Any time an individual or team is vying to dethrone the incumbent champion in their respective sporting competition there is one simple message they must heed: if you come for the king, you best not miss.
It’s a warning supposedly of Machiavellian origins popularised by Omar Little, a renegade in Baltimore’s drug scene who thrived off staking and ambushing his enemies in the 2000s hit TV show The Wire.
Omar’s word of warning from the show is one which must be understood and noted by the English cricket team ahead of this winter’s Ashes series on their home turf, where they will hope to secure Test cricket’s most prestigious prize, and bragging rights, for the first time in eight years by defeating an Australian side ranked second in the world who’ve consistently been one of cricket’s top dogs over the past few years.
It’s been 18 months since the English side were embarrassingly demolished by a blood-thirsty Australian outfit 4-0 in the 2021-22 Ashes. In that time, under Brendan McCullum’s guidance, they’ve reinvented themselves and supposedly Test cricket, through the adoption of the ultra-attacking ‘Bazball’ concept.
Or, the art of tonking the ball incredibly hard, incredibly often to score at T20 strike rates in the game’s longest format. Under the hard-hitting Kiwi, England are yet to lose a series.
(Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
And it seems, rightly so, they’re doubling down on the effectiveness of this approach so far. Charging into the Ashes with a courageous heart and brave mind.
So much so, captain Ben Stokes recently requested flat, fast pitches, typically associated with Australian conditions where their most poignant recent struggles have been glaringly obvious, and shortened boundaries, reportedly only 60 metres long. Within these publicly proclaimed requests lies a hint of overconfident, potentially harmful, naivety seeping into the England camp.
Superficially, these seem to be baseless mind games designed not to grind Australia into accepting defeat before a wicket’s been taken, but rather into convincing England they, and their lights out, up-tempo, six-hitting tactical circus, has any hope of victory.
Perhaps, that’s exactly the intention. Perhaps such mental and verbal tactics have been spewed without any intention of acting on them.
Perhaps Australia will arrive at Edgbaston for the first Test and pitch will be anything but flat and fast, the ball will move a mile, David Warner’s Test career will crash and burn with Australia’s hopes of successful Ashes retention, the boundary rope will lie three rows deep in the crowd with only Ben Stokes capable of reaching it, Andrew McDonald will collect the ire of the Australian public and media, and a Kiwi coach and Kiwi captain will inspire a famous England Ashes win.
But that all seems a bit improbable, doesn’t it? Perhaps England’s verbally constructed pre-Ashes faux confidence in its electrifying style will crumble under the weight of the finest fast bowling trident in world cricket.
Stuart Broad talks of scoreboard pressure potentially getting to Australia knowing they can’t score as quickly as their adversaries. And yet, nothing about Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and even Usman Khawaja indicates anything outside their batting bubble weighs too heavily on their performances.
This is after all Smith, who many consider the best bat since Donald Bradman, who withstood a barrage of verbal abuse last time England hosted the Ashes on his way to arguably Test cricket’s most herculean single-series performance and who, at the peak of his powers, is borderline impeachable.
Khawaja has seen enough winters to back his ability and his side.
Labuschagne, heir to the Smith-shaped iron throne at the summit of cricketing lore, is an oddball batting addict capable of surfing practically every obstacle thrown his way with a smile and overwhelming enjoyment.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
Even if all three of these man fail to fire in a single Test match, about as likely a proposition as India winning the Ashes, Australia boast Travis Head, one of Test cricket’s finest swift scorers, especially on flat and fast pitches, who blew England out of the park on home soil two summers ago; Alex Carey, a reliable bat; Cameron Green, a highly-touted all-rounder starting to show his natural class; and potentially David Warner, whose record in England is torrid, but his record on fast flat pitches? Incomparable.
This isn’t an infallible force of an England side who’ve not lost a match in three years, but rather a side high on its rather recent supply who scored quickly and aggressively against a New Zealand team without two of its best bowlers and still failed to win the series.
A side littered with stars, like Joe Root and Stokes, who’ve barely played in recent months through injury or failure to be selected in the IPL.
There is no doubt England have improved drastically under McCullum, but have they improved to the extent they seem to think? Put simply, no.
They’re exciting, they have incredible potential to score quick and blow sides out of the water, and they are far from the side crushed on Australian soil in the summer of 2021, but they’re also far from the lofty pedestal they’ve placed themselves on.
England are making a lot of noise on their pursuit of the Ashes, but in Australia they face an adversary, a cricketing king, unlike any they’ve faced in the Bazball era, one up to fight tooth and nail for Test cricket’s greatest honour.
jameswm
Roar Guru
If Haze is fit, I would start off with Cummins, Haze and Neser. Boland next, then Starc.
Steele
Roar Rookie
Would love to see those two pair with Neser, alas we know it will be the same four NSW Horseman so why kid ourselves?!
