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After heated debate for months and months across the winter, and many auditions from plenty of players, the Australian selectors will have to choose their eleven for the first Test, in the biggest series in world cricket, the Ashes.
This is how I think the eleven should shape up.
1. David Warner (VC)
The vice-captain of the Australians basically picks himself. With an average of forty seven with the bat, he is the incumbent opening batsmen in the side. He historically, like most Australian batsmen has a fantastic record in Australia, and he bats basically to his average against England which makes this an easy selection.
2. Matthew Renshaw
This was one of the debated selections, well somewhat anyway. Anyone that knows anything to do with cricket would have Renshaw as the opening batsmen. He has shown that he can dig in when the going is hard to score, and also attack brutally when needed, at the age of 21, Matthew plays in his first ashes series.
3. Usman Khawaja
This selection irks me, a lot. This is clearly the weakest link in the side. His record in Australia is phenomenal however (averaging 63), and he has played fast bowling incredibly well here in recent times.
Historically his record against England has been deplorable, but that is mainly because he has played them in England. On home soil, I would reluctantly name him as the number three.
4. Steven Smith (C)
Another selection who speaks for itself. Smith is one of the best players in the world and a seemingly very good young captain. He will no doubt lead from the front in the Ashes as the skipper, and it could be another series on the path to him becoming one of the great Australian batsmen of all time.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
5. Peter Handscomb
Yet another selection who picks himself, at just 26, Handscomb has burst onto the scene and is already one of Australia’s best players. With an average of 53 from just ten matches ‘Pistol Pete’ will look to continue his stellar form with the bat and in the field.
6. Glen Maxwell
Possibly the most debated spots in the Australian team, and has been for a long period of time. Maxwell simply has to play, yes he has a tendency to do dumb things, but nobody else in the country, in this position, has the potential and talent that Maxwell does.
Hilton Cartwright hasn’t done anything to show he is a better option and Moises Henriques is the worst number six in Australian history. Therefore I would back in Maxwell as our number six.
7. Alex Carey
This will undoubtedly be the biggest talking point of the summer, the Australian wicket keeper. Carey hasn’t set the world on fire playing first class cricket however he has potential and raw talent. He simply can’t really do any worse than Matthew Wade and Peter Nevill.
Wade can’t keep and Nevill can’t bat. Carey gets the nod as the keeper, mainly because the other two we have fighting it out for that position are either horribly out of form or not up to it.
8. Mitchell Starc
Starc picks himself in the team. I’m not the greatest fan of his, as I think he is too erratic, but we all thought that about Mitchell Johnson once. He has improved dramatically over the last two or three years and could be ready to rip the English apart, he is in.
(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
9. Patrick Cummins
I had to think about this selection, he wasn’t a walk up start in my eyes like a lot of people seem to think. Like Starc he can be very erratic however his injury concerns are much more severe than Starc’s are.
Mainly, he got selected for his raw pace and bounce, which the English seem to struggle with when touring Australia.
10. Josh Hazlewood
Hazlewood is a walk up start in this team and one of the first picked, especially when you have the likes of Starc and Cummins in the team. He is very similar to Glen McGrath in the way he hits a beautiful line and length. His performance will play a huge role in the series.
11. Nathan Lyon
Like a fine wine, he gets better with age. Lyon isn’t the greatest spinner going around in world cricket, but for a country with absolutely no spin options, he is extremely important, and has actually got better with age over the last few years. He plays well on Australian pitches and is a lock in the team.
This series is extremely important for both countries like every ashes series is. However, although we hear every time England tour that they are the worst team to have travelled here, this year, I actually think that they might be right.
With no Ben Stokes who is no doubt their second best player, the English have bowlers who don’t bowl well in Australia, or batsmen (Apart from Joe Root) who can’t handle the conditions, or are untried in it.
I predict a 5-0 demolition job, very similar to the last time they travelled here.
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