"The battle between England’s bowlers and David Warner will be absolutely vital to the outcome of this Ashes" - Nasser Hussain
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has outlined the key issues the team needs to sort out ahead of the upcoming Ashes series. Hussain mentioned the battle between the England bowling attack and David Warner would be pivotal in dictating which direction the momentum goes.
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The left-handed opener endured a tough time during the last Ashes series in 2019. He was particularly vulnerable to Stuart Broad, as he ended up with only 95 runs at an average of 9.5 in the five-match series. Hussain noted that it is necessary for England to be aggressive towards the recently crowned player of the tournament at the T20 World Cup.
In his column for the Daily Mail, Hussain wrote:
"The battle between England’s bowlers and David Warner will be absolutely vital to the outcome of this Ashes. Stuart Broad has been all over him like a rash in Test cricket in England."
Hussain added:
"They must attack Warner, unlike in the last away Ashes when England put out sweepers to him at the start of his innings. If Warner gets Australia off to a flyer and then Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne come in with runs on the board, England will be chasing the game. They have to avoid that at all costs."
David Warner has been off the Test circuit for a while, much like the majority of his teammates. He missed the first two Tests against India due to injury and did not find much success in the remainder of the series either.
Australia do have vulnerabilities: Nasser Hussain
The 53-year-old elaborated on how England can capitalize on Australia's vulnerabilities and win a series on Australian soil for the first time in a decade. He felt that Australia's fortress, The Gabba, could be breached again after India ended their 31-match unbeaten run.
Moreover, he believes that many in the Australian batting unit are trying to reconstruct their careers in the longest format and are unsettled at the minute. Hussain explained:
"Australia do have vulnerabilities. Warner is trying to resurrect his Test career while Marcus Harris and Travis Head are starting again. England may be a little light in some areas but so are Australia and, as India proved in the last Test played in Brisbane, the Gabba is no longer a fortress.England can win if they do the basics well and remain flexible but, most importantly, they have to get big first-innings runs."
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Joe Root will be on the lookout to claim his first Ashes series win as captain. His team have been bolstered by Ben Stokes' return but will have to do without the services of veteran James Anderson for the first Test.