Who are TMS pundits' Ashes players to watch?

A good Ashes series can define a player's career.

Think Sir Alastair Cook's player-of-the-series-winning runs in 2010-11 as England triumphed in Australia for the first time in 24 years. Or Mitchell Johnson ripping England apart three years later.

Others such as Shane Warne (1993), Jofra Archer (2019), and Marnus Labuschagne (2019) have used Ashes series to announce themselves on the Test stage.

England's Chris Woakes, now retired, was named player of the series in 2023. 18 months earlier, it went to Australia's Travis Head.

So who will be the key player for each team this winter? We challenged the BBC Test Match Special team to think outside the box as they made their selections.

Former England captain and TMS commentator Michael Vaughan: "The obvious choice is the two captains but I'm going to throw in Josh Tongue for England.

"At times, he didn't bowl great [this summer], but you look at the way he hoovered up the tail on a few occasions against India. I loved the fact he went back to play for Notts and blew Surrey away at The Oval.

"If you go back to the Ashes in the UK, the Test match at Lord's, you could argue he was England's best bowler. That awkward action he delivers had the likes of [David] Warner and [Usman] Khawaja in a few problems. He's brilliant bowling at left-handers and he could be that bowler you turn to when Travis Head comes to the wicket.

"For Australia, Cameron Green. He's back bowling in state cricket but his body is going to have to be carefully managed.

"He's a powerful player, a powerful batter. England are going to throw pace at Australia and he plays fast bowling well. He's got the game on the back foot, he gets that stride forward and punches it down the ground. The way he catches, he's the albatross in that cordon."

Former England captain Sir Alastair Cook: "I'm highlighting the entire England batting line-up because they need at least four of them to have a good series to win the Ashes. England will take wickets, but they need runs on the board.

"It's proven in pretty much any series, especially away from home. You need one batter to have an outstanding series, then two or three to dovetail. Joe Root could score 600 runs, only for England to still lose. He'd need Harry Brook to score two of those brilliant hundreds and someone like Zak Crawley to make an impact three times in his 10 chances at the top of the order.

"Nathan Lyon is going to be so important for Australia. I know lots of people are saying spin won't play a huge role because of the conditions, but I'm yet to be sold on that. Will they really produce pitches that leave Tests ending in two-and-a-half days? I don't see it.

"I think the pitches will be flatter than we are being led to believe, so Lyon will come into the game. England want to attack, but it's so hard to attack Lyon. He missed the last three Tests of the 2023 series and Australia could have lost all three."

Former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath: "For Australia, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head need to have good series.

"If Labuschagne can go well, it will take the pressure off Smith and Head - it would allow both of those to play their natural games.

"Labuschagne was left out of the team but has been in superb form in the Sheffield Shield to win his place back. If he can have a good series, it will have a massive impact.

"I've gone on record to say I want Ben Stokes to be England's leading run-scorer, because that would mean Australia have bowled well to the rest. That's me winding up the English.

"It's the same for England as it is for Australia - Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Harry Brook are really important. There's a lot made about Root not having made a hundred in this country and I think Brook is a special player, albeit one that will have to adapt to big Australian grounds.

"If Pope and Root do well, it frees it up for Brook."

Former England bowler and BBC chief cricket commentator Jonathan Agnew: "Frankly, I can't see England winning the Ashes without Ben Stokes.

"He's a talismanic figure, a resourceful leader, but more than anything, his bowling is important. He's critical in that department. All of the bowlers, including him, do have fitness concerns.

"Stokes has to play four out of the five Tests for England to win.

"For Australia, Travis Head will be an interesting character to watch. I think England are going to bombard him and bowl with great hostility at him. And he hasn't had a great start to the Australian season.

"Obviously, Steve Smith is crucial to their batting, but I think Head is too. There's a lot of uncertainty about how Australia are going to bat and he can change the game in the course of an hour.

"England will have some serious plans for Head - he'll need to go and buy some extra padding, and he doesn't play the short ball well. But if he does get away with it and does find a way of adapting to that attack, then I think he is potentially the most dangerous batsman in the Australian side."

