Ashes talking points: England’s bowling line-up, out-of-form openers
It is the month of June in 2023, the same month where we will see Australia taking on England, in a must-watch Ashes series.
The Ashes are where reputations are made, players’ weaknesses are exposed and careers are ended. After the obliteration of the England cricket team just 18 months earlier in a 4-0 defeat down under, England is out for revenge.
Since then Brendon McCullum has taken over as England’s senior coach and has reinvented the team from a dour side on low confidence to a now aggressive cricket team, who are feared.
In the last 18 months, England has defeated Pakistan 3-0, South Africa 2-1, New Zealand 3-0 at home and India in a postponed series. The team have been referred to as playing ‘Bazball’ adopting the aggression McCullum acquired in his own career. Batsman Harry Brook typified this new attacking edge averaging 80.90 in his first 10 innings in Test match cricket, with a strike rate of 98.77.
Meanwhile, Australia have had tough battles in Asia, the most recent series against did not go to plan, losing the series 2-1 to India.<