Image courtesy of Daniel Greef via Flickr.com
An Ashes series is always one of the key and most highly anticipated events in the cricketing calendar and is undoubtedly considered one of the greatest rivalries in cricketing history. The 2017-2018 series, which also happens to be the 70th, is no different and over the past few months both sides have been working tirelessly to prepare for what is sure to be a gruelling five tests. With the first test getting underway this evening (Wednesday 22 November) opinion has been divided as to which side will come out on top. Both sides will need to be on the top of their game if they want to end the series victorious and the two captains in particular will be eager to be on the winning side in their first Ashes series as captains.
Any team is a formidable force in home conditions, but Ashes tours down under in particular have been notoriously difficult ground for England, with their win in 2010-11 being their first in 24 years, and as such the England team will not be taking anything for granted heading into the series. However, whilst England will by no means be heading into the current series over-confidently, neither will they head into it with the mantra adopted by England teams of old that victory is unlikely. The Australian team is no longer the formidable force that it once and for a long time now the teams have been relatively equal on paper.
Although every player in the side will need to perform throughout the series, Joe Root and Chris Woakes will be two of the key players for England. In terms of the batting it is Root, alongside Alastair Cook, who is one of the most experienced and valuable batsman on the team. Since making his debut in 2012 Root’s contributions with the bat have been invaluable and, on the whole, when Root has performed so too have the team. Boasting a career average of over 50 and this year alone he averages 60 in test match cricket. Root’s position in particular is a crucial one and his ability to adapt will be vital in Australian conditions, be it coming in with runs on the board, or coming in in a crisis situation, his innings could be pivotal in saving a game or taking it away from the opposition. Similarly confident and strong performances with the bat from the likes of Root and Cook will somewhat lessen the pressure put on the batsman within the side who have less experience at test level. In terms of England’s bowling Chris Woakes’s role is crucial not only because of his strong and reliable performances for England with the ball over the past few years but also the need for a strong and capable seamer to follow the opening partnership of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. England will need a tight and unforgiving bowling unit, especially in the absence of Ben Stokes.
Whilst England’s more established test players will play a pivotal role in securing an Ashes victory, there will be plenty of focus on the side’s two summer call-ups Dawid Malan and Mark Stoneman, both of whom will be looking to use Australia as a platform to cement their place in the England test side. Both Stoneman and Malan face different challenges, for the former to try and create a strong opening partnership with Cook and provide England’s middle order with a stable base from which to propel the side; for the latter to adapt to whichever situation he finds himself in, to play freely and score quickly or to build rebuild an innings. Both players had some good performances in the summer and they have started their tour well with Stoneman scoring three 50s and a hundred, and Malan scoring two 50s and a hundred in the warm up matches and will hope to replicate those performances and improve on them when the series commences.
Fans will also be keen to see, although not picked for the first test, how England’s test and Ashes debutants Craig Overton, Mason Crane and Ben Foakes fair if they do get picked in the starting XI later in the series. All three have been a formidable force on the county circuit and invaluable experience with the England Lions over the past couple of years. Of the three it is Overton who is the most likely to receive a call-up during the series, the hectic tour schedule being particularly unforgiving on the seam attack who may need to be rotated or rested. Whilst England will be tempted to play Crane on pitches particularly receptive to spin, his role as second fiddle to Moeen Ali means that he is unlikely to feature exceptionally heavily throughout the series unless Ali becomes injured and similarly for Foakes his role within the side is most likely to rely on the fitness of Jonny Bairstow. However, the three will relish in being part of the Ashes England set-up and will, hopefully, eagerly seize their opportunity when or should it arrive.
Whilst England will be heading into the first test fully focused and looking to get off to a winning start, one of the obvious absences will be the incredibly valuable performance and influence of Ben Stokes. The all-rounder has proved a formidable force across all three formats for England and seems to bring a great deal of passion and ‘x-factor’ to every game he plays in. One of the main reasons Stokes is such a loss for England is the fact that he can perform phenomenally with both bat and ball. It is impossible to find a like for like replacement for Stokes and therefore England will have to decide whether to bolster the batting or the bowling in his absence.
