The Ashes 2013: Five things to expect

Alistair Cook

England have just finished a successful Champions Trophy campaign where they were in the hunt till the very last ball was bowled. The last half-decade has seen a steep rise in their cricketing fortunes perhaps invigorated by Andrew Strauss’ captaincy.

This year they will have a rare opportunity to win their third consecutive Ashes series and critics are unanimous in the opinion that they are the favourites. England’s bowling prowess has been a major component of their success as they have developed a pool of bowlers who have played regularly and with success. They have eliminated a long standing weakness from their side by adding a quality spinner to their ranks in Graeme Swann. Most of their players have played the Ashes before and are used to pressures of the occasion.

On the other hand, Australia are a shadow of the side that enjoyed absolute domination in world cricket for a considerable period of time after the 1999 World Cup. Circa 2013, the Australian camp seems to be in disarray following their coach Mickey Arthur’s dramatic sacking just a fortnight before the first Test is to be played at Nottingham. The squad seems to lack unity ever since the ‘homework-gate’ in India that saw four key players being suspended. Their batting seems weak as suggested by their frequent failures in the Champions Trophy. They do have a ray of hope as the quality of their bowling attack might bail them out of humiliation but is it enough to take them to victory? It remains to be seen.

Here is a list of five things to expect from Ashes 2013:

5. Hostility

Darren Lehmann has taken over the Australian side as the head coach, and one of the first areas that he has highlighted to be addressed is his team’s attitude. Australia have not looked competitive enough in the last year- they were humiliated by India in the Test series and were lacklustre in the Champions Trophy. Lehmann’s old school style means that he will try to create a happy bunch of players who are loyal to each other and play for each other. You can expect some sporting banter on the pitch, a few cold stares after a well thrown bouncer and a few animated send-offs. It might not be a throwback to the great Ashes of 2005 but there will be sparks.

4. Green Surfaces

The early part of the Champions Trophy had sporting pitches but they did not offer a lot to seamers. However, by the end of the competition we came across more helpful surfaces at Cardiff and at the Oval. It is likely that England will prefer to play on greeener surfaces given the weak Australian batting line-up and their potent swing bowling attack. However, this might have a flip side to it. Australia are coming into this tournament with Pattinson and Starc, who will enjoy such conditions as well. Pattinson thrives on surfaces that provide support for swing and movement of the pitch. England will have to negate their effect in order to fully exploit their advantage.

James Pattinson

Michael Clarke was a lone fighter against India in a series that saw Australia being humiliated 4-0. He was unable to participate in the Champions trophy due to a back problem but is likely to be a part of the lineup for the first Test. He will have the responsibility of leading his side from the front and he is very much capable of doing so with the bat. He has the requisite technique and the temperament to apply himself in hostile conditions and has prior experience of the pressure that is mounted during the Ashes.

2. Cook Attack

Clarke’s opposite number will be looking to do the same: play some big knocks to lay the foundation for a victory. Alistair Cook has been incredibly consistent as a Test match batsman and is perhaps only next to Hashim Amla in terms of averages in the last few years. He has the temperament of a big run maker as he hardly misses out on big scores in an important series.

1. Quality Bowling

For a neutral, the Ashes will be a great exhibition of quality bowling. James Anderson is arguably the best bowler in the world and his spell against South Africa in the Champions Trophy semi-final was an exhibition of fine swing bowling. His control over his line-and-length, his efficacy against both right-handed and left-handed batsmen makes him a special talent. He has constantly improved himself as a cricketer over the years and is a better bowler than Dale Steyn in the writer’s opinion. He will have the able support of Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan and Steven Finn.

Australia will have their answer to James Anderson in James Pattinson, who has the potential to be the next big thing in international cricket. Mitchell Starc needs to find some more consistency but he is a viewer’s delight and can be handful if he can exercise control over his swing. We can be sure of getting some edge-of-the-seat stuff with such an abundance of talent on display.