have produced a seventh-wicket stand of 90+ in Australia post-WW2, they’ve won the Ashes.
Stokes and Jacks put on 96 in Brisbane, fitting the pattern — if you believe in sporting superstition.
Reality: England Face a Huge Challenge
Historical precedent, the current performances, and the gulf between the teams all point in the same direction: England are in a perilous position. Though not impossible, a comeback from 2–0 down in Australia would require an almost unprecedented combination of:
- Consistent batting improvement
- Smarter bowling economy
- Resilience from the lower order
- Major shifts in momentum
The numbers make grim reading — but if England are to flip the script, it must start in the next Test.
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