The Ashes Are Here... At Last!

It might be the middle of winter, but the real cricket starts tonight, as Australia take on England for the biggest prize in the game - the Ashes.

All of us have talked about it for so long now, and opinions have differed and changed throughout that time period. But what really awaits the viewer as England attempt to wrest back the trophy for the first time in almost two decades?

Most believe England will be a bigger force, a tougher challenge than in previous years. Of course, we've heard the same thing in Australia for the past seven Ashes series since winning back the trophy in 1989. Seldom has that conviction lasted beyond the Second Test of the series. In fact, only in 1997 were Australia under any realistic pressure come the end of the Second Test. By winning the following three Tests, they again wrapped up the Ashes.

England have shown good form in the past two years, which not surprisingly has coincided with the introduction of some new faces, the phasing out of some older worn faces, and a change in skipper which in turn brought a more aggressive approach with it.The First Test will tell a tale. If Australia win (and they have only lost once in a Lords Test in the past hundred-odd years), the pressure on England will be enormous, certainly from their own media. If England win, the confidence they gain from that will stand them in good stead for the remainder of the series.

So many questions wait to be answered :

1. Can Trescothick, Strauss and Vaughan hold back the Australian pace barrage, and protect their middle order from having to deal with the new ball assault? England need good, solid starts, so that the likes of Pietersen, Flintoff and Bell can play their natural games once the ball has become a bit ragged.
2. Will Pietersen and Flintoff play in their natural, aggressive style, or be forced to play a more patient game? Although neither flourished overtly in the one-dayers, and Australia will have set bowling plans for them in the five-day games, they both showed an ability to hang around and build an innings if it was necessary. Their success or failure with the bat may hold the key to the series.
3. Will Australia's third seamer be a liability? While McGrath and Lee appear ready for battle, none of the options for third seamer have set the world on fire. Both Gillepsie and Kasprowicz have struggled for form so far, and Shaun Tait hasn't bowled on tour, nor for some months competitively. With only four specialist bowlers likely to be chosen, if one were to underperform, the pressure and workload on the other three will increase dramatically.
4. Warne vs Giles - pick a winner? Giles has had his most successful 12 months ever, and bowls that nagging, negative line of bowling outside the right-handers leg-stump that Phil Tufnell used to do with success against Australia. Whether that works against this Australian line up will be a key to his Ashes summer. Warne has been captaining Hampshire for three months, taken a few wickets, scored two centuries, has about three different girlfriends, and now an ex-wife. If he takes 25+ wickets, no one will give a toss about anything else.
5. Harmison vs Australia's top order. His tour of South Africa was abysmal, his last English summer superb. He will bowl into the Australian's ribs, and hope to hurry them into a false shot. The Australians will most likely take him on, in the hope of hitting him off his line and length, and out of the attack. If he is on song, England have the opening bowler they need to win. If he is off, then it is a problem the English captain does not need.
6. England's periphery bowling attack. Can some combination of Hoggard, Simon Jones, Tremlett or any other seamers in County cricket get Australian wickets? Hoggard has been tried before without a lot of success, while Jones, after showing some pace in his debut in Brisbane in 2002, then destroyed his knee and missed more than 12 months of cricket. Like the Australians, England must find solid back-up for Harmison and Flintoff if they are to keep the pressure on their batsmen.
7. The art of batting patiently. Have any of the Australians, apart from Katich, really mastered this in recent times? The intent is to attack at almost every opportunity. Hayden charging and mistiming to mid-off, Langer pulling and skying to mid-wicket, Ponting driving and playing the ball onto his stumps, Martyn caressing straight to backward point, Clarke slogging across the line - all have fallen in recent Tests to trying force the pace. Have they lost the ability to play a long, tough, boring innings for the best interest of the team? Supporters will say that, having only lost one Test under his leadership, surely Ponting and his team have nothing to justify to the likes of me. And they would be right. Still, let's just see what occurs, shall we? And how much it might cost us.
8. Andrew Flintoff - is his body up to the challenge of 5 consecutive 5-day matches? However unfair it may appear, the fate of the Ashes lays on his broad shoulders. Were he to break down again, there is no one in English cricket to replace him. He bats aggressively, and bowls the same way. Vaughan cannot afford to over-bowl him, simply because if he suffers an injury, then England suffer a massive hemorrhage.

There are five Tests, and the result is anyone's guess. My heart tells me the series will be drawn. This is only because I have an undisclosed sum of money resting on this result with SportsTab, paying a healthy $7.00 if it comes off.My head tells me Australia by a half-head. With Brad Hodge a big chance to play a part in the series.
Bring it on!