Ahead of the 2015 Ashes Series, both sides have been involved in intriguing warm up tests but it’s Australia who have enjoyed the best of the exchanges. The Aussies were completely dominant in crushing the West Indies and will start as red hot favourites against England after their 2-0 whitewash.
Michael Clarke’s men will dominate the markets for the Ashes itself so you may want to seek a price enhancement if you’re backing the tourists. As for England, there were some positive signs in their drawn series against New Zealand but what do the hosts need to do to upset the predictions?
Key areas
While their series win in the Caribbean was a comfortable one, Australia did show a little vulnerability against the new ball and the pace of the Windies opening attack. In Dominica, Clarke’s team were 178-8 at one stage in their first innings and in the follow up in Jamaica, Jerome Taylor dismissed both openers with just 16 on the board.
In both cases, the Aussies recovered to post strong totals but is there an issue at the top of the order that England’s James Anderson and Stuart Broad can exploit? Unfortunately for Alastair Cook’s side, the middle trio of Steve Smith, Michael Clarke and Adam Voges are in top form so they will need to make early inroads if they are to keep the tourists’ batters in check.
A welcome return
The most positive factor in England’s series with the Kiwis was the return to form of Captain Cook. The Essex man scored a century and looked in perfect touch throughout, showing that an absence of one day cricket has helped him rediscover where his off stump lies.
There were further tons from Ben Stokes and Adam Lyth while Joe Root also made good runs at Lord’s. Lyth’s 100 was a particular comfort to the selectors after a long search for Cook’s opening partner but in contrast, Gary Ballance and Ian Bell are hopelessly out of form.
There are further concerns over Moeen Ali who was batting as low as number eight, suggesting that the selectors view him as a front line spinner. The Worcester man’s bowling was woeful however, and must surely force a rethink with Yorkshire leggie Adil Rashid hoping for a chance.
Compare and contrast
Ahead of the Ashes, England have too many players out of touch. Along with Bell, Ballance and Ali, the bowling has many question marks too. Stuart Broad took wickets against New Zealand but was particularly expensive while James Anderson passed 400 test victims without ever really looking at his best.
Mark Wood made an impressive debut at Lord’s but having never played back to back first class matches before, the Durham quick was down on pace at Headingley. Compare this to Australia’s pace battery where Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood are all in top form and ready to make it an uncomfortable few weeks for English batsmen.
There is hope for England ahead of the Ashes which starts in Cardiff on July 8th. It’s a promising new era where young players such as Stokes, Lyth, Root and Wood could be stars for years to come while the return to form of Captain Cook is another huge bonus.
Home conditions could also favour Cook’s men but on balance, it’s tough to see past the Australians here. This is a side at the top of their game and while we might not see another 5-0 whitewash, the Aussies to retain the urn looks to be the safest call of the 2015 cricket season.
Comments
Post a Comment