The Ashes: Joe Root’s England out to defy expectations and regain urn in Australia | Cricket News

It has been said the key to happiness is low expectations.

Well, if that is the case then there can be few people more cheerful than England cricket fans on the eve of the Ashes series in Australia.

The scars of England’s last two tours to Australia show little sign of fading, results so far this year have been decidedly mixed and with injuries and the scantest of preparation time as well, defeat, for some, is inevitable – and a heavy defeat, at that.

Australia undoubtedly go in as favourites to win the series and retain the urn but while there is still overwhelming pessimism over the tourists’ chances, that is most certainly not the feeling from within the England camp.

The talk in the build-up to the opening Test at The Gabba is of a great opportunity ahead, an acknowledgement that nothing short of their very best will do but excitement at the chance to do something special.

Superstar Stokes

If there is one man who has proven himself capable of defying the odds and doing the extraordinary, it’s Ben Stokes.

England’s Ashes squad announcement was met with a collective shrug of the shoulders, it was as expected and while some of the names were different, the make-up of the group looked remarkably similar to that which suffered a 4-0 pasting on the last Ashes tour in 2017-18.

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England all-rounder Ben Stokes is fit to play in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane and his presence is a ‘big lift for everyone in the dressing room’, says Jos Buttler

With the addition of Stokes, though, it took on an altogether different complexion. The 30-year-old all-rounder strengthens the side in every department – batting, bowling and fielding – and as head coach Chris Silverwood remarked, he is a superstar.

After four months away from the game to recover from a finger injury and focus on his mental wellbeing, expecting Stokes to be firing on all cylinders from ball one would be unfair to the player, and yet everything we know about him suggests it would be equally unwise to rule it out.

Stokes is capable of winning a game almost single-handedly, as Australia know all too well, be it through his destructive batting, relentless aggression with the ball, brilliance in the field or a combination of the three and perhaps more than even that, he is a man for the big moments.

So often in Test cricket, Ashes cricket in particular, games are won by the team who recognises an opportunity, seize it and don’t let go. No one in either side is more adept at that than Stokes.

He has so often been the catalyst for England, dragging the team with him as he pushes for victory with an unerring belief that if he wills it then it shall be so.

Stokes helps set the standards for this England side and team-mates want to follow him in a way that must delight his captain.

Root ready to conqueror Australia?

Joe Root has been leading by example for a long time and after nearly five years in charge, now seems truly comfortable in the role. So far in 2021, he has been sensational.

Where often Stokes’ value is hard to quantify, Root’s numbers speak for themselves.

Root has grown into his role as England captain over the years

This year he has scored 1,455 Test runs at an average of 66.13 with six hundreds and a fifty. Those are incredible statistics and have seen the England skipper rise to the top of the Test batting rankings.

To win in Australia, putting big totals on the board is imperative and, for England, that means Root continuing to rack up the runs and ending his wait for an away Ashes century.

It is not that he has done badly, he topped the averages for England in 17-18, with 47.25, and scored five half-centuries but was unable to kick on to make those truly match-altering scores.

« I think I’ve probably wanted it too much, been too desperate and it had a negative impact on the way I went and played, » Root said of his past performances. « I probably put too much pressure on myself. »

Arguably, since Alastair Cook’s retirement in 2018, there has been even more onus on Root to weigh in with runs but in the past 12 months something appears to have clicked for the Yorkshireman and what pressure there is on him to produce – and it remains significant – is proving little burden.

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Test match hundred No 23 for Root, a sixth this year, and a second at his home ground of Headingley! 

There is an energy and positivity about Root at the crease again, the caution that had gradually crept into his game has gone and the free-flowing, eye-catching shots through the offside have returned.

England supporters will be willing this version of Root to withstand the unique pressures of captaining on an Ashes tour and if he manages that then their chances of success would certainly grow.

Perhaps the issue for England, though, is there are question marks over even their most important players with Root’s record in Australia and Stokes not having played a Test in the country since his debut series in 2013-14.

The remainder of the batting line-up, while clearly talented, is yet to convince in Test cricket.

Rory Burns and, in particular, Haseeb Hameed are still trying to cement their spots at the top of the order, Ollie Pope is yet to turn his vast potential into consistent Test runs, ditto Jos Buttler, while, unlike that quartet, Dawid Malan has at least played Test cricket in Australia prior to this tour.

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Root says preparations for the Ashes have all been geared towards making sure the team is ready mentally and physically for the series

The left-hander was England’s top run-scorer on their last visit and made a century at the WACA, but the fact remains the tourists’ top seven provides far more questions than answers. Less than ideal given the quality of the Australian attack they must overcome.

Can Wood provide the point of difference?

On the bowling side, the loss of Jofra Archer was a huge blow, only compounded by the injury to Olly Stone that followed. From three 90mph-plus bowlers to try and exploit the fast and bouncy Australian wickets, England are down to just Mark Wood. Given his injury history, they will be wary of overburdening him.

Should he stay fit, Wood will be crucial for England. With his express pace, he is the point of difference they lacked four years ago and has shown on tours of South Africa and West Indies in recent years he can cause real damage on pacey tracks and extract that bit more out of the surface when it does get flat.

Mark Wood is England’s last remaining 90mph-plus bowler after injuries to Jofra Archer and Olly Stone

Jimmy Anderson remains a world-class performer but, at the age of 39, is being treated very carefully by England and has been rested for the opening game ahead of the pink-ball Test in Adelaide.

Chris Woakes is likely to be the beneficiary of England’s caution over Anderson. The bowling all-rounder sums up the concerns over the England seam attack. At home he averages 22.63, brilliant, away from home that leaps up to 51.68, less so.

Woakes has added to his repertoire over the years and is a much-improved bowler away from home but the case remains he, like so many in the England attack, have struggled to make an impact when lateral movement is at a premium – as it is sure to be with the Kookaburra ball on Australian pitches.

Stuart Broad was a rare bright point in the 13-14 Ashes but struggled last time out in Australia and, Wood aside, it does appear a very traditionally English seam attack.

James Anderson will sit out the first Test at The Gabba

Ollie Robinson fits into that category as well but England will hope he can make good on comparisons to Aussie seamer Josh Hazlewood due to his immaculate line and length, while his fiery personality on the field seems perfectly suited for Ashes cricket.

After another summer spent carrying drinks, the ever-reliable Jack Leach will be back to bowl his left-arm spin although there is a chance the recent wet weather in Queensland and the forecast of more rain during the first Test may lead to a greener surface and more ‘English’ conditions at The Gabba, which could see the visitors go in with an all-seam attack.

Meanwhile, confirmation the fifth Test will be moved from Perth likely means a second day-night Test, either in Melbourne or Hobart, bringing England’s swing bowlers to the fore once more.

England need just about everything to go right if they are to regain the urn and given what has come before it is little wonder that expectations from outside the camp are so low.

Yet there is still hope. Perhaps Stokes does return in style, the runs flow for Root and the batting line-up delivers on its promise? Perhaps Wood comes tearing in and wreaks havoc, Anderson and Broad get the pink ball hooping and Robinson out-Hazlewood’s Hazlewood?

It’s the hope that kills you…