Tuesday 7 July 2015

Stage set for Ashes thrills and spills

48 days, 22 players, 5 tests, 2 nations and one 11cm tall urn. The Ashes begins tomorrow as England and Australia battle it out to try to win the tiny trophy that is surely the hardest in the whole of sport to hold aloft in celebration. Still, it's an endearing quirk of this most enduring of sporting rivalries.


The Ashes may have been played a little too often in recent years due to a schedule that is harder to decipher than the Duckworth Lewis method, but that hasn't dampened the spirits ahead of this clash. In fact, a combination of a big change in personnel for England and a stunning test and one-day series with Australia's Antipodean neighbours, means this series feels surprisingly fresh.


In many respects the tables have turned completely from 2013. Then England were the older and more settled side, buoyed by a series victory in Australia and a widely feared bowling lineup. Australia were regrouping under a new coach and were attempting to integrate newer players who had plied their trade in the more aggressive confines of the shorter form of the game.

Now, fast forward two years and England go into this series led by a new coach - an Aussie no less to add yet another subplot - and are trying to harness a new spirit from players with one-day experience. Australia's pace attack has established a fearful reputation and that, coupled with buckets of experience in the batting ranks, makes them clear favourites. It probably says a lot about the respective nations that Aussies have been queuing up to make bold predictions of a whitewash while Ian Bell, a veteran of six series, is happy to accept the role of underdog for the home team (which, it's worth noting, hasn't lost an Ashes in England since 2001).

Despite the fact that the Baggy Greens have the world's number one batsman in their ranks in Steve Smith, you do feel that the series rests on the way England's batsmen cope with the Australian attack.

The visitors arrive from Down Under with the most fearful pair of Mitchells since Grant and Phil from Eastenders in the shape of bowling duo Starc and Johnson. Johnson blew the batsmen away with sheer pace on his home soil in 2013/14 and will be hoping that his sheer reputation sends ripples of fear through the home dressing room. Even more worrying for England is the fact that Starc is possibly even better.

The aggression of Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler could meet their fire with a counter-attacking fire, but England will need to accept that there will be failures in taking such an approach. All concerned must hold their nerve and back such players to come good. The players themselves need to find the right tone, remembering that they are in a test and not a T20.

Before these champing-at-the-bit youngsters arrive at the crease though it's up to Captain Cook to steer his side through the early exchanges. He has shown promising signs so far in 2015 of a return to form and it's hard to imagine an England win without a significant contribution from the nation's record test run scorer.

While Cook needs to draw on all of his powers of concentration to set the tone with the bat, his fellow record breaker Jimmy Anderson will need to shine with the ball. Much is made of the 'English conditions' being tough to cope with. Anderson - in tandem with Stuart Broad - is vital to making this home advantage pay.

In a way that's the key to success for England. The old timers - Cook, Bell, Anderson and Broad - must set a solid platform from which the younger players can shine. Cook needs to let that message filter into his captaincy too. He's often accused of being poor tactically but essentially he doesn't need a grand plan - he just need to be a calm head to get the best from Stokes, Wood, Buttler and Lyth.

In Joe Root England have a player with the class to aspire to Steve Smith's batting crown - and the potential to be star man. He will be targeted like never before and - thanks to David Warner - already has a bit of spice on his Ashes menu.



In Gary Ballance and Moeen Ali, England do have two question marks. Both, however, have earned the chance to prove their critics wrong. Last summer's performances from this pair were superb, Ballance with a formidable batting average and Moeen taking wickets applenty against the supposed spin specialists of India.

It's certainly set for an intriguing contest. Confident, experienced and formidable favourites against a talented, developing side with home advantage. Australia probably should shade it but the signs are there that it could be a good contest.

It's also one of those all-too-rare occasions where test match cricket takes centre stage and a series is played out over five matches. Here's hoping for a cricketing feast that's even tastier than the Kiwi clashes that have whetted the appetite so nicely.
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