The Ashes 2021-22 Preview

Cricket’s oldest rivalry resumes on the 8th of December as Australia take on England in the first Ashes Test at the Gabba. Both teams head into these Ashes on the back of a loss to India in their previous Test series and will look to reverse their fortunes in the longest format in this high-stakes encounter.

The big news ahead of the Ashes is the appointment of Pat Cummins as Australia’s new full-time captain after Tim Paine stepped down as skipper due to his involvement in a text-messaging scandal. Paine’s decision to stand down has opened the doors for Alex Carey to make his debut with the gloves while allowing Cummins to become Australia’s first full-time bowling captain.

Although the captaincy switch adds extra pressure on Australia ahead of this series, the hosts are clear favourites to retain the Ashes due to their superior bowling attack and experience in home conditions.

Players to watch out for

Ben Stokes

England’s Ashes hopes were given a major boost with the announcement that all-rounder Ben Stokes will make his return to the side in Australia. Stokes’ return improves England’s balance significantly, strengthening their batting at number five and also giving them an extra bowling option in the top six. 

The all-rounder’s presence is also good news for Jack Leach, who didn’t play a single Test against India over the summer as England opted to play a four-seamer attack. Although England are still unlikely to win the Ashes after losing nine of their last 10 Tests in Australia, Stokes’ experience and ability to impact the game with both bat and ball give the visitors a much better chance of making an impact down under.

Marnus Labuschagne

Marnus Labuschagne announced his arrival in Test cricket in the 2019 Ashes in England – scoring four half-centuries in four matches – and the batter has enjoyed an excellent start to his Test career since then, averaging over 60 in 31 innings. Although Labuschagne hasn’t played any international cricket since Australia’s infamous defeat at the Gabba to India in January, the number three has shown some excellent form in the Sheffield Shield, scoring two centuries for Queensland.

Team News

Australia have already announced their XI for the 1st Test in Brisbane, with the two major talking points being the inclusion of Mitchell Starc ahead of Jhye Richardson as the 3rd seamer and Travis Head selected to bat at number five instead of Usman Khawaja.

The major selection headaches for England ahead of the Brisbane Test surround the number six spot in the batting order and the composition of the bowling lineup. Jonny Bairstow and Ollie Pope are the two batters competing for that specialist batting role in the middle order, while the bowling unit at the Gabba is likely to include Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Jack Leach and one of Mark Wood, Stuart Broad or Chris Woakes.

Probable XI’s

England: Rory Burns, Haseeb Hameed, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Ollie Pope, Jos Buttler, Ollie Robinson, Mark Wood, Jack Leach, James Anderson

Australia: David Warner, Marcus Harris, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood