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It’s that time again. The Brits are putting on their sunscreen and us Aussies are gathering a vast supply of various stimulants to get us through the night.
The last time Australia faced England, Michael Clarke was our captain and Brad Haddin was our wicket-keeper. Despite these two being the same, so much has changed.
We’ve gone through Tim Nielsen and Micky Arthur to arrive at Darren Lehmann. We’ve discovered James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Jackson Bird. Chris Rogers has returned. Shane Watson is back where he supposedly belongs.
New coach. New bowlers. New batsmen. New problems.
Most people realise that if Australia are to win this series, there is one area where they will have to improve drastically; the batting.
How the Australians wield the willow will be critical in the series. The differences between the Australian and English top orders are massive.
Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott average around 50 and the remaining batsmen average over 40.
Michael Clarke averages 52, but no other members of his batting line-up average 40. Usman Khawaja doesn’t even average 30.
Whether they are minimising a deficit or maximising a lead, runs from the lower order will be vital in this series.
In the recent home Test series against New Zealand, the highest score put on by England’s last five wickets was 75. In stark contrast, during Australia’s forgettable tour of India, the most runs from the last five wickets was 164.
While the English tail aren’t all Chris Martins; they can’t be relied upon in the same way the Australians can. Mitchell Starc has a 99, Peter Siddle scored two 50s in his last Test match while James Pattinson averages the same as Usman Khawaja (with rounding)
Although, when it comes to bowling, the differences aren’t so obvious. Not a single bowler in either squad has an average of over 35. They all average at least one wicket every 10 overs.
One of the major bowling differences is between Graeme Swann and Ashton Agar.
They are different in many ways, especially experience. Swann has been in many different situations; he’s won the Ashes home and away and played 52 Tests. On the flip side, Lyon has only played 22 Tests and is yet to face England, let alone play a Test on English soil.
Potency is another element where the two differ. Lyon has only 76 Test wickets, a figure dwarfed by Swann’s 222; just over a third in almost half the matches.
After the Australians lost 29 wickets to Ravichandran Ashwin’s right arm off-breaks during the Indian Test series, Swann will be hoping to exploit similar weaknesses in different conditions as he spins away from Australia’s left handed top order.
The first Test in Nottingham will be massive in the series, the winner taking momentum onwards throughout the English summer, maybe even through to Sydney come January. These ten Test matches are poised to provide an engrossing battle between bat and ball and a true Ashes spectacle.
Can Australia win? Of course we can. Will we win? Who knows?
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