Rebuilding from Ashes Whitewash
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England avenged their 5-0 thrashing Down Under by Australia by winning the Investec Ashes series in a 3-2 victory over the old enemy in the summer of 2015.
New coach Trevor Bayliss helped revive the Three Lions by giving the players more freedom following the disastrous tenure of Peter Moores, while key players Joe Root and Stuart Broad rose to the occasion to return the urn and still demanded further improvements.
England have made an impressive start under Bayliss following their victory on tour against South Africa, but they now face an important 18 months to work out their issues for the 2017 trip to Australia, with betting site Betstars placing them at 14/5 at the time of writing (14/4) to defend the urn. So how did bookmakers reach that calculation?
An opening partner for Cook
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Since Andrew Strauss’ retirement in 2012, England have used eight different opening combinations all featuring captain Alastair Cook.
Nick Compton, Michael Carberry, Sam Robson, Jonathan Trott, Adam Lyth, Moeen Ali and Alex Hales have all struggled alongside the skipper, while even Root was dropped down into the middle order.
Hales has shown his quality in limited overs cricket with his destructive play, although he struggled to translate his form into the Test arena.
The 27-year-old does provide the perfect complement at the top of the innings to Cook’s steady approach, with a style not seen in an England opener since the days of Marcus Trescothick.
However, Hales must resolve his issues against the new ball, which plagued him during the series against South Africa when he was often troubled outside his off stump.
Should England decide to pull the plug on yet another opener, Hales’ partner at the top of the innings in ODIs, Jason Roy, could be the man to step up.
Stability in the middle Order
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Root has become arguably the finest batsman in the world due to his brilliance in the middle order and has spoken at length about his development. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes and Jonny Bairstow have cemented their spots for the long term.
Elsewhere, England have problems on their hands as Nick Compton proved to be a solid option against South Africa, although his issues did rear their head towards the end of the series.
James Taylor was beginning to deliver on his promise, only to be forced into retirement due to a heart condition, while Ian Bell’s Test career looks to be over.
England have had success in going to the Yorkshire well over the past few years and so a recall for Gary Ballance could be on the cards, despite his struggles against pace bowling.
Ballance’s county team-mate, Jack Leaning, is one of the rising stars of the English game and was named in our County Championship division one team of the season. He could well be the candidate to replace Taylor in the middle order following his retirement.
Choosing a Spinner
Ali has been a dependable option since his debut in 2014, with his solid if unspectacular style of off-spin.
Over the past year Cook’s men have struggled to bowl out sides whenever their seamers have proven unable to fire on lifeless pitches.
Graeme Swann was the key man that lifted the team into the number one ranked team in the world by alleviating the pressure on James Anderson and Broad.
England brought Adil Rashid into the mix during the tour of the UAE, but he failed to make a huge impact. With a dearth of options elsewhere they could persist with the 28-year-old in the hope that he can fulfil his potential or at the very least provide more of a threat than Ali.
Hampshire’s Mason Crane has been touted as England’s brightest spinning prospect, although he will take time to develop, and even the series Down Under may come too soon for the 19-year-old.
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Injuries put question mark over Seamers
Anderson has tormented the Aussies in almost every series he has faced the old enemy, although injuries are starting to become a slight problem for the 34-year-old, although suggestions of a decline in his play are premature to say the least.
He suffered a side strain which ruled him out of the last two Tests of the 2015 series and, fortunately for England, Broad rose to the occasion at Trent Bridge. Meanwhile, a calf injury sidelined the Lancashire man for the opener against South Africa.
Steven Finn got back to his best form last year just months after being branded “unselectable”, but he too has struggled with injuries, while Mark Wood is also no stranger to the treatment table.
Chris Jordan and Chris Woakes have flattered to deceive during their limited playing time, leaving a chance for Nottinghamshire’s Jake Ball to come into the fold following his fine form in the County Championship.
Moving forward
England have plenty of reasons to be confident of success over the next 18 months heading towards another Ashes showdown.
Their top players are outstanding cricketers who can win matches single-handed, but work does need to be done on the surrounding areas of the side.
Still, only a complete team will be able to go Down Under and successfully defend the Ashes in the toughest series of them all.
