With the English summer creeping ever nearer, excitement is building over the Ashes which will take place in Australia in November.
Despite the slow and steady decline of Test Match cricket, the Ashes stands alone when it comes to drama and excitement and the world will be watching when these two cricketing giants collide.
What do the odds say?
The odds suggest that England are likely to find themselves up against it. Currently the Australians are the heavy favourites and their current price of 4/6 is unlikely to stay like that for long.
When it comes to the Ashes, winning a series away from home is becoming more and more difficult to do.
The last time England were able to wrestle the Ashes away from Australia in Australia was all the way back in 2010 - 2011 when England led by Andrew Strauss were able to win the series 3-1.
Since that memorable win Down Under, England haven’t been able to win a single test. Losing the 2013 series 5-0, before succumbing to consecutive 4-0 defeats in both 2017 and 2021. It’s fair to say that plenty will need to go right if England are to change that record here.
Experience could be the key
The one area where this English side will lack in comparison to their Australian rivals is in the experience department.
This Aussie side has been together for years, the likes of Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazelwood and Nathan Lyon are Ashes veterans and they know exactly what it takes to win an Ashes series.
England on the other hand aren’t as fortunate.
When it comes to their likely bowling lineup, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse and Shoaib Bashir will all be competing in their first Ashes, whilst with the bat Jamie Smith and Jacob Bethell could also be first time debutants.
Many English sides have gone over to Australia with a wealth of experience and have fallen well short. With the spotlight set to be intense and with the Australian crowd set to be unforgiving, how the English new boys settle and adapt will be crucial in helping decide where the Ashes crown ends up.
Will Bazball flourish down under?
One of the main reasons as to why England have struggled in Australia is largely due to the flat and bouncy pitches.
With the wicket having been baked by the sun, batting in Australia requires patience and tenacity and too often England have fallen well short.
Take the example of the MCG above where the traditional Boxing Day test will take place in December. The average first innings score is well above 400 and in recent trips to Australia that is a total that England haven’t even come close to scoring.
This England side led by Ben Stokes and managed by Brendan McCullum have put a premium on playing entertaining and fast flowing cricket. Termed as ‘Bazball’ the cricketing public is still to conclude whether it works or not.
Bazball is all about putting pressure on the opponents, rather than block and try to nurse your ways to scores, England are encouraged to play their shots and when it works there is no finer sight in the game.
Under McCullum and Stokes, England have enjoyed away series victories over Pakistan and New Zealand, but competing and winning in Australia is a different ball game altogether.
When England hosted Australia it was clear that through the first two matches, it wasn’t working. The skill of Cummins, Starc and Hazelwood was too much and England were frustrating as they threw too many wickets away.
Whilst it came right towards the end of the summer and England deserved to level the series at 2-2, the general consensus amongst the English media and pundits is that they won’t get away with it in Australia. An adaptation of England’s buccaneering style will be required, otherwise they could be in for another chastening summer.
Who could be England’s star men in the Ashes?
Although England will travel to Australia with questions to answer, some of their inexperienced members are hugely exciting talents and some look well capable of leaving a big mark.
With the ball one of the newest stars of this England team has been Gus Atkinson.
Since making his debut in the summer - Atkinson has shown that England can survive without the skill and expertise of James Anderson and Stuart Broad and he is on track to become a fixture in the side for years to come.
Having taken seven wickets on his debut against the West Indies, he is the 43rd quickest man in history to reach 50 wickets and he managed to achieve the feat in a much quicker time than both Anderson and Broad.
Whilst Atkinson doesn’t contain the express pace that is often needed to be a success on Australian wickets, he is deadly accurate with his line and length and has a knack of taking wickets.
Set to be a constant challenge to the Australian batsmen, Atkinson is likely to relish the contest that lies ahead.
With the bat one man who has been turning heads is Jamie Smith.
Having been thrust into the line up last summer, Smith has taken over the wicket keeping responsibilities as well as needing to play a crucial role with the bat.
Still to play ten matches, Smith already has a century to his name and four half centuries. His average of 42 has been impressive and he hasn’t been intimidated by playing at the very highest stage.
He will never have faced pressure like this before and it will be fascinating to see how he handles the occasion. Cool, calm and collected big things are expected of Smith and he will hope to show all of his qualities in the upcoming series.
Tom Gibson
Tom Gibson, 33, possesses a keen interest in cricket combined with expertise in betting. Based in Newcastle, he is well-acquainted with the dynamics of the game and the betting world. With numerous years analyzing cricket matches and odds, Tom offers a unique perspective on the intersection of the sport and betting strategies