The two teams stack up for the Ashes with England coming unfancied, but Australia have not played Test cricket for almost ten months after their loss at home against India. With the squads announced and a few key players returning to the team, we analyze the stats of key players ahead of a cracking Ashes series.
Comparing the openers
Australia: David Warner, Marcus Harris
England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed
David Warner is the most experienced among the four openers that we have considered in our piece from both teams. Warner has been playing Test cricket for over a decade, and his stats say it all. The batter has appeared in 86 Test matches with a batting average of 48.09, along with 24 centuries to his name. On the other hand, Marcus Harris returns to his opening slot despite averaging 23.77 in ten Test matches since debuting in 2018.
England’s openers are relatively inexperienced, with Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed both touring Australia for the first time with the senior team. A lot will rest on the shoulders of Burns, whose average of 32.30 gives us a hint of how difficult opening the batting has been for him at the international level.
Comparing middle-order batters
Australia: Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Travis Head
England: Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes
The modern-day run machine, Marnus Labuschagne, is coming into this Ashes with some substantial first-class preparation under his belt. Steve Smith, with his incredible record of 27 centuries in 77 Tests, is looking all prepared for the upcoming challenge. Australia’s number six, Cameron Green, is still inexperienced but is a prodigious batting talent with an average of 33.71 after playing in four Test matches. Travis head, who is picked ahead of more experienced Usman Khawaja, averages 39.75 from 19 Test matches and will bat at number five.
The England top and middle-order set-up is looking very inexperienced as compared to the Aussies. England will again expect a huge contribution from their skipper Joe Root, the current number one batter in Tests. Root is the highest run-scorer in Tests this year, and he will be looking to finish the year on a high. The return of Ben Stokes could prove to be a massive boost, and his performance can make a huge difference in the outcome of the series. With the likes of Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow/Ollie Pope and Jos Buttler, the top and middle-order for England looks mighty impressive.
Comparing the bowling attack
Australia: Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc
England: Jack Leach, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes
England boast of two of the most prolific wicket-takers in the history of the game in James Anderson and Stuart Broad in their line-up. This Ashes could potentially be their last one, and the duo would be eager to leave a mark. With potent bowling reserves in their squad, England might look at rotating the duo to keep them fresh, as a lot of England’s success will depend on them and their ability to find the right lengths. Jack Leach, the left-arm orthodox bowler has 62 wickets under his belt in 16 test matches, and with the return of Stokes, the balance of the team might create room for Leach in the XI.
For Australia, all eyes will be on Pat Cummins, who is not only the number one Test bowler but will be their 47th Test captain. He will be joined by the fearsome Mitchell Starc, and the ever-reliable Josh Hazlewood. The big three Australian quicks will be partnered by Nathan Lyon, who is waiting for his next milestone – 400 Test wickets – after reaching a milestone of 100 Tests in his and Australia’s last Test match.