The 2015 Ashes summer begins on Wednesday. England meet the tourists at Cardiff, in the first instalment of what promises to be a thrilling summer of cricket. The hosts will be looking to bounce back after a 5-0 whitewash down under in their last meeting back in 2013-14.
A couple of weeks ago one could be forgiven for thinking another thumping would be on the cards, as England looked horribly out of form in all areas. A thoroughly entertaining series against New Zealand may have changed a few minds though. They drew a two match test series and won an action-packed one-day series 3-2, playing an exciting new brand of cricket that entertained bulging crowds.
Australia will provide a different type of opposition. They arrive on the back of a comfortable 2-0 series win in their Ashes warm up against the West Indies. The Aussies were dealt a blow this week as bowler Ryan Harris was forced to retire due to a knee injury. Despite the setback, Australia do have adequate firepower in their pace attack without Harris; Mitchell Starc and past England tormentor Mitchell Johnson would strike fear into any batting line-up.
It’s not just the bowlers England have to get to grips with. The Aussie batting line-up is full of old nemeses, all of whom have the potential to inflict misery on their bowlers. World number one Test batsman Steve Smith is the stand-out performer but with the likes of David Warner, Brad Haddin and of course skipper Michael Clarke the Aussies could be looking at some seriously impressive scorecards.
The men tasked with restricting the batsman include Englands leading all-time wicket taker, James Anderson. Anderson will be backed up by the experienced Stuart Broad, the fiery Ben Stokes and then some relatively new faces to test Cricket. Mark Wood has just two test appearances to his name, whilst Adil Rashid makes his full test debut. England’s final bowler in the squad is Steven Finn, who has had a mixed test career with his form frequently fluctuating over the years.
Some critics have suggested that England will struggle to post more than 300 all summer. However, it remains to be seen if this prediction comes true. The likes of captain Alastair Cook and Joe Root will surely have a huge say in how well the hosts perform. Root has a good record against the Aussies and will look to build on an impressive start to his career, which includes a 180, scored at Lord’s the last time Australia visited. Jos Buttler makes his Ashes debut after the long-serving Matt Prior retired this spring. The Lancashire wicket-keeper adds to the batting line-up and could prove to be crucial further down the order.
The toss on Wednesday morning could be pivotal and both teams will be looking for a good start to the Ashes. Hopefully there will be an even battle between bat and ball, and if England turn up and keep things level, the fans will be in for a treat. England have home advantage, so the pitches should suit the hosts in their bid to bring the famous Ashes Urn home.
