The Ashes 2013: Top 5 batsmen to watch out for

Ashes 2013 promises to be a tight encounter between the willow and the cherry. The conditions in England have hardly been indicative of summer and that means that there might be that extra bit of help for the faster bowlers. However, we saw that the new drainage systems have meant that the wickets are not traditional green tops but a lot more drier. That might help the batsman get along once they have settled in and we might see some big scores. In such a situation, the surfaces will also offer a bit of spin and bounce making for a well-rounded contest between all the arts of the game.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a Test match is won by the team that can win twenty wickets in a game and while that old adage remains ever true at the Ashes this year, the batsmen will want to put up heavy first innings totals in order to set up a victory for their side.

The series will put some of the best batsmen of the world on show, who will be exhibiting their skill. Kevin Pietersen will be making a return to Test Cricket after being out with a knee injury for a while whereas Michael Clarke will try to put aside his miserable back problems to lead his side with the bat. It remains to be seen which player and which side comes out on top at the end of the five match series.

Here is a look at the most probable players who might be on the top-scorer charts at the end of the series:

5. Shane Watson

The right-handed batsman has the required technique to handle the hostile swing of the likes of James Anderson as well as the composure to handle the pace and bounce of the likes of Stuart Broad and Steven Finn. He is an attacking batsman and while he will try to put a price on his wicket, he can easily switch gears once he has put some runs on the board.

In that respect, he will play the kind of role that Kevin Pietersen has played for England in the last few editions of the Ashes. He will try and impose himself upon Graeme Swann and unsettle the off-spinner’s rhythm especially at Trent Bridge where there is negligible assistance is not on offer.

The fact that he will be opening the innings for Australia alongside the experienced Chris Rogers bodes well as he will complement Watson’s natural ability with his wisdom. This is ‘the series’ for Shane Watson as he can prove that he belongs to the longer format of the game.

4. Jonathan Trott

Jonathan Trott hit a purple patch at the Champions Trophy and did not have much to do in the last Test Series against New Zealand but did notch up a half century out of the three innings he played. He is the perfect player to have at number three as he has been remarkably consistent in his last 20 innings though he does betray the tendency to lose concentration after getting a healthy start.

He boasts of a healthy overall average of 86.43 against Australia with 605 runs in nine innings. He had the ability to stick it out in hostile conditions against quality fast bowling but he can switch gears and dictate the pace of the game. It will interesting to see how he approaches the play against Nathan Lyon.

3. Kevin Pietersen

Pietersen will be coming back to Test cricket after a knee injury kept him out of the game for a while. He was on hot form before the injury enjoying his so called ‘reintegration’ process after the controversial ‘texting affair’ during the series against South Africa last year.

He scored a remarkable century in India, a knock that has been called the finest played by an English batsman in Asia, to turn around the series. He played a devastating knock scoring a ton against Yorkshire in a recent warm-up game proving his fitness and readiness for the Ashes.

He has tormented the Australians in the past and finished as the highest run scorer with 473 runs in the memorable Ashes of 2005 where he scored a century in the final Test. He ability to counter-attack from a situation when the team is down in the dumps is a rare quality that makes him an incomparable asset.

2. Michael Clarke

The Australian captain will have to take the bulk of the responsibility in the inexperienced batting order. He has suffered with his own set of injury troubles but is now back for good. He proved his renewed appetite for runs by scoring a century against Worcestershire in the last warm-up game ahead of the Trent Bridge test.

He was Australia’s highest run-getter in the Ashes of 2009 and hence has left no doubts regarding his ability to get runs in English conditions. The team will require him to lead from the front. He will want to strike back with a vengeance as the leader of a squad that has been sadistically criticized as the worst ever to tour England.

1. Alastair Cook

The England captain stamped his supremacy with over 750 runs, over 300 more than the second highest run-getter in his side, in the Ashes of 2010-11. He was deservedly the man of the tournament and made the standout contribution in England’s Ashes victory on Australian soil. He is the captain of the side but there has been no change in his hunger for runs.

His ability to anchor the English innings as an opener makes him a match-winner. He eases the pressure on the middle order with his consistency. He is temperamentally the greatest Test batsman and absorbs the pressure with ease. The likes of James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc will be trying the utmost to get his prized scalp.