2021/22 Ashes Preview: Who will come out on top in this great series between the Oldest of Rivals?
*Data correct as of 27th November 2021
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Through my next two articles I will be focusing on the Ashes: drawing insights across the two squads. Today, I will be concentrating on the two batting line-ups.
Batting
Australia
Australia come into the Ashes with the dynamic duo that is Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith who have both tormented England in past Ashes tours. Labuschagne, whose international fortunes turned around in England two years ago, currently averages 66.81 since 2019, which is comparable to the cricketing greats. His last three series down under have yielded averages of 173.50, 91.50 and 53.25 against Pakistan, New Zealand and India respectively. These numbers will hold him in good stead for his debut Ashes tour in Australia and potentially dispelling fears of him buckling under the pressure.
Likewise, the numbers that surround Steve Smith are equally as impressive, averaging 63.86 since 2019. His 2017/18 Ashes performance in Australia will live long in the memory; scoring 687 runs at an average of 137.50 including three innings in excess of a hundred. Smith also matches up incredibly well against the England bowlers in their Ashes squad, averaging no less than 50 against any of them.
Outside of Smith and Labuschagne, David Warner has also had great success against England in Australia scoring nearly 1,000 runs at an average 60.25. His recent T20 World Cup form will give the aggressive left-hander added momentum going into this series. However, beneath these three giants, the underbelly of this line-up is in question. As the chart shows, these three batters have combined for 4,093 runs since 2019 which is almost as many runs as 20 other players who have played for Australia during this time frame. This has not been helped by the fact, Australia have played half the number of Test matches as England since 2019 and only four tests since December 2020. This lack of preparation and over reliance on three individuals could come back to haunt this team. This is certainly one of the areas this England team will target when looking to take the urn home.
England
If England are to win the Ashes , Joe Root must score significant runs. He previously has performed for England since 2019 however this reliance has become more and more apparent in 2021. This year, Root is having an extraordinary time, scoring 1455 runs at an average 66.14 including six hundreds. He has scored over three times as many runs as any other player and 29% of team runs in the calendar year.
That final point is a slightly worrying statistic. No other player has scored over 500 runs in 12 test matches this year for England. In totality, only 57% of total runs have come from other travelling players bar Root. This trend is not new if we take the numbers since 2019, this current squad has scored around 60%. Players in the squad such as Rory Burns, Jos Buttler and Ollie Pope have all been mainstays since 2019 however have failed to score consistent runs averaging 32.1 between them over this time period. This has worsened to 28.54 in 2021. It is a real worry for England given the quality and experience that Australia offer within their bowling attack. One example of this is Jos Buttler who averages only 8.2 against the bowling of Pat Cummins in test matches; a match up that will surely be exploited in this series. Adding in a very partisan Australian crowd and intensity around an Ashes series, England’s batsmen will have an uphill battle if their current form continues.
The two shining lights for England are the return of Ben Stokes and Dawid Malan’s previous success in Australia. The return of Stokes gives re-balances to this team as well as an extra dynamic in the bowling attack. However purely as a batsmen, Stokes adds incredible value to this team scoring 1,665 runs at an average of 45 since 2019. Reproducing this kind of form will give Joe Root invaluable support in the batting department. Another secret weapon for this England batting line-up could be Dawid Malan. Likely to bat at three, Malan has previously had some success in the 2017/18 Ashes tour. During this series, he scored 383 runs at an average of 42.55. Although Malan success has recently come in T20 cricket he has established himself as someone who can build an innings and battle to stay in even when not at his fluent best. These are qualities that will help him to score big runs in this Australian summer.
Conclusion
These two batting line-ups are reasonably matched going into this latest series with Australia having the slight edge given their home field advantage. Both are reliant on a couple of key players.
Australia have three very reliable batsmen in Smith, Labuschagne and Warner. The latter batter I believe could cause England great problems given his recent form in the World T20. This will surely give him fantastic momentum going into the Ashes. England must concentrate their efforts on removing these three individuals cheaply and without fuss. They can then exploit the lack of preparation and batting weakness of the Australian middle order.
On the flip side, the Australians will be hugely aware that in recent years if they get Root out, England will almost definitely capitulate under the pressure and is bound to be their focus. It is abundantly clear that the England management needs to find support for Joe Root and draw the attention of the Australian bowlers away from the England Captain. I believe this will most likely come through the combined efforts of Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes and Rory Burns. Without this, I fear Root’s runs will not be able to outweigh the power of the three Australian giants.
