There was nothing scary under the duvet for England fans at home after James Vince’s 83 prevented a repeat of Australia’s rampant start in 2013It was the actor Hugh Laurie who perhaps best summed up the mood four years ago, describing how he had gone to bed with England’s initial foray with the bat in Brisbane safely under way only to “wake up next to a horse’s head of a first innings, blood everywhere”.This time around, however, a more appealing scoreline could be found under the duvet as, on a beautiful batting strip, in front of a 35,144-strong Gabba crowd that burbled away without ever truly baying for claret, Joe Root’s tourists established something resembling a foothold in the contest. Related: Australia...
Joe Root is light years away from the visibility David Gower enjoyed and, away from terrestrial TV, some team-mates in Australia might as well be in a witness protection programmeAt the risk of making myself a hostage to fortune, it is very possible that Australia has already delivered its most withering put-down of England before an Ashes ball has even been bowled. I may come to regret this rash statement when this year’s exquisite causal link between someone’s girth, someone else’s wife, and some form of baked goods is made. But given how much of modern journalism seems to be about “calling” things in the comical belief that functioning as Earth’s wrongest bookmaker makes one relevant, let’s give it a whirl:...
Australia’s pace attack are getting all the hype but Woakes has added a yard of pace to his prodigious swing bowling and can be a potent weapon for EnglandWelcome to the Gabbatoir, where for the past 29 years Australia have been unbeatable in Test cricket. England will walk through the dark tunnel up from the dressing rooms and out into the middle to be met by harsh sunlight and 40,000 home supporters all willing them to fail.It is a hostile venue to kick off this Ashes series and one that has seen many a visiting captain over the years drawn in by a hypnotic tinge of green on the surface, only to see their decision blow up in their face....
Who will win and by how much? Who will excite and what will annoy? Can Joe Root outscore Steve Smith? Will Mitchell Starc or Jimmy Anderson dominate?Vic Marks: Australia – because they usually do. England have won there once in their last seven tours. Related: England squad’s novice look masks depth of experience playing in Australia | Andy Bull Related: ‘All the talking is done’: Ashes adversaries are ready for deeds not words Related: Ashes 2017-18: player-by-player guide to the Australia squad Related: 20 great Ashes moments No1: Shane Warne's ball of the century, 1993 | Barney Ronay Continue reading...
Many of England’s squad have not played a Test in Australia but most have experience of conditions there and will be ready for the Ashes challengeBack in 1949 John Arlott tried to work out exactly why the Ashes feels so much more special than England’s other Test series. He decided that it was not just that the rivalry had been running so long, or that Australia had so often been the better team, but because of their attitude towards the sport. “Australianism,” Arlott called it, “the single-minded determination to win – to win within the laws but, if necessary, to the last limit within them.” Related: England will be running scared of Australia yet again, claims Nathan Lyon Related: Attempted...