Our own cricketing universe is buzzing for the new Ashes series that is about to begin. Stats wise, England has a great mixture of bright young talent and deep pace bowler experience. Among our key players are 22-year-old Harry Bethell, who has only played four Tests since his debut. For a relative neophyte, Bethell’s audition has earned rave reviews. After such a consistent campaign, only his non-boundary strike-rate shimmers in stark contrast as the lowest of any top seven batter since Brendon McCullum’s ascension to England’s head coach.
His summer took a major step forward with the breakthrough of his first professional century against South Africa in September. While he is being considered for selection in the England team for the Ashes, his strike rate raises questions about his ability to contribute effectively in the high-pressure environment of Test cricket.
England’s bowling attack looks perfectly set up to wreak havoc. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood will be front and center of the pace attack. They will be looking to secure a first series win down under since 2010-11. Archer, recently recovered from a prolonged injury layoff, is remembered for his remarkable delivery that struck Steve Smith on the helmet during the 2019 Ashes. He’ll be accompanied by Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts. This tournament squad is being touted as the quickest pack of bowlers England have brought to a World Cup in a generation.
The opening Test against Australia starts November 21 in Perth. Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the warmup, but he is expected to be healthy and available to captain the team. The stakes are high for England, who will be facing a hot and dangerous Australian side under the leadership of Steve Smith. The Australian batsman has an impressive record against England, scoring 3,417 runs in 37 Tests at an average of 56.01, including 12 centuries.
As the Ashes series approaches, that’s exactly what former Australian cricketer Mitchell Johnson gave us when he posted this video expressing his views on the imminent battle. He believes that Australia’s top order will not be intimidated by England’s pace attack.
“The Australian top order won’t be fearful of the Wood-Archer combination. Respectful, yes, but not afraid.”
The potential for England’s campaign to flourish or flounder is encapsulated within their star parade of bowlers, with fitness and form vital. A recent analysis notes that “their Ashes hopes rest on whether Wood and Archer can stay fit, stay fast, and stay relentless across five brutal Tests in Australian conditions.”
Lord Botham also chimed in, advocating an approach for England’s bowlers that would prioritize aggression and pace to rattle the Australian batsmen.
“I think it’s the right way. You want to be aggressive, you want the ball to come through. Players who aren’t in good form don’t like it in the ribs, so it will be interesting.”
Or anticipation grows ahead of the Ashes! Cricket pundits tell us that for England to beat Australia, they need to do something different. Tom Sizeland suggested a four-day test match with the Lions. This will go a long way in replicating a real match environment ahead of them meeting Australia.
“Why not play a four-day game against them (the Lions) and play to a proper match situation? It’s their only tour game – not sure why they wouldn’t just ensure the batters/bowlers get the necessary hours in.”
England’s preparations will extreme misfitting footwear no doubt be looked at under a microscope as they head into this eagerly-awaited series. The team is feeling pressure on many sides including expectation of performance from all their stakeholders, the fans and the media. As Dominic Charters pointed out,
“Surprising and disappointing. You need all of the old guard onside when touring down there, especially in the media.”
England are clearly attempting to find a balance between youth and experience. They are doing that by including the likes of Bethell as well as the more experienced Stokes and Archer. At the same time, Simon Katich has predicted that Australia’s batsmen will face difficult conditions under a newly aggressive England bowling attack.
“They will have seen what New Zealand did to Steve Smith a few years ago so successfully in Australia.”
As the tour progresses, players will be looking to make their mark when the pressure is on. After three days in Australia, Ben Duckett commented on Archer’s soldier-like training routine.
“We’ve been out here for a few days and he’s been in beast mode.”
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