Ashes 2021: SWOT analysis of England team 

The 2021 Ashes series between England and Australia will get underway at the Gabba in Brisbane on 8th December 2021. Australia, the current holders, will look to retain the urn against the visitors at the end of the five-game series.

For the record, England have won 110 Tests against Australia, lost 146, while 95 have ended in draws. England last won the Ashes on Australian soil a decade ago, and haven't won a Test in the country since then.

England have named a strong squad for the 2021 Ashes series:

Joe Root, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Dom Bess, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.

On that note, here's a look at an in-depth analysis of the England squad for the Ashes 2021 series:

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#Strengths - Batting form of Joe Root, bowling form of Ollie Robinson and experienced fast bowlers

Ollie Robinson has had an exceptional start to his Test career.

England captain Joe Root has had an exceptional Test campaign in 2021. In 23 innings, he has scored 1455 runs at an average of 66.14, bagging six hundreds. Root will need support from the other batters, though, if England are to win the Ashes 2021 series.

Meanwhile, Ollie Robinson has had an exceptional start to his Test career. In five games, he has bagged 28 wickets at an average of 19.61. It is pertinent to note that he has played all his Tests in England thus far, and is yet to play a Test away from home.

The England pace trio of James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes have tasted success against Australia in the past. While Anderson has picked up 104 Test wickets against Australia, Broad has 118, and Woakes has picked up 21.

The contest between Australia's top order and England's fast bowlers could be a riveting one in the Ashes 2021 series.

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#Weaknesses - Lack of experienced spinners and poor form of batters

Jack Leach is yet to play a Test in Australia.

England have two specialist spinners in their squad for Ashes 2021. Jack Leach has played 16 Tests for England, picking up 62 wickets at an average of 29.98. The other spinner, Dom Bess, has played only 14 Tests, picking up 36 wickets at an average of 33.97. The duo is yet to play a Test in Australia, though.

Meanwhile, some of the England batters have not been in the best of touch this year. Crawley is averaging just 11.14 in 14 Test innings in 2021. Lawrence, who made his Test debut this year, is averaging 27.23 from 15 innings, and is yet to set the stage on fire.

Opener Rory Burns has not been consistent this year, averaging 31.93 in 15 innings. Jonny Bairstow has also struggled with the bat in Test cricket in 2021, averaging only 25.07 from 15 innings. Ollie Pope and Jos Buttler haven't fared any better either, averaging only 24.62 and 28.56, respectively.

The form of their batting line-up could be a cause of concern for the visitors ahead of the marquee Ashes 2021 series, especially away from home.

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#Opportunities - Experienced campaigners yet to step up to the mark

Joss Buttler could be a key player for England in Ashes 2021.

Many of the young batters in the English squad are yet to play a Test in Australia. As already mentioned, most of the batters, apart from Joe Root, have struggled to get going this year. The English batting line-up will be dependent on three senior pros - Root, Stokes and Buttler - to set the tone in the Ashes 2021 series.

Root has been in exceptional form in Test cricket in 2021, and will look to be the batting mainstay for England. Ben Stokes will also look to make his experience count in the inexperienced English middle order. Jos Buttler will have step u[ in the lower middle order. He might have to bat at times with the tail-enders, as he usually doesn't come out earlier than #6 in Test cricket.

The trio of Root, Stokes and Buttler will be the key batters for England, and the others will have to bat around them in the Ashes 2021 series.

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#Threat - A strong Australian bowling line-up

Pat Cummins has a good record against England.

The Australian bowling quartet of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon could trouble the unsettled English batting line-up.

Cummins has picked up 164 Test wickets at an incredible average of 21.6. He has a good track record against England, picking up 52 wickets in ten games at an average of 21.85. He will spearhead Australia's pace attack in the upcoming Ashes series.

After a decade of playing Test cricket, Starc has picked up 255 wickets at an average of 27.57. He has a good track record against England, picking up 55 wickets in 13 Tests.

Meanwhile, in 55 Tests, Hazlewood has picked up 212 wickets. He has an impressive record against England, bagging 58 wickets in 13 games at an impressive average of 24.44.

Off-spinner Nathan Lyon has been exceptional for Australia in the last decade. He is one short of 400 Test wickets, and has been a match-winner for his country. In 23 Tests against England, he has picked up 85 wickets. He has an excellent record in Australia, picking up 200 wickets.

Australia will start off as the favourites.

However, the English team has its own match winners. If the team performs well as a unit, an exciting series Down Under could ensue.