Exclusive: David Warner’s Exit and England’s Pace Might Tilt the Ashes Balance, says Henry Olonga

Henry Olonga, the former Zimbabwe speedster, is now an Australian citizen. He lives a different life: the 49-year-old paints and sings, but remains connected to cricket through coaching, umpiring, and commentary work.

Olonga made his debut in 1995 and left Zimbabwe in 2003 after speaking out against then-President Robert Mugabe's autocratic leadership. 

Before moving to Australia, he lived in England and now has a deeper understanding of the significance of the Ashes.

England can fight Down Under

Though England hasn't fared well in Australia in recent years, Olonga, a pundit now, expects the visitors to put up a fight in the five-Test series starting November 21 in Perth. 

"It is going to be a well-contested Ashes series. Australia genuinely dominates the home Ashes tournaments. It's not a successful hunting ground for England, but they have a good fast-bowling attack. They have Jofra Archer, who is bowling 90mph; something he hasn't done in a while, after the elbow injury hampered his progress. The challenge is to keep fit. He looked good against India."

"Archer knows the Australian conditions. He has been here for the Big Bash. He is the key, alongside Mark Wood. He can clock 94 mph if he is fit, but the worry is, can they last four or five Tests?" asked Olonga in a conversation with SportsBoom.com.

Olonga heaped praise on Ben Stokes, too. 

"I watched him against Zimbabwe and the series with India. When he is fit, he is exceptional. His contribution with the ball cannot be understated. When he is on song with Archer and Wood, with a few others thrown in like Shoaib Bashir as the spinner, they are a healthy bowling attack," he added.

Australia's opening conundrums

Australia has not found a solid opener after David Warner's retirement, and the No. 3 position looks vulnerable too, as Marnus Labuschagne lost his form and spot. Olonga felt England could use that to their advantage. 

"England's healthy bowling attack amid Australia's opening problem is a case study. It is not a crisis, but they haven't been able to settle the top order. They have tried Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas. They have shown progress as they did well in the A games in India. Usman Khawaja is no longer the dasher he used to be. His feet are not moving. When Warner was around, he could reverse the pressure, and I think Australia misses him."

"Smith and Labuschagne would come in when Australia had 100 runs on board. Now, they are coming in earlier and feeling what other teams have felt for decades, not having a stable top order. The Sheffield Shield starts October 4 and all eyes will be on the openers in the domestic tournament," said Olonga, who retired with 68 wickets in 30 Tests.

The veteran cricketer is a fan of Bazball. 

“It may not always succeed, but it is a much better brand of cricket than what they used to play. What they did in Pakistan, scoring 800 runs after Pakistan’s 500 and then winning that match, was unbelievable. If England play like that, they have a real chance,” said Olonga, who was part of the Zimbabwe team that narrowly missed the semi-final spot in the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999.

The heat of Aussie pacers

Olonga pointed out the strength of the Australian pace attack, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Mitchell Starc, but noted that England has scored runs against them. 

"Very few teams can handle the heat of the Australian pacers, who hunt in a pack. Not many teams have stood up to them."

"Some of these England players have played matches when their team chased big scores. Remember Stokes' ridiculous hundred against Australia in Headingley? That shows these lads can play. They are the best in the generation. England has Joe Root and Harry Brook. I am surprised Root hasn't scored a hundred in an Ashes series in Australia, and I am sure he will. But Australia will have home advantage with the wickets and the crowd. It is not like when India comes here. When they come here, half of the tickets are bought by the Indians (laughs)," he said.

Zimbabwe needs belief

Zimbabwe qualified for the T20 World Cup in 2026 and will co-host the ODI World Cup in 2027 alongside South Africa and Namibia. The man with 58 ODI wickets reasoned that Zimbabwe could be a good T20 side as it is anybody's game, but success in ODIs and Tests may need time. 

"The last number of World Cups we couldn't qualify for led to the sacking of the coaches. At least, this time we know we will have the same coach for at least three years. The players and coaches need to know each other over a period of time. They have two promising and tall fast bowlers in Blessing Muzarabani and Richard Ngarava, who we never had. They can play basketball easily; they are giants."

"Among the batters, you have Brendan Taylor and Brian Bennet. They have a nice unit to build over the next few years and need to get to the business end of tournaments. In T20s, any team has a chance. Look how Nepal stunned the West Indies this week! We never had the quality of Australia, but we could still fight. Zimbabwe is showing promising signs, and they have the potential to slay giants. They need belief. The first Test match we won was against Pakistan, followed by a second victory against India, where I took five wickets. This success solidified my career and instilled in me the belief that I truly belonged here," said Olonga, who is also a successful musician in Australia with albums under his belt.