Pace will be key as England bid to join Ashes immortals — but tourists' hopes rest on the shoulders of Joe Root

‘Baz Bawl’ read the brilliantly petty headline on the front page of Wednesday’s edition of The West Australian, below a picture of ‘England’s Cocky Captain Complainer’ Ben Stokes as he wheeled his luggage through Perth airport after landing on enemy soil.

The phoney war is in full swing and in two weeks a series which has gripped the psyche of English cricket for more than three years gets underway.

In normal years England’s absorbing summer tussle with India, a 2-2 draw which demonstrated the best of Test match cricket, would have been the highlight.

But this is no normal year and the Ashes loom large.

It is no secret that since Brendon McCullum and Stokes were appointed England coach and captain in the spring of 2022 there has been an ultimate goal – to win in Australia.

Nothing sets Aussie eyeballs rolling more than the term ‘Bazball’ but over the past three years England’s approach to Test match cricket has changed radically and the McCullum-Stokes axis has been transformative.

Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum: acid test awaitsCredit: Philip Brown

There have been some stunning victories and performances during their stewardship – chasing 378 to beat India in the Covid-delayed fifth Test in July 2022 lay down an early marker.

So too did Zak Crawley thumping Pat Cummins’ opening ball of the drawn home Ashes of 2023 through the covers, a series the hosts would have won if it wasn’t for the Manchester rain.

But McCullum and Stokes both know their cricketing revolution will be defined by how they perform in Australia. 

Winning down under is the holy grail for England. Winning in India is just as hard, albeit in a uniquely different way, but Australia is the acid test.

England have won one Ashes away series since 1987, in the heady winter of 2010-11 when the sprinkler reigned supreme and Alastair Cook filled his boots.

But subsequent tours have ended in embarrassment, England losing 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0.

Pace was often England’s kryptonite in those chastening series. They haven’t been able to handle Australia’s quicks and they haven’t had the bowlers to exploit pace-friendly conditions.

From Harold Larwood to Frank Tyson to Chris Tremlett, England’s rare wins in Australia have come when they have genuinely quick bowlers.

So in a bid to join the immortals, McCullum and Stokes have carefully curated a bowling attack fit for Aussie wickets. 

In Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts — not forgetting Stokes himself — England have a deep and pacy unit.

They are also set to come up against an unsettled Australian top order, with 31-year-old Jake Weatherald in line to make his Test debut opening the batting alongside 38-year-old Usman Khawaja.

Indeed, 26-year-old Cameron Green is the only player in Australia’s squad for the first Test under the age of 30.

England look equipped to take wickets against an ageing enemy and the prospect of Archer and Wood opening the bowling together in Perth is hair-raising.

But even without injured captain Pat Cummins, Australia’s attack, spearheaded by Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood in his absence, could trump England’s. 

Mitchell Starc: has been a thorn in England's sideCredit: Bradley Kanaris

So it’s hard not to feel England’s prospects lie largely on the shoulders of one man.

Joe Root is England’s greatest ever batter. In 158 Tests he has effortlessly cut, glanced and scampered his way to 13,543 runs, with Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 15,921 now within his reach.

At 34 Root is older than his captain but there is no sign of the runs drying up. He has scored heavily into his 30s and now has 39 Test hundreds to his name — three more than Steve Smith.

None of those hundreds have come in Australia, where his top score is 89, but Root’s record down under requires context.

England’s scores when Root went out to bat on the last Ashes tour? 11-2, 66-2, 12-2, 48-2, 13-2, 7-2, 36-2, 74-2, 29-2 and 82-2. 

While number three remains the glaring issue in England’s top order, the consistent opening partnership of Ben Duckett and Crawley should give Root a foundation to build on, rather than always walking out to bat with the house burning down.

If Root goes big this winter, England, who are 23-10 underdogs, will win the Ashes. His legacy as England’s greatest is already secured – this would be the crowning glory.

So, over to you Joe. Bring The Urn home.

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