Australia vs England - the battle for a tiny urn - it can only be the Ashes. One of the fiercest rivalries in sport is once again upon us as Joe Root's England take on Steve Smith's Australia in the first Magellan Ashes Test match live from Brisbane later on today. After weeks of build-up, frank twitter exchanges between former players and constant sledging from current players, the action on the pitch finally takes centre-stage as England look to retain the Ashes with a series win away from home.
Five superb test matches, one great spectacle, all live on BT Sport and our cricket tipster Danny Archer has previewed the series and today's first test for us...
Series Outright Betting - Australia 2/5, England 10/3, Draw 8/1
England - Trevor Bayliss' side were good value for their 3-2 winning margin the last time the two teams met over in England for the 2015 Ashes series. Clinical performances from key men with bat and ball, including Stuart Broad's iconic bowling spell of 8-15 at Trent Bridge meant England regained the urn and ended a few careers in the process. Chris Rogers, Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson, Shane Watson, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges and Brad Haddin all departed the test arena at different stages after the tour, but England have also seen seismic changes to their line-up.
Batting - Test series victories over South Africa and West Indies domestically this summer have seen Bayliss and the ECB selection panel try myriad batsmen with Ian Bell, Jos Buttler and Adam Lyth all missing out this time around. This try and test method has met significant mishaps and England continue to rely on former skipper Alastair Cook and the current captain Joe Root for the majority of the runs at the top of the order, with England consistently being 50/60/70-3 throughout the summer. Opener Mark Stoneman, James Vince (no.3) and Dawid Malan (no.5) are the men entrusted to take the burden off Cook and Root for this tour and in the case of Surrey opener Stoneman, he has made a fine start to life in an England shirt. A 50 against the West Indies has been buffeted by four consecutive 50s in Australian the tour thus far, which included his first 100 for the test side at Townsville. With Vince, Malan and back-up man Gary Ballance also making 50s in the warm-up games, there is a growing confidence amongst the top-order, one that was battered and bruised by Mitchell Johnson's devastating pace, power and bounce during the 5-0 series whitewash in 2013/14. Stoneman, Vince and Malan are all flair players who are willing to take on the short ball and like to score runs at pace, something which could well be critical as they face 90mph bursts from Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. That should bode well for England and in the case of Alastair Cook, they have one of the finest batsman ever to wear the white top - Cook famously scored 766 runs at an average of 127 on the 2010/11 tour, a pivotal role which helped England claim the urn on foreign soil. Cook's overall Ashes record is poor from him, averaging 39, but he has seemingly played himself into form late on in the warm-up matches, having scored a lovely 71 last time out and England will hope the Essex man can better his 246 runs during the 2013/14 Ashes series down under. Since being appointed captain earlier this year, Root has taken the captaincy in his stride and importantly, it hasn't affected his ability to score runs. He scored his 11th consecutive 50 during the domestic summer against the West Indies but only scored 192 runs in the last Ashes test down under and he was dropped for the fifth test on that occasion. Pretty combative against the short ball, Australia's pace attack will know Root is the prize wicket amongst England's top order. Wicket-keeper Jonny Bairstow has become Mr. Dependable for England with the bat and he and Moeen Ali will prove pivotal in helping England post competitive totals throughout the series. However, the omission of Ben Stokes from the side due to a nightclub brawl incident in Bristol is pivotal. A powerful middle-order batsman, Stokes excelled at pushing England's innings along and he will be a crucial miss here, one the Australians have already lapped up in pre-series press conferences. England's top order does have a brittle look about it, but conversely, it does possess some real talent which could really take the game to Australian's bowlers.
Bowling - One of England's finest double acts, James Anderson and Stuart Broad will have another pivotal role to play in this series. Anderson boasts a haul of 506 test wickets, whilst compatriot Broad has procured 388 dismissals and with both bowlers getting older, they know they have less rather than more of their international careers to look forward to as they seek to add to their career haul of over 800 wickets combined. In English conditions, Anderson is simply masterful in getting the ball to swing both ways, but he has previously struggled in Australia. The swing bowler took just 14 wickets at a dismal average of 43 during the 2013/14 series and the distinct lack of movement on Australian pitches, designed to suit the pace, power and bounce of Australia's seamers has blunted Anderson. However, the Lancashire man could have a massive role to play in the second test at Adelaide. The inaugural day-night Ashes test will use a pink ball and those conditions will be conducive to Anderson. In the case of Broad, he plundered 21 wickets at an average of 27 last time down under, ending the series as England's leading wicket-taker. His extra-height and focus on bounce will give him a massive role to play in this test series once again. However, for too long, England have come to constantly rely on Anderson and Broad. With Toby Roland-Jones and Steven Finn both ruled out of the series, the gauntlet falls to Chris Woakes and Jake Ball to provide welcome relief for Anderson and Broad. Woakes has established himself in the England side and has got some important wickets for the team, whilst Ball has been in-and-out of the team having taken two wickets at an average of 114 in three tests, but this series provides him with a huge opportunity to prove his worth. Moeen Ali will seek to punctuate the seamers and he has a canny knack of taking wickets at crucial times for England - his ability to pick up those wickets will go a long way to helping England win this series.
Australia - As alluded to, Australia are a barely recognisable side to the one which suffered a 3-2 loss in England in the 2015 Ashes series. Darren Lehmann remains the coach and he and his players have been in plaintive buoyant mood in the build-up to this series. The Baggy Greens come into this as overwhelming favourites but that is as much a show of defiance by the current squad and Australian tabloids in relation to the Stokes saga. The Aussies feel Stokes' absence could prove the defining factor here, but Hubris is a funny thing and the Australian's certainly do not come into this contest as a settled and dominant side.