From an Australian perspective, the fact that they are playing on home soil where they are so dominant would suggest that they have the upper hand and are favourites heading into the series. They will be looking for a change in fortunes in what has been a relatively disappointing test year. Whilst losing 2-1 to India in the subcontinent is nothing to be ashamed of, the side will have been disappointed in only drawing with Bangladesh back in September.
Arguably, Australia has a much more experienced squad than England, however they too have a few key players to watch and who, if in form, will prove an extremely formidable force particularly in home conditions. In terms of the batting Steven Smith and David Warner are two of the key players for the home side, though both have been struggling somewhat with injuries recently. Smith, like his counterpart, will be looking to churn out some big performances across the five tests to help his team to build match winning totals. His performance for Australia since the beginning of his career has been invaluable and his current average of 59.66 can only be bettered by the infamous Don Brandman. Like his English counterpart, Smith has also had an impressive 2017 averaging over 50, which he will be looking to replicate during the Ashes series and which will be crucial in helping Australia claim the urn. Similarly Warner, with his ability to adapt to scoring quickly or have a slightly more tame innings could dictate Australia’s success with the bat. From the perspective of Australia’s bowling, it is the pace of Mitchell Starc that is one of the key aspects of their attack. Starc has been in formidable form in his two recent Sheffield Shield games, taking 17 wickets which included two hat-tricks in the same game. He will definitely be looking to exploit home conditions and make early in-roads into England’s batting line-up making him an integral part of Australia’s attack throughout the series.
Though there has been a lot of discussion surrounding England’s debutants and inexperienced players, Australia also have a number of new and returning players to their side. Two of the notable recalls for Australia and Pat Cummins and the shock inclusion of Tim Paine after a seven year absence from the national side. Wicketkeeper Paine, who has not kept for his first-class side this summer, beat Matthew Wade and Peter Nevill to the wicket-keeper spot in Australia’s side. Paine featured in the day/night tour match between England and Cricket Australia XI as both captain and wicket-keeper; taking five catches and scoring a fifty in the first innings. Paine is perhaps one of the biggest question marks within the Australian side, however his call-up has provided him with not only the chance to help his side win the Ashes but also the opportunity to secure a place within the side as wicket-keeper. Cummins, in contrast, is less of a shock and is considered as the perfect accompaniment to Starc and Josh Hazlewood. What is the biggest concern in regards to Cummins is his fitness, having only played in five tests since his debut in 2011 before being plagued by injuries. An exceptionally promising bowler, Cummins has enjoyed a great deal of success in his short international career and will be looking to continue that in the upcoming series. Alongside the returners are debutants Cameron Bancroft and Chadd Sayers. The former has had an impressive first-class career playing for both Gloucestershire and Western Australia, recently hitting his highest score of 228* against South Australia. Sayers, alternatively, offers Australia with an additional bowling option in case of either injury or the desire for rotation.
One of the main things Australia will have to be aware of during this Ashes series in particular is the amount of pressure they have heaped upon themselves. As always the build up to the Ashes has been a war of words between retired and current cricketers alike, but certain members of the current Australian squad have been vocal over the past few weeks. Nathan Lyon in particular has raised a few eyebrows with his comments about ‘ending careers’ and getting players ‘sacked’ which, instead of scaring the opposition have served only to put a target upon his own back, meaning both he and Australia now have to back up their off-field bravado with a strong performance on the pitch.
Whilst there has been plenty of speculation from either side as to the final score and who will be lifting the urn at the end of the series, in reality it really could go either way. An Ashes series is always a tough and passionately fought contest between both sides and every single player will be sure to throw themselves wholly into every game. As the series gets underway tonight, both teams will be looking to head into the day/night test match in 1-0 up.
All that’s left to see is which side will be the one to draw first blood.
Comments