They may have been written off by some critics — and Glenn McGrath inevitably predicted that Australia would win 5-0 — but four one-sided Test matches saw England regain the Ashes with a game to spare. This is their fifth Ashes win in ten years, four of which have come at home, meaning that Australia are still to win an away series against England since 2001.
With the exception of the embarrassment at Lord’s, these matches have been a far cry from the last Ashes. The batsmen could cope with Mitchell Johnson; the bowlers took twenty wickets with ease; and Australia struggled all round. Some English players struggled for form and could well find their Test spot under scrutiny quite soon, but perhaps this euphoria will give them extra time to start to produce.
England should celebrate with some caution looking ahead to future Ashes series — only once in the last ten years have they won an Ashes series at home and not then gone on to lose 5-0 in Australia. If they want to prove that they are truly a top team, they must win series away from home. This is no easy feat — cricket is a conditions-based game, but the great teams such as Australian sides of years gone by and the current South African side have had enough quality to be able to win in all conditions.
The next two Test series are away to Pakistan in the UAE and in South Africa. The conditions won’t necessarily suit the English bowlers, as there won’t be as much swing and seam as in England, especially in the first series, and should Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson in particular struggle to take wickets, England will run the risk of being absolutely hammered.
The last away series England won was to a subcontinent side, India, but the huge difference this time is that there is no Graeme Swann. Moeen Ali and Joe Root have been able to pick up a few wickets in Test cricket, but they are no more than batsmen who can bowl well. Adil Rashid has seen a remarkable turnaround in his career, but he bowls too many loose deliveries to be regularly winning Test matches. Even if Saeed Ajmal isn’t allowed to play, the likes of Raza Hasan, Zulfiqar Babar and Yasir Shah, of whom the former two have most impressive first-class records and the latter is already making waves on the International scene, will be stronger than any of England’s spin options.
As for South Africa, England will have to up their game to stand any chance of avoiding defeat. In this Ashes series, England were able to rely on Joe Root, Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad as a base which could then be added to by less consistent but sometimes effective performances from the likes of Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Steven Finn, Mark Wood and, most recently, Ben Stokes. Against the Proteas, they will need the whole team contributing.
The batting will have to improve dramatically. England have not proved that they can consistently go past 400 in the first innings. If Root hasn’t scored a century, the side haven’t been able to get near that. England’s golden boy will need support against a ferocious South African bowling attack. To win the series, Alastair Cook and Ian Bell will need to return to their 2011 form. Adam Lyth, or whoever the other opener may be, will need to start averaging at least 30. After that, Jonny Bairstow and Gary Ballance will need to show their true class.
This is just the tip of the iceberg, however. If the top and middle order perform and England are able to build a large score, perhaps with the help of Stokes, Buttler and the lower order, the bowlers will all have to fire. Mark Wood and Steven Finn both performed admirably in the fourth Test, and therefore those two will need to continue to support Anderson and Broad.
This is all much easier said than done. Batting conditions are tough in South Africa and England will have to dig in and build innings instead of mindlessly getting themselves out with unnecessary swipes at balls outside off. As for the bowlers, all too often in the past have those who take wickets in England not been able to replicate their success abroad. They must take wickets in conditions that don’t automatically swing or seam.
England were brilliant in all but one of these Ashes Tests. Certain members of the team were not able to fire, but the world-class players more than made up for that. They should celebrate regaining the Ashes and be praised for their performances this summer, but if they want the same treatment in the winter, they’ll need brilliance not from individuals, but as a team.