Steele
Roar Rookie
Yeah well if England are swinging it on roads and we are not, they will kill us!!
jameswm
Roar Guru
Swing doesn’t depend on the wicket though. It depends on the skies
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Agreed, if you love traditional cricket, this series is one to tune in for. And we need to keep these longer-match Test series alive. I'm heartened that future Aus-India series will now be 5 match affairs for the foreseeable future. Aus v SAF should have been 5 Test series in the first two decades of this century...but sadly I think now SAF's best days as a top-tier Test force may now be gone. Hope I'm wrong, but structurally (scheduling) can't see your guys being given the opportunity to re-establish themselves, which is sad as the Proteas have always been the best of competitors at Test level. I'm not sure "Bazball" is the future per-se. I think Bazball is an extension of the way Tests sides changed gears upwards anyway re scoring rates since the early 2000s. It's probably getting more prominence because of England's rather late-to-the-party adoption of faster scoring rates in Test cricket (though are they now over-reaching?). Not sure about spin. Lyon is definitely at his peak, but in England I still see him more as a container rather than a strike bowler, allowing the pace bowlers to do their thing *if* England's innings go longer. I just don't see innings in the Ashes going much past 300, so I don't see spin playing that much of a role.
jameswm
Roar Guru
England have better bowlers? Australia have the better spinner (and probably backup spinner). Then you have: Cummins, Hazelwood, Starc/Boland/Neser & Green v 3 of Anderson, Broad, Wood, Archer, Robinson and possibly others, plus Stokes. Green is a better bowler than Stokes. If Australia have the better spinner, England’s other quicks would have to be significantly better. They’re not in Australia, are they in England? Cummins averages 19.6 in England and Haze 23.5. In any case, England have the advantage being at home, so it should be good. Australia, apart from the 1st test (warm up game anyone, and pick Head?) and a couple of other sessions in India, have been very good for 12-18 months.
jameswm
Roar Guru
And they will probably be among the first to turn on their own team when things aren't so easy. Maybe the chat is for the local fans, and they are buying it.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
Hi Jeff .. I am indeed looking forward to it . So many unanswered questions about who stands where in World Cricket . I mean when we toured Aus end of last year it was with series wins against India in SA and away to NZ in the bank. A first Test win against England away but were totally humiliated in Aus where we normally play so well. Is Bazball the future or is it going to see its demise here I wonder . Can the likes of Archer , Broad etc get through a full series especially if Aus make em bowl plenty . There is a post here that spin won’t play a role .. But look at Simon Harmers performances in county cricket for Essex . Think 2018 finished nr 2 overall for most wickets at 19,19 with his offspin so English conditions do have a platform for class spin . Even subsequently he has been amazingly effective .Shane Warne’ s performances in Pommieland anchor that theory down . Lyon is surely now at the peak of his career ..He would love England to go after him to try take him out of the attack thereby forcing Aus quicks to bowl more ..I have a zillion other questions around individuals too . Warner top of my shopping list ..Yeah even for a neutral if you love cricket this is shaping up to be so intriguing .
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Should be a fascinating series JN :thumbup: I'd like to see Aus exploit the swing conditions a little more than the initial selected touring squad indicates we will, though I'm sure they're intending to retain a flexible approach re bringing in the likes of Neser from outside the squad once the series is underway. England throwing their bats at everything comes at a risk against our attack, though if it's a relatively low-scoring series (which I think it will be when looking at the match-ups of the two sides) there is perhaps something to be said for getting runs on the board quickly. But we shall see!
Opeo
Roar Rookie
True, if we were only beating NZ at home by five wickets it would be considered a failure and people would be calling for the coach and captain to be sacked.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
I have a sneaking suspicion England are going to get their names taken this series ..There ..Said it !… Sure they beat South Africa and NZ using Bazball tactics . Had to come from behind against The Proteas though and some close games against The Black Caps . But we since saw how poor the Proteas actually are with a batting lineup that wouldn’t find a place in County Cricket . SA Still good enough to beat NZ away though so it kinda doesn’t say much about how good NZ themselves are .. South Africa then cruelly exposed by Australia ….If I were England I would be very wary of talking big ….Not sure the India series any indication of how good or bad this Australian team are ..Their two main weapons , the pace attack and top order batting neutralised by Indian ground curators more than the Indian players methinks. Yup England may want to pause on the megaphone right now .
Steele
Roar Rookie
I think the talk of flat pitches is mind games. Crazy tactic, swing is Aus’s kryptonite. Why lose the advantage?
Perthstayer
Roar Rookie
England still living rent free in the media's Heads. :happy: They're batting broke numerous records last year, both individual and team. Bowlers are getting 20 wickets at low 20's averages. Perhaps not vs highest opposition, but England were also rubbish 18 months back. I'm hoping Stokes not fit enough to start bowling useful spells again.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Tell 'em they're dreaming!
Liam Cole
Roar Rookie
A lot of talk from England considering that got pumped last ashes. Hopefully we get see Jofra Archer back but l don’t think he’s body will allow him to play a full series possibly one test if lucky. There’s way too many questions marks in Englands squad and l think the Aussies come on top.
Opeo
Roar Rookie
Averages about 20 in test cricket.
Ouch
Roar Rookie
the unfit, overweight guy who could barely get through a 4-over spell in the last Ashes? only thing he'd be good at hoofing is donuts.
Opeo
Roar Rookie
Ollie Robinson was talking about giving is a good hoofing a few weeks ago.
Simoc
Roar Rookie
Well not exactly. S Broad has been mouthing off, Ozzie style, and that has gifted wannabe writers and old media something to feast on as it was designed to do. For me, we have a better batting lineup than England and they have a better bowling lineup than us depending on how well Ollie Robinson and Jofra Archer bowl. Spin is unlikely to factor in. At home England will be favorites but it should be a great series. One team is unlikely to dominate for the entire series.
Ja ja klazo
Roar Rookie
Can't wait for it. Really want to see them cut down to size. I'm living in England at the moment and I honestly can't believe how confident their fans are. They're definitely a better team now than they were 12 months ago but I think they are totally underestimating how strong we are atm. It's always competitive in England and this year will be no different. Some of their fans are telling me with a straight face it will be a 4-1 or even 5-0 drubbing!!