With a core of players in their mid-30s, the future of the “Dad’s Army” is questionable, despite Ashes hero Mitchell Starc’s insistence that age is just a number following Australia’s 4-1 thrashing of England.
35-year-old Man of the Series Starc led the home attack in all five Test matches, bowling 153 overs and taking 31 wickets, more than any player on both sides.
While Steve Smith, 35, led them to victory as stand-in captain and produced his 13th Ashes century, Starc was skillfully assisted by the dependable 36-year-old fellow seamer Scott Boland.
Alex Carey (34), Travis Head (32), and fast bowler Michael Neser (35) all contributed significantly.
English jokes that Australia’s “Dad’s Army”—as they were called before a ball was bowled—was over the hill were ridiculed.
Starc stated that “there’s so much made about (the team’s) age profile” following their five-wicket victory in the last Test on Thursday in Sydney.
“I think at times through this series that experience has been a really good thing. We’ve seen guys prove that if you’re still playing your role or if you’re still good enough, it shouldn’t matter how old you are. Our group do that really well and tailor programmes or preparation for that. And we’ve seen the results this year,” AFP quoted Starc as saying.
However, it’s uncertain what will happen to some of Australia’s top players going forward because the majority of their victorious Ashes team is over 30. After being dropped in the middle of the series at the age of 39, opener Usman Khawaja read the writing on the wall and announced his retirement. Meanwhile, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, and Pat Cummins have all been hit by injuries.
Cummins (back) only played one Test, Hazlewood (hamstring and Achilles) missed the entire series, while experienced spinner Lyon (hamstring) only played a little role before being dropped for the second Test and injured in the third.
The next Test match for Australia won’t take place until August when they host Bangladesh, but none of the aging core has indicated that they want to call it quits anytime soon.
Questions remain over the quality of talent coming through behind them. The schedule ahead is relentless, peaking with a five-Test tour of India from late January 2027, followed by the 150th anniversary Test against England at the MCG and a return Ashes series later that year.
For players like Smith and Starc, playing India away and winning their first Test series in England since 2001 will be a dream come true.
“I’d love to go… but we’ve got plenty of cricket before then. Part of the reason I gave away the T20 stuff was trying to prolong my Test career,” Starc said.
Cummins is almost set to return as captain and lead the squad to England and India if fit, and Lyon has expressed a desire to play in another Ashes when he is 39.
While Marnus Labuschagne is certain to persevere, Head and Carey are in the prime of their lives and won’t go anywhere. Smith’s strategy is series-by-series.
“I’m sure everyone’s excited to go there and try and win the Ashes. It’s something that I certainly haven’t done in my career and something I’d like to tick off. Whether I get there or not, it’s a different question,” Smith said.
The future of underperforming opener Jake Weatherald and all-rounder Cameron Green will be questioned, despite the fact that the majority of the team contributed to what Smith described as “a collective effort” in winning the Ashes.
Future top-order options include players like Nathan McSweeney, Matt Renshaw, and Campbell Kellaway. Along with Jhye Richardson and Lance Morris, Fergus O’Neill may be a fast-bowling candidate. Todd Murphy is Lyon’s understudy.