Former England bowler Steven Finn: "I think it's a big series for Brydon Carse. He had some fantastic returns in New Zealand last year with the Kookaburra ball and I think his characteristics will suit bowling in Australia, with his height and his bounce that he gets from that awkward angle.

"I think you need to have a big heart to have success as a bowler in Australia. I think that seeing him charge in at the end of the day's play in Pakistan and the Test matches I've watched him play, it's been really admirable. Carse is going to be a big player for England.

"For Australia, it's Marnus Labuschagne. If he can continue his domestic form into this Ashes series, then he can put the last year or so behind him and go on to become a crucial and important player for Australia.

"If he has a good series at number three for Australia, it means a lot of the rhetoric about them having an unsettled top three coming into this series will be behind them and it could prove very difficult for England to break that middle order if he scores runs upfront.

"It's a big series for him."

Former England spinner and TMS commentator Alex Hartley: "Joe Root is a jet. He's England's most consistent run-scorer and holds the batting together.

"For Australia, it's got to be Nathan Lyon. He will tie up one end and England are missing a spinner with that much consistency."

BBC Sport chief cricket reporter Stephan Shemilt: "It's a big series for Jamie Smith, one of the players brought into the England side in 2024 with this Ashes series in mind.

"The Surrey man has looked every inch the Test cricketer: thrilling with the bat and more than tidy with the gloves. However, at the end of the India series - his first five-Test series behind the stumps - he started to tire and his returns in both areas diminished. Now he has to do it again.

"Australian pitches should suit his batting and it is a great place to keep. Smith just has to stay the course. An away Ashes is physically and mentally demanding. England need him going strong all the way to Sydney.

"Not that I only want to pick wicketkeepers, but I'm interested to see how Alex Carey goes. He was clearly affected by the fallout of the Jonny Bairstow stumping in 2023 and his performances faded as a result.

"Carey is particularly important if Pat Cummins' absence is prolonged. With Cummins at eight, Australia's lower-order is decent. Without him the tail looks long so Carey will have the job of marshalling the tail-enders.

"Think how often Brad Haddin scored runs in 2013-14. The gloveman was an unsung hero because of Mitchell Johnson's destruction. This series should be nowhere near as one-sided, so all contributions will be vital."

Former England spinner and TMS commentator Phil Tufnell: "Gus Atkinson might have gone under the radar a little in the build-up, but I think he could be vital.

"Everyone's talking about pace and bounce but you're going to need someone to hit the top of off-stump on these apparently greener pitches. And let's not forget, he also gives it more than a good go with the bat.

"For Australia, Marnus Labuschagne has come back into a bit of form and, if selected, he could be a key anchor role with the bat.

"If England can keep him quiet, it will get them into the middle order quickly. But, if he can stick around, it sets things up for the dangerous power from the likes of Head, Carey, and Beau Webster."

TMS commentator Simon Mann: "For England, it's Gus Atkinson. If Steve Smith is right about the pitches and England have focused too much on out-and-out pace, then Atkinson could be the England bowler most suited to modern Australian conditions.

"As for Australia, England will under serious pressure if Scott Boland continues his excellent home form. I'm fascinated to see how England play him."

TMS commentator Dan Norcross: "The captain, Ben Stokes, when fit, balances England's attack and allows them both to play a spinner and whip him out of the attack if he takes tap. His experience of Australian pitches (unlike Root, he's scored a hundred there before) could be invaluable if Australia make heavy inroads with the new ball.

"He hasn't managed to stay fit through an entire series for some time (notably missing the deciding Test against India at The Oval). His ability to make it through the series could be the difference between an historic victory or another down under disaster.

"In the absence of Pat Cummins, at least initially, Josh Hazlewood, is the leader of the Australian attack. His height and metronomic accuracy could cause huge problems to England's openers and is perfectly matched to take out Root - a key lynchpin of England's top order."

TMS commentator Henry Moeran: "If - and it's a big if - he can stay fit and be the bowler we've seen at times since his comeback, Jofra Archer could be the difference maker.

"We've been longing to see what he can do on Australian pitches and this could be special.

"For Australia, Steve Smith. Fresh off a hundred in domestic cricket, we know he's still a phenomenal talent. Captaincy in the first Test in the absence of Pat Cummins might help him into the series, and I just think he has a crucial role to play."