‘Most talked-about series in 15 years’: My Ashes preview

We are finally on the cusp of the 2021-22 Ashes series.

Probably the most anticipated and high profile series between the Old Enemies since 2005-06, the series after England finally recaptured the urn in that famous 2005 series.

The lead up to this series had it all: England threatened to pull out of the tour due to COVID restrictions, Australian coach Justin Langer under fire from within – questioning his tenure with the team – and a sexting scandal that left the Australian captain Tim Paine to resign as captain and then go on leave for the game itself.

For the first time since 1956, when Ray Lindwall was at the helm, Australia will trot forward a fast bowler as captain.

Ben Stokes has gone from hopeless to an opportunity to return as a knight in shining armor to boost the hopes of the English.

The T20 World Cup has meant that much of the Australian lineup and a few from England have had virtually no red ball cricket to prepare for the series. Ex-players come from far and wide to offer their opinions on the make-up of the potential Australian XI and Shane Warne has of course had his biannual shot at Mitchell Starc and promoted the Mitch Marsh campaign.

The whole build-up to the series has been exhausting, but we’re finally here – there’s nothing for it now but to get out there and play cricket and see which side comes out on top.

Australia go to the Ashes as favorites, with home conditions on their side.

They’re not without some serious chinks in their once intimidating appearance. They have lost two Border-Gavaskar trophies in three summers and India was far from full strength in the last heat. The once overwhelming infallibility of the Aussies on their home circuits is a thing of the past.

Australia is not close to the tried and true battle, their last test match being defeat at the Gabba at the hands of Indian in January. England, on the other hand, have had enough cricket over the course of the year to prepare them for the upcoming match.

There are plenty of question marks about the Australian side.

Marcus Harris has been given the go-ahead to open for the series, despite failing to convert an impressive domestic resume to international runs in two previous stints. The number 5 position has been vacated by Matthew Wade and appears to be filled by Travis Head, who has struggled at international level herself at times, despite being one of the dominant forces in Australian domestic circles.

Alex Carey will have the chance to make his debut after Tim Paine stepped off the sidelines, but this season in Sheffield Shield he hasn’t had long runs so far.

Mitchell Starc has stopped the red-hot Jhye Richardson from scoring first with the Poms in the Gabba, but he has been in the line of fire after a disastrous summer last year and a far from brilliant white-ball stint on the Australian side . There have been flashes of old Mitchell Starc, but nothing consistent.

Despite all this, the Aussies are favorites and will be looking for Marnus Labuschagne and the newly appointed Vice-Captain, Steve Smith, to continue for another summer looting runs against the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

Smith has averaged over 100 in the last two Ashes series and has scored 600 in nine Tests in which he has participated. How he performs in this series will go a long way in determining who will hold up the urn in whichever fifth astest.

England hasn’t had it easy going into the series. India handed them a series defeat, both on the subcontinent, and they had the series well under way before a COVID scare brought the UK tour to an end. New Zealand also took a 1–0 series win over England as well.

Both World Test Championship finalists exposed major holes in England’s batting formation outside of Joe Root.

Root is going through the best period of his career but he has a poor record in Australia and will need his teammates to do their part if they are to beat the Australians.

England also boasted a plan to take down a battery of fast bowlers, but after a string of injuries reigning players like Jofra Archer from the series, that battery was reduced to Mark Wood as the only speedster at Joe Root’s disposal.

Instead, their attack will resemble the one that struggled to take wickets on the 2017-18 tour. Ollie Robinson is a good addition to the wing and should prove to be a handful on the harder, faster Australian pitches, but you can’t help but shake off the feeling that the offense will struggle to take 20 wickets in conditions where swing probably won’t play a big part.

England missed a trick by not selecting leg spinner Matt Parkinson in their team.

With Anderson, Broad and Robinson the likely bowlers to make up for their attack and are all bowlers who rely on being disciplined and bowling a nagging line, Parkinson would have been the perfect complement to balance the attack and really go on the attack dealing with the ball, especially against an Australian side with a tendency to struggle against good spin.

By selecting Jack Leach as the spinner, England will have four bowlers who work best to dry up the runs but not necessarily make too much headway up the wickets column in Australian conditions.

England’s percussion is also under fire, although they seem to have stabilized some of it lately with the additions of Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan at the top and the timely return of Ben Stokes to add some firepower and stability to the squad. middle class.

While they appear to have improved, Joe Root is the only player in the lineup to boast a batting average of over 40 and Ben Stokes the only other player with an average of over 35. prove it will be a tough job are to prove it will be an uphill task after India is not eliminated in consecutive fourth innings.

The 47th Australian captain, Pat Cummins, recently confirmed their lineup.

David Warner
Marcus Harris
Marnus Labuschagne
Steve Smith
Travis Head
Cameron Green
Alex Carey
Pat Cummins (c)
Mitchell Starc
Nathan Lyon
Josh Hazlewood

Although his position on the side has been questioned by Warne, if Starc is to make a point in this series, he will have his best shot at the Gabba and Pink-ball Test in Adelaide. So with Jhye Richardson on his tail, the decision to go with the incumbent is understandable.

Although, George Bailey and co. should definitely be aware of Starc’s habit of fading as a series progresses and if he doesn’t do well early in the series they should get rid of him quickly. I’m afraid after last summer he spent whatever goodwill he might have had in the bank; Starc must produce and produce from scratch.

Joe Root, for his part, has still kept the make-up hidden from the media, so here’s a potential XI worth considering.

Rory Burns
Haseeb Hameed
Dawid Malan
Joe Root (c)
Ben Stokes
Ollie Pope
Jos Buttler
Ollie Robinson
Stuart Broad
Mark Wood
James Anderson

In the fast, resilient conditions the Gabba offers and the difficulties Jack Leach will have in adapting his skills to the Australian conditions, I don’t see him being more valuable than the extra fast.

England must come out and give the Australians a nosebleed in the first Test. If Cummins and the rest of the Australians get a big win at the Gabba, it will suck the life out of the English.

England’s best chance of upsetting the Gabba is to get their fastest bowler in and let him go. I can’t see the Gabba being a wicket that encourages spin and should the need arise, Joe Root has shown that he is more than capable of offering a few overs to spell his fast bowlers.

Overall, I think the Australians will once again be too much for the English, buoyed by a World Cup success and determined to correct last summer’s mistakes. Coupled with question marks over England’s top order, the Aussie should win comfortably.

I predict a similar score to the 2017-18 series of 4-0 for the Aussies.

But with the timely return of Ben Stokes, the incredible form of Joe Root and the lack of red ball cricket played by the Aussies this year, it has never been a better time for England not only to have their first test in Australia in nearly a decade. to win, but also their first series.

One thing is certain, we are in for an exciting summer of cricket.