England vs Australia, The Ashes: 3 things to eagerly look forward to
After the exciting high of the IPL followed by one of the most competitive World Cups ever, it’s fair to say cricket fans across the globe would be craving for more such top-quality cricket to enthral them.
The last 5-6 months has been exciting and filled with thrills right from some tight, close games in the IPL to a World Cup that saw hosts England become first time champions in a WC finals that would go down as among the best ODI to have been played.
The action finally shifts to the highest and toughest form of cricket-test cricket to take centre stage. In a precursor to the main event- The Ashes, England took on Ireland at Lord’s last week. Although Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad were just too good for the Irish batsmen to dismiss them for 38, Ireland really pushed the hosts, setting off some alarms ahead of the Ashes.
With the ICC Test Championships officially going to kick off with the Ashes, the stakes are extremely high. Not only is the Ashes series the pinnacle of achievement for any English or Australian cricketer, the test championships will ensure even more competitiveness when they face off at Edgbaston from August 1, 2019.
Here’s building up to the oldest rivalry in test cricket, by looking at 3 things to eagerly look forward to from this Ashes series :
England would want to give their coach Trevor Bayliss a fitting farewell
England’s head coach Trevor Bayliss will end his tenure post the Ashes series. The Australian took charge in 2015 and has revolutionised the way England look at their limited overs cricket. The change in attitude and approach of players is clearly visible to everyone following England’s rise to ODI supremacy in recent times.
Trevor Bayliss comes in with sparkling achievements- he coached KKR to glory in 2012 and 2014 and, he helped Sydney Sixers lift the BBL trophy in 2011-12 season. His skill as a coach was never in doubt when he took over from Andy Flower as England’s coach in 2015.
England’s rapid rise in LOI’s where they reached the finals of the World T20 in 2016 only to be blown by Carlos Braithwaite at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata to their first ever World Cup title comes at a cost- rapid decline in their Test cricket.
Their recent collapse against Ireland where they were blown away by Tim Murtagh to fold up within a session is not a rarity for England off late. Their clear lack of clarity in picking or choosing the right players to bat at the top of the order in Test cricket has resulted in some embarrassing performances.
England’s inability to play the moving ball at pace was exposed in their recent tour to the West Indies where they were blown away by Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach and James Holder. Their performances in LOI’s and Tests has been contrasting to say the least in Bayliss’s term as coach.
Clear weaknesses at the top of the order has exposed the middle order on many occasions. Trevor Bayliss started his tenure with England by winning the 2015 Ashes at home, it’s only fitting that England do an encore of 2015 and send their coach out on a high.
But it remains to be seen if England can find a solution to cope against Mitchell Starc, Patt Cummins, Josh Hazelwood and Nathan Lyon once the series starts? Only time will tell.
Also read – Ashes Biggest wins