Piers Morgan issues challenge to Glenn McGrath after 5-0 Ashes prediction

He’s put his money where his mouth is 

Morgan backs the England side so strongly that he’s prepared to put up to £10,000 on the line. 

Former fast bowler — and six-time Ashes winner — Glenn McGrath made the controversial 5-0 prediction when speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live earlier this week. 

The 55-year-old said: "It's very rare for me to make a prediction, isn't it? And I can't make a different one - 5-0.” 

"I'm very confident with our team. When you've got Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon firing in their home conditions, it's going to be pretty tough.

"Plus, that track record England have had, it'd be interesting to see if they can win a Test."

In typical style, Morgan responded to McGrath's claim with the challenge of a hefty bet. 

Morgan took to Twitter/X to write: “I bet you £10,000 to charity that it won’t be 5-0, 

"@glennmcgrath11 … put your money where your mouth is!” 

McGrath is yet to respond to the challenge. 

What do England's chances look like?

Despite his confidence, the odds certainly look to be stacked against the former Daily Mirror editor. 

England haven’t won the Ashes for a decade and, to make matters even worse, they haven’t succeeded in winning a single test match in Australia since 2010-11. 

The last tour of the country (2021-22) saw the Aussies secure a 4-0 victory over their rivals. 

That being said, England performed admirably in this summer’s home test series against India.

 In last week’s final test, the hosts were just six runs — and a Chris Woakes injury — away from securing a 3-1 series victory before ultimately drawing 2-2 overall.  

If England are to overcome those past struggles, they’ll need star batter Joe Root to be in top form. 

Despite being England’s all-time highest run scorer, the Yorkshireman has never scored a 100 in Australia.

It’s not the first time that Morgan has offered up a cash bet to a famous sporting star. 

When his personal friend Cristiano Ronaldo was pushed out of Erik Ten Hag’s Manchester United squad in early 2023, Morgan bet £10,000 that the then Red Devils gaffer would never win either of the Champions League or Premier League titles at the club. 

Morgan was ultimately proven right as Ten Hag departed Old Trafford with just an FA Cup win to his name in October 2024.