English Summers is all a true cricket fan waits for, as it brings a lot of action in the form of the purest format of the game, Test cricket. And it’s icing on the cake when the two arch-rivals, England and Australia contest for the smallest trophy but the biggest event i.e. The ASHES.
2023 was an early start to the English Summer, as the World Test Championship Final took place, where the Pat Cummins-led Australian team defeated the Rohit Sharma-led Indian team comfortably.
The last time Ashes was held in England, it was nothing but a nightmare for the Australian batting line-up, as England seamer Jofra Archer was delivering deadly bouncers. But he is injured now, which favours the Aussies.
And how can one forget that blistering knock of 135 from Ben Stokes to save the series?
Whereas, the last Ashes was completely dominated by the Australians on their home soil, as the Bazball failed to comply with the Australian conditions or, one can say, the new Aussie weapon, Scott Boland.
With Australia being the WTC champions, they would look to capitalise on this momentum and beat the Englishmen in their own den.
Australia is yet to win the Ashes series in England after 2001
It’s been 22 years since the Aussies won the Ashes series in England. The last outing was close to the win, but Ben Stokes’s exceptional performances concluded the series in a draw, which resulted in Australia retaining the Ashes.
But Australia did not have Scotty Boland back then, right? The game changer of the WTC final, and how can Ben Stokes and company forget a nightmare where the Aussie tore them apart in his debut game with the figures of 6/7 in the second innings at the MCG last year?
England should prepare for him. Or one can say, England MUST prepare for him.
Not just Boland, but Steve Smith, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne and Pat Cummins, all of them are in good shape and well-prepared. Aussies have all the resources to seal the Ashes’ victory this time and jump over this barricade of 22 years.
Well, the Englishmen are not behind as well. For starters, Jonny Bairstow is back, who has played a crucial role in the Bazball setup. Ollie Pope had an amazing outing at Lords against Ireland. Also, no worries for them in choosing the bowlers, and why would there be when you have Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad?
And to remind you guys, England haven’t won the Ashes series since 2015. It’s going to be one hell of a series, and you can’t afford to miss it as this will be everything for a true fan, who has been craving English Summer all this while. So buckle up, there are going to be some breathtaking battles, to name a few, Smith vs Anderson, Warner vs Broad (the most popular battle of all time), and Joe Root vs Pat Cummins. May the best team win and take that little trophy home.
