England are being tipped to win, but could Australia's cricketers spring a surprise this summer?
BY Jonathan Harwood, WITH the start of The Ashes just a day away, experts have been having their say on who will triumph in the back-to-back series in England and Australia over the next six months. And although England are still regarded as favourites, many commentators are beginning to talk up Australia's chances. The Aussies were shambolic against India earlier this year, but with new coach Darren Lehmann at the helm they are expected to give a decent account of themselves over ten Tests this summer and winter. Here are six key factors that could determine who wins the famous urn: (1) England's opening batsmen: According to Mike Selvey in The Guardian, the decision to elevate Joe Root to open the innings and drop Nick Compton was "brave" and one that Compton "had every right to question". But the new partnership of Root and Alastair Cook could help England dominate. "There has been a feeling that the manner in which Compton had been scoring . . . placed too much additional pressure on Cook to accelerate the scoreboard when his own game relies on steady accumulation," says Selvey. Compton was ponderous at the crease, but England will want to assert themselves. Furthermore, says Selvey, "it is the openers who set the tone for a match and often a series". Pairing Cook and Root may be a gamble but the partnership could be "something special". (2) Shane Watson vs James Anderson: Mike Atherton of The Times borrows from Churchill to describe Watson, the 32-year-old Australian opener, as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma". He has played 41 Tests but "gives the impression of a cricketer still trying to find his feet, and his role, at the highest level". This summer he will open the batting as he did in the last Ashes series, when he actually performed well in an imploding team and averaged 48.33. "The battle . . . between him and James Anderson, new-ball bowler and opening batsman, will be intriguing," says Atherton. "If Anderson can put the skids under Watson's return to the opening slot, it would undermine Australia's morale . . . If Watson succeeds, the pace at which he plays and the dismissive way in which he scores his runs, will do wonders for Australia's confidence." (3) Kevin Pietersen v Michael Clarke: The two most feared batsmen in each side have very similar records, notes Osman Samiuddin in UAE newspaper The National. Pietersen has 22 hundreds, 7,499 runs and an average of 49.01 from 94 Tests; Clarke has 23 hundreds, 7,275 runs and an average of 52.33 from 92. Their performances will be crucial to the series. But Samiuddin notes: "It says as much as is needed to be said about the respective state of affairs of England and Australia that while the latter really, desperately need Michael Clarke back in their Test side, England's batting will not disintegrate without Kevin Pietersen." (4) James Pattinson vs James Anderson: Don't underestimate the Australian pace attack, warns Chloe Saltau in the Sydney Morning Herald. "The Australians were outbowled in the previous Ashes in their own backyard, but since then an impressive, aggressive collection of young quicks has emerged," she says. The best of them is 23-year-old James Pattinson, who could even give England's Anderson a run for his money. "The young, confident Australian is quicker and bouncier [than Anderson] and boasts a superior strike rate," she says. "The ultimate test of an English cricketer used to be whether he would get a game for Australia, and there is no doubt Pattinson would be picked for England." (5) The Darren Lehmann effect: The sacking of coach Mickey Arthur on the eve of the series was seen by many as a mistake, but Geoffrey Boycott in the Daily Telegraph does not agree. He believes the Aussies will have taken "a good hard look at themselves" after the decision. "The players got the coach the sack and they have to pull their fingers out and improve," states Boycott. "Some of those players need a kick up the bum and realise the Australian board are not about to sack two coaches . . . so if they do not knuckle down they will be the next ones for the chop." Shaking things up and bringing in Lehmann was the right thing to do, insists Boycott. "All the upheaval may lift the Australians and make the guys focus better," he says. "This will make it a bit harder for England." (6) The pressure: Legendary all-rounder Ian Botham has predicted that England will inflict a 10-0 drubbing on Australia over the two series, but not everyone concurs. "Historically, England have not been good at being the front-runners," Andrew Flintoff tells the BBC. How they perform depends on how they deal with the tag of favourites, according to the star of the 2005 series. "They have got to treat [each Test] as any other Test match. They just need to go out and play." The BBC backs up Flintoff's assertion by pointing out: "England won only one of the four series they played when ranked as the world number one Test side." As for the Aussies, there is "no pressure" on them to perform, which will make it easier. Source: The Week UK