Batting - In a similar vein to England, Australia's batting line-up is pivoted around two men - David Warner and Steve Smith. Warner, who famously punched Joe Root in a nightclub prior to the 2013 Ashes series which saw him miss the first two matches, has been in mischievous form in the lead-up to this series, taking every opportunity to criticise England and lament their loss of Stokes who he described as "letting his country down". The opening batsman is also a wonderful attacking prowess who can take a game away from you in an instant. The leading run scorer in the 2013/14 Ashes, Warner plundered 523 runs at an average of 58 with a highest score of 124. He played some crucial innings in that series and he relishes playing in Australian conditions, given his liking for the short-ball and anything full. The Australian vice-captain also scored 418 runs at an average of 46 during the 2015 Ashes series, highlighting that England will have to keep a lid on Warner who excels at kick-starting the Australian innings. Captain Steve Smith scored 327 runs in the 2013/14 Ashes series and interestingly top-scored in the 2015 series with 508 runs at an average of 56 with a highest score of 215. In a similar vein to Root, Smith will be the prized wicket for England but number one batsman in the world Smith equally will know that his team's hopes rest primarily on his shoulders. Australia's middle order is decidedly shaky but Usman Khawaja has established himself as a man who relishes domestic conditions. He averages 63 in Australia and remarkably just 27 abroad with an average of 21 in Ashes test. Opener Cameron Bancroft makes his test debut on the biggest of all occasions and Shaun Marsh has once again be recalled to the side. Peter Handscomb has looked a fine player in 10 tests for the Baggy Greens however, averaging 53 and he could lead the middle-order resistance. As for the gloveman, well Tim Paine is consider Australia's best wicket-keeper and returns to the test side after a seven-year hiatus. Australia coach Darren Lehmann got his last first-class hundred 100 in 2007, Paine procured his in 2006. This therefore does highlight the fragility of Australia's middle order which England must take advantage of.
Bowling - Interestingly, Australia only have four front-line bowlers in the side. That is headed by in my opinion one of the finest bowlers in the world Mitchell Starc. His yorker is one of the finest deliveries in the game and he has been ripping teams apart in the Sheffield Shield of late, Australia's domestic county championship competition. Mitchell Johnson averaged 13.97 in the 2013/14 series and claimed 37 wickets to effectively decide the series and Starc has the ability to rip through England's batting order in a similar vein. Starc has taken 148 wickets at an average of 28 in 36 tests and possess all the qualities to become an Australian great. He also offers stern resistance as a lower-order batsman and seems to have shaken off any injury concerns. Starc has the ability to bowl at 99mph and England will firmly expect the short-ball ploy to be used frequently. Australia also have Pat Cummins, another man who can bowl over 90mph but his test career has been curtailed by injuries and doubts remain as to whether he will last the whole series. A five and a half-year gap between his first two tests, coupled with the fact that Cummins has never bowled for Australia on home soil are slight negatives. The home side's attack is bolstered by seamer Josh Hazlewood who will enjoy using the Kookaburra ball and could prove a real thorn for England, coupled with spinner Nathan Lyon. The 30-year-old off spinner has taken 269 wickets in 69 tests at an average of 31 and he has excelled on home turf, conditions not usually conducive to an off spinner. Lyon took 19 wickets in the 2013/14 series and 16 in 2015, so his Ashes pedigree cannot be criticised and he will provide the seamers with welcome support. The one slight worry with Australia's bowling attack is Starc and Cummins resemble Mitchell Johnson; pace bowlers who excel in short, sharp bursts and if they struggle to uproot (no pun intended) England's top-order early, will they grow fatigued? It's another question in a fascinating series.
Archer's Ashes Answer - I think this series could prove a bit closer than some experts and bookmakers think. However, I sadly still think the Australians will regain the urn on home soil. I think Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith and David Warner could take the series away from an inexperienced England batting line-up.
Selections -
Australia to win - 2/5
Australia to win 2-1 10/1 or 3-1 5/1
England to win 1 series match - 15/8
England to win a test - 1/3
Warner, Smith, Cook and Root all to score a century in the series - 7/4
Australia most series runs - Steve Smith 7/4
Australia most series wickets - Mitchell Starc 7/4
England most series wickets - Stuart Broad 11/4
Series top bowler - Mitchell Starc 2/1
Advert
Archer's 1st Test Preview - 1st Test Betting - Australia 7/10, Draw 19/5, England 11/4
England's last victory at the Gabba was in 1986 and they have perpetually struggled at the "Gabbatoire". Comparably, Australia have not lost at the ground in test matches since 1988, racking up 21 wins and 7 draws at the ground. Australia have not lost at the Gabba in over 30 years and England have perpetually struggled at the "Gabbatoire." Traditionally, if you win the toss in Brisbane, you decide to bat on the flat track and the flip of a coin could prove as big a turning point as any in this series. However, rain is possible every day of the first day, with a 90% rain on the fourth and fifth days. With that in mind, I England will happily and have the potential to take a draw at the Gabba, with the second day-night pink ball test at Adelaide potentially a decisive turning point.
1st Test Selections
Draw - 7/2
Joe Root, Alastair Cook and Mark Stoneman to score over 199.5 combined runs in 1st Innings - 2/1
Broad to take more wickets than Anderson in 1st Test - 11/10
To score 50 1st Innings - David Warner 6/5 and Steve Smith 6/5
Featured Image Credit: