The Ashes countdown: Tim’s Paine hands England rare chance Down Under

Given how many narratives and unknowns there are, the 2021/22 Ashes series looks set to be one of the most intriguing in quite some time.

The Aussies have possession of the famous urn, but there are issues in their camp, with Tim Paine stepping down as captain and taking an indefinite break from the sport after his text message scandal was revealed.

Paine isn’t the most prolific wicketkeeper-batsman in history, but he’s a well-respected member of the team and his absence will be felt in the dressing room. His replacement, Pat Cummins, is a titan of international cricket, but it’s pretty rare for a bowler to be handed the captaincy in the longer format of the game.

As for England, they go into the series in reasonable shape. Ben Stokes has returned following his exile from the game, and those in the know suggest that his reintegration into the squad has been seamless.

He will boost both the batting and bowling departments, and the reintroduction of Haseeb Hameed – already among the runs in a warm-up game – and Dawid Malan, a former Ashes century-maker, bodes well.

The betting odds suggest that Australia are red-hot favourites, and the betting tips from the likes of Scoop Six might just favour the home side. But should England be so readily written off? Here are some other factors to consider.

Captain Sensible

Cummins will become the first fast bowler in more than 50 years to captain Australia. It can be notoriously difficult for a bowler – focused on his role with the ball – to see the big picture out in the field and put on his captaincy hat.

With bags of experience, Cummins should be able to accommodate the two aspects. However, it won’t be easy, and it starts the Aussies on the back foot before a ball has even been bowled.

Crowd control

It goes without saying that the crowd plays a huge part in the Ashes, and particularly in Australia.

The good news for them is that any pandemic restrictions look set to be lifted in time for the series, which would mean that a whopping 100,000 could cram into the MCG for the famous Boxing Day test.

Due to the travel restrictions, there won’t be many English voices in the crowd, and so Joe Root and co can expect the hottest of receptions under the Australian sun.

Home comforts

The hosts will be delighted that crowds will be welcomed back, especially given the obvious advantage that playing at home in the Ashes brings.

Since 1960, some 21 of the 32 Ashes series played have been won by the home team or drawn, and since 2003 – the end of Australia’s long period of dominance – the hosts have won or avoided defeat in eight out of nine editions of the Ashes.

To that end, the Aussies are understandably favourites to retain the urn – but if there’s one thing we do know about the Ashes, it’s to expect the unexpected.