Why England deserve to be called favourites heading into the Ashes
ICC World number 6 ranked batsman Joe Root will have to play a vital role if England are to regain the Ashes
As we fast approach the first Ashes Test between Australia and England in Cardiff on July 8, the usual war of words has begun. But this time, it's different. England, who are usually the first to bag the tripe out of themselves, actually sound genuinely confident, something which couldn't be easily said about an English team in recent memory. And they have every reason to be feeling good about the upcoming series, and in my opinion, deserve to go into it as favourites.
The Powerful POMS
As we witnessed in the recent bilateral Test series England played against a very good New Zealand side, which was drawn at one apiece, the Poms brand of cricket is vastly different from what we are used to. Although having a reputation of being a boring side, the recent cricket they played was exciting, daring and at times breathtaking. With Trevor Bayliss at the helm as coach, this free flowing style looks set to continue into the Ashes.
Leading the English cricket revival is middle order batsman Joe Root. Root is England's equivalent to Australia's Steven Smith, and you can bet that the indirect battle for runs between these two young guns will have a significant impact on the outcome of matches for their respective sides.
As well as Root, many English batsmen have started to hit their straps at the right time of year, with reliable captain Alastair Cook, fiery all-rounder Ben Stokes, destructive keeper-batsmen Jos Buttler and tidy bowling all-rounder Moeen Ali all contributing some vital knocks during the NZ Test series. As well as most of their batting line-up finding in whites, England's recent awesome batting performances in the short forms of the game will surely translate to confidence in the five-day arena.
The only batsmen not in form for England going into this series are Adam Lyth, Gary Ballance and Ian Bell, however given the impressive records of Ballance and especially Bell, who seems to play out of his skin against Australia, it won't be long before they're back in form. The jury is still out on Lyth, however if the rest of the batting unit fire, his lack of form will largely be forgotten.
Out of touch Aussies
With England running hot on form, batting is the key area where I split the two sides. As I go through the names of both batting line-ups, the fragility of Australia worries me.
The opening pair of David Warner and Chris Rogers (assuming he takes his place in the side) have both encountered their own troubles recently. Warner, coming off a stellar 18 months, looked nothing like the devastating player we have all grown to love on the tour of the West Indies, only passing 30 once. Rogers on the other hand failed to even chalk up an appearance in Test creams on the trip, as he suffered a blow to the head in the nets leading up to the First Test, and was subsequently rubbed out of action in both matches due to concussion. The 37-year-old will no doubt be rattled and shaken up from the incident, especially in light of last year's tragic occurrence. Time will tell whether Rogers is in the right state of mind to play.
Next, we head to the golden boy of Australian cricket, Steve Smith. The number 3 batsman has enjoyed a dreamlike 24 months, and continues to plunder runs at will. The only question I have is for how long he can keep up this amazing vein of form. History shows us that even the greats suffer form slumps at some point in their careers. Smith and Australia will be hoping that point is not anytime soon.
The middle order is most problematic for the Aussies. Skipper Michael Clarke, one of the finest players of his generation, is still restricted by a degenerative back condition and hasn't looked the player he once was for some time now. The courageous right-hander won't lie down without a fight but England will be confident of snaring his wicket, as Clarke never quite looks comfortable against the short ball. Expect Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad to pepper him with bumpers.
Batting at number 5, we have Adam Voges, who after just two Tests is still largely unproven at the top level, despite a century on debut against the Windies. English conditions and a step up in the quality of bowling will no doubt pose a different challenge for the 35 year old.
Perennial underachiever Shane Watson slots in as the fourth drop, and it would be hard to imagine the burly right-hander making runs anytime soon. It has now been almost 2 years since Watson's last Test century, coincidentally against England in 2013, and the pressure to make runs is mounting quickly.
Keeper batsman Brad Haddin has also been horribly out of touch, never quite kicking on from his unbelievable batting antics against England in 2013. This time around, the English bowlers won't be dreading the thought of Haddin arriving at the crease.
Weakened attack
I believe that the strength of Australia's bowling unit has somewhat papered over the cracks in their batting line up. However, this bowling attack won't be anywhere near as strong in the English conditions. Mitchell Johnson, who didn't tour England for the last Ashes series there, will be rendered ineffective, with the slow pitches not conducive to his style of banging it in short and having batsmen hopping around.
In swinging conditions, tall left-armer Mitchell Starc would be Australia's biggest weapon with the lethal in-swinger he possess, although he has been known to leak runs and to be wildly inconsistent. Australia will be hoping for Starc to continue his World Cup and West Indies form into this series.
Josh Hazlewood looks a promising young bowler and big things are predicted for the Glenn McGrath clone, but as this is his first major Test series, don't discount the pressure of the occasion getting to him.
The proven performer in England of the bunch is Ryan Harris, but at 35 years of age and nursing a knee injury that prevents him from playing back to back Test matches, Australia cannot afford to rely on him too much.
The other pace bowler picked in the squad is Peter Siddle, but with the Victorian product now bowling at a gentle 130kmph, the English batsmen won't be having nightmares about the prospect of him playing.
Rounding out the bowling unit is spinner Nathan Lyon, who is yet to confirm himself as a genuine match-winning spinner. The 27-year-old usually works off the back of the quicks success, and so if the pace attack struggles, it's likely that Lyon will too.
England ready to ignite
On the flip side, England's bowlers know their games and the conditions inside out, and will be able to extract the most use from them. Jimmy Anderson, who recently passed 300 Test scalps, will be licking his lips at the thought of opening the bowling with a hooping Dukes ball given Australia's weakness against quality swing bowling, something they haven't been tested by in a long time.
Stuart Broad is a proven performer who doesn't let anyone down, and always seems to step it up a gear when playing the Aussies.
First change bowler Mark Wood performed solidly in his debut series against New Zealand, snaring 9 wickets. He will no doubt be better for the run after having a taste of Test cricket and will look to improve upon his performances.
Ben Stokes provides another handy bowling option and will come at the Aussies hard. You can be sure that Stokes won't take a backward step at any stage during the series.
England also have a few spin options, with the cunning Moeen Ali to do the bulk of the work with Joe Root to handily chip in if required. The spinners will play a massive role as the pitches should offer some turn and bounce, so if Ali and Root can utilise this, Australia could be in some real trouble. The Aussies have struggled against spin bowling perhaps more than anything else in recent times, as showcased by West Indian Devendra Bishoo ripping through the Australian top order in the first innings of the first Test in the recent series between the two nations.
Keen for Cardiff
All in all, I am very excited at the thought of the Ashes starting again soon. I predict that it will be a very, very tight series, and will no doubt have cricket lovers everywhere on the edge of their seats for the duration of each match. I certainly believe that England have a very real possibility of winning this series if they play to their potential, and as a cricket fan, despite being Australian, there is nothing I'd want more than to see England bring their A-game; there aren't many things better in this world than watching two of the world's best Test cricket sides go head to head in a 5 Test series of drama packed action! May the best team win.