Ashes 2021: "It’s going to be a bloodbath" - Ed Cowan believes Australia's bowling could be too much for 'very poor' England side

Former Australia batter Ed Cowan reckons that the Ashes will witness a “bloodbath” with Australia dominating England in all facets of the game. He felt England are a “very poor” side in Tests and will find it difficult to succeed in the match-up.

There have been concerns about England’s batting unit which has been carried largely on his shoulders by skipper Joe Root. The lack of pace and variety in the bowling unit is also a source of worry for the Three Lions.

Cowan told ABC Sport that although there are some concerns around Australia’s batting unit, their bowlers are far ahead in comparison to their Ashes rivals.

“We are not talking about an Australian team that is brimming with batting that can bat them out of a game. The Aussies themselves have got some questions to answer. But they’re going to be a better team than England. The bowling is going to be too good. We have got a high-class spinner, they don’t. So it just feels like it’s going to be a bloodbath,” Ed Cowan said.

Cowan added that if England are to have any chance of giving Australia a run for their money, Joe Root needs to have a series that is nothing short of sensational. Barring that, the former batter is expecting a truncated series with matches getting done much ahead of time.

“England are a very poor Test side. They basically have one batsman whom you think could bat a day and score a 100. And that’s their captain (…) If he (Root) does an Alistair Cook and scores 600 runs or 700 runs, it’s a different series. But if he scores 250 runs, there’s probably only going to be 18 or 19 days of Test cricket.”

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"He doesn’t like the bounce of the ball" - Ed Cowan reckons Joe Root will struggle in the Ashes

Joe Root has had his struggles against the short-pitched bowling

Ed Cowan pointed out that Joe Root hasn’t had the best of times in Australia in the past. He reckons the English skipper has a weakness while batting on quick and bouncy tracks which has caused him trouble in Ashes Tests away from home.

“(Joe Root) has traditionally struggled in Australia. He doesn’t like the bounce of the ball. He is a brilliant player of spin, loves low slow wickets, particularly in England and the sub-continent. But he has struggled with the pace in Australia,” Ed Cowan added.

Joe Root averages just 38 in nine Tests in Australia, compared to a career average of 50.15. The English Test skipper has the second-lowest average in Australia compared to all the countries he has batted in, the lowest being 24 in Bangladesh.