The Ashes is the oldest rivalry in the history of test cricket. This over a century-old rivalry has seen some wonderful batting and bowling performances from some of the greats of the game. But since the turn of the millennium, it should be said that the series has become less competitive. If you look at the series results without knowing that it’s the Ashes, you will see a normal series between two good sides.
This phase has coincided with the trend of home sides winning more often in their own conditions and winning overseas has become notoriously difficult. Only twice in the 21st century has an away side won the Ashes – Steve Waugh’s Australia in 2001 and Andrew Strauss’ England in 2010/11.
There was the occasional nail-biter, but over the course of a 5-match series, the home side eventually came out on top. Especially when it’s played in Australia, it has become too one-sided as England haven’t been able to compete.
But this iteration of the Ashes series will be played in England in June and July over five test matches. With both teams in good form coming into the series, this year’s Ashes promises to be the most exciting of recent times.
A lot has changed for England since their 4-0 humiliation in Australia over a year ago. They now have a new skipper and a new head coach. Joe Root’s leadership abilities were called into question and after another embarrassment in the Caribbean, he stepped down. Silverwood went with him and in came Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum.
Both have combined to revitalize the England test team with their new aggressive approach which the media has termed “Bazball”. England had an excellent summer, with a 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand, a win over India and a 2-1 win over South Africa.
England took Bazball to a whole new level in Pakistan, securing a stunning 3-0 whitewash. They found the other side of this approach in the 2nd test in New Zealand where they lost chasing a target of 258. Ben Stokes’ side will face their toughest challenge to date when they host Australia.
Australia, on the other hand, have been in pretty good form as well. They enjoyed a dream home summer, beating the West Indies and South Africa comprehensively. Although the India series isn’t quite going to plan, the conditions they’ll face in England will be very different.
At the moment, it is hard to pick a favourite but the odds have England as favourite at 11/10 with most cricket betting sites and Australia are about 13/8, mainly due to home advantage. A lot depends on how the Australian bowlers contain the new-look England batting line-up.
England’s batting bears no resemblance to the one under Root and has improved vastly under Stokes and McCullum. Root looks liberated after giving up the captaincy and has continued to dominate with the bat. Harry Brook has had a dream start to his test career, scoring 809 runs at 80.
Jonny Bairstow had a superb summer with the bat, scoring 681 runs at 75, including four centuries. Stokes himself has been decent with bat and ball. Players like Pope and Duckett have also stepped up when called upon. Their only problem is the form of opener Zak Crawley, who has struggled home and away.
The bowling will be further strengthened with the addition of Jofra Archer. Anderson and Broad have recently become the most successful bowling pair in Test cricket and are showing no signs of slowing down. Wood and Archer will provide the pace, while Ollie Robinson has become a reliable option.
Australia boast of a formidable unit as well. Steve Smith averaged 110 during his last visit to England and will be hoping to produce something similar, while Labuschagne also has good memories of playing on these shores. A lot will depend on these two if Australia are to post huge totals.
The rest of the batting is looking shaky though. Travis Head and Usman Khawaja average 27.28 and 19.66 in England and had disappointing tours four years ago. David Warner’s future in the test side is still uncertain. While it is unlikely that he will be dropped for the tour, his record in England, particularly against Broad, is terrible.
Australia will be banking on their bowling to do the job for them. In Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood, they have an experienced bowling line-up, while Boland and Neser are waiting in the wings. Australia rotated their fast bowlers during the last tour and will be doing something similar this time as well. In Lyon, they have one of the best spinners in the world.
All in all, this Ashes series will be one of the most keenly contested series in recent times.