Australia’s Old Guard Must Stand Up To England Test
Australia have a strong recent record when it comes to the Ashes and once again they will be relying on the form of their experienced players throughout the five-Test series.
With the likes of David Warner, Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon in their ranks, all three veterans will be hoping to play a big role in delivering another success over their old rivals England.
Warner With A Point To Prove
After a disappointing individual series in the last Ashes on English soil, batter Warner will be eager to prove his doubters wrong this summer. Australia were the 11/8 favourites with Betway leading into the 2023 Ashes, with their last series defeat to the English coming back in 2015. Warner has often played key roles in Australia’s success over their rivals but the opener underperformed back in the 2019 series.
Averaging just 9.50 runs across the 10 innings in that last Ashes series in England, the hosts were able to make life uncomfortable for the Baggy Greens star out in the middle. A great rivalry brewed between Warner and England veteran paceman Stuart Broad in that series and the battle between the pair is set to continue this summer after The Cricket Paper confirmed Broad would start the first Test.
The BBC revealed Australia skipper Pat Cummins has offered his support for Warner leading into this next chapter of the Ashes saga and believes there might well be a more aggressive approach from the batter. A David Warner with a point to prove can be a dangerous prospect for any opposition side at Test level and England will still be wary of what the 36-year-old can do with bat in hand.
Smith Remains A Talisman For Baggy Greens
Despite no longer having the captaincy, Smith remains a key figure in the Australia camp and a player who has found his form, according to ESPN. Up there as one of the great Aussie Test batters of all time, Smith’s form through the series could well have a big impact on the destination of the famous urn. With an average of 59.68 runs in 56 innings leading into this summer’s series, Smith has an impressive Ashes record. With 3,044 runs also heading into the first Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham, the 34-year-old has previously shown how he can rise to the occasion on the biggest stage there is for an Australian or English cricketer.
Smith, who The Cricket Paper revealed was relishing the first Test at Edgbaston, managed 11 Ashes centuries before the 2023 series, which again puts his name amongst the greats from Australia to play the game. Only the iconic Don Bradman (19) or England legend Jack Hobbs (12) have managed more Ashes centuries than Smith. Often Smith is compared with England’s star batter Joe Root, who is also a former captain of his country’s Test side. Much will be made of the head-to-head battle between the pair for runs and again, that could have a major factor in deciding the series winner.
Lyon Can Hurt England Once Again
When it comes to the Australian bowling veterans in the squad, which The Cricket Paper has provided a rundown on, Nathan Lyon will once again be leading the spin threat for the tourists. A formidable competitor who relishes the prospect of taking on the English, Lyon has been a thorn in England’s side on many occasions in the past. There has been plenty of talk leading into the series about England’s batting order getting after Lyon and trying to smash the spinner out of the ground. That might well have been music to Lyon’s ears as the 35-year-old will gladly face the challenge head-on.
Developing his game in the shorter format with the Sydney Sixers, Lyon has the ability to take the match away from opposition sides and can make it look easy rattling through the batting order. While England has laid down the challenge to Lyon, they will undoubtedly respect the threat he poses with the ball in hand.
Warner, Smith and Lyon have been great servants to Australian cricket over the years and all three veterans will be determined to leave England’s shores with the prestigious urn on the flight back Down Under.