Ashes 2017/18: SWOT analysis of England ahead of the series

Opportunities

Can Joe Root join six other Englishmen with an Ashes victory Down Under?

England's young captain Joe Root and his team have an opportunity to enter the league of extraordinary gentlemen if they manage to beat Steven Smith's Australia in their own backyard.

Only six England captains - Ivo Bligh, Douglas Jardine, Raymond Illingworth, Mike Brearley, Michael Vaughan and Andrew Strauss - have managed to win the Ashes Down Under in the last 135 years.

The Australian Test team underwent a complete overhaul after their Ashes 2015 loss and most of their players are quite unsettled in their new batting positions.

The touring party looks stronger on paper and can exploit the weaknesses in the hosts' batting arsenal.

Apart from retaining the iconic Ashes urn, England can move up in the ICC Test Rankings as well.

With 105 points, England are placed third at the moment. India, with 125 points, still rule the roost followed by South Africa with 111 points.