10 Reasons to Believe England Can Shock Australia in 2015 Ashes
If you believed everything you read in the media, you probably believe an unbeatable, almost superhero-like Australia cricket team will shortly arrive in the UK ready to hand out an Ashes drubbing.
Mark Butcher, as reported by the Daily Mail, thinks England fans should "hide behind the sofa" this summer, while Aussie legend Glenn McGrath made his traditional pre-Ashes whitewash claim in the Mirror.
But are things really that bleak for Alastair Cook's men?
As evidenced by their recent performances against New Zealand, there is a new wave of hope surrounding English cricket, and the team's chances of surprising the Baggy Greens aren't a slim as some make out.
Ranked in ascending order of importance, here are 10 reasons why England could beat the Aussies and reclaim the Ashes.
10. Duke Ball
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You regularly hear "it's a completely different ball game" used in everyday life, but this cliche is literally true when comparing Test cricket in England to Down Under.
While the Aussies use the machine-stitched Kookaburra ball, which is manufactured in their own backyard, in Britain, the hand-stitched Duke model is the sphere of choice.
But what's the difference?
The debate rages on about each ball's specific qualities, but it is generally agreed that the Duke swings more regularly in the UK, which is more beneficial to the bowlers.
While both attacks can take advantage of this, the English pacemen have been using this particular combination of leather and cork for most of their careers and should be more adept at controlling it.
9. Jos Buttler
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Jos Buttler's achievements in Test cricket seem to have almost travelled under the radar, but the explosive wicketkeeper-cum-batsman is rapidly becoming a lower-order weapon for England.
The 24-year-old's destructive batting, primarily in white-ball cricket, is what got him noticed originally, and the stroke maker has successfully carried this approach into the longest format of the game.
His eight appearances to date have produced 474 runs, five half-centuries and an average of 52.66, higher than what Ricky Ponting and Rahul Dravid finished their careers with.
Behind the stumps, the Lancashire ace has worked hard on his glove work, and although far from the finished article, per the Telegraph, he is rapidly improving.
Although it is still early days, a successful Ashes campaign could send the youngster into cricketing superstardom.
8. Home Advantage
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The advantages of playing at home varies across all sports, but in cricket, these factors are more tangible than most.
As well as being familiar with the grounds, enjoying the majority of the support and theoretically being generally more comfortable, having not spent weeks away from home, England should also have an idea what to expect from the wicket.
While curating a friendly pitch is frowned upon by the game's lawmakers, there is little doubt that certain surfaces are prepared to support the home team's skill set.
Given that England have won 21 and lost just five home Test series this century, Alastair Cook's men clearly enjoy playing at home.
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7. Joe Root
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After being shunted around the order, Joe Root finally found a home at four, and he hasn't looked back, scoring bucket loads of runs and boasting an incredible 54.11 average from his 27 Tests.
To put that into context, the Yorkshireman currently has the eighth-highest average of any English cricketer who has ever played a minimum of 20 innings in Test cricket.
However, it's not just the volume of runs that make the 24-year-old, who has been tipped as a future captain, invaluable to the team.
Root seems to have a tangible and infectious burst of energy, which is why the Aussies will be targeting him as a key wicket.
6. Age
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While a player's advanced age in sport suggests experience and nous, it also carries with it a gradual decrease in speed and more fragility in terms of injuries.
If you look at the Australian dressing room, you could almost mistake it for an old-age pensioners' home.
Jokes aside, the Baggy Green's Ashes squad has an average age of 31 years old and possesses seven players likely to start the first Test in Cardiff who are aged 33 or over.
At the upper end of the scale are Chris Rogers and Brad Haddin, who are both 37.
Compare this to England's lineup, which will probably feature just three players in their 30s—Alastair Cook, Ian Bell and Jimmy Anderson—and it's clear the hosts should have an advantage from an athletic and fitness point of view.
5. Ben Stokes
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Ben Stokes' blistering 85-ball century at Lord's was the biggest indication yet that England have a new Sir Ian Botham on their hands.
Of course, the Aussies already know about the 24-year-old, who was one of the few bright spots of England's miserable 2013/14 Ashes tour Down Under.
Since then, there have been flashes of his undoubted ability, but the Durham man has struggled for consistency and was even omitted from England's squad for the World Cup earlier in 2015.
However, with both bat and ball, Stokes' performance at Lord's felt like a watershed moment. He could be a key figure in this summer's Ashes.
4. Match Practice
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When England and Australia meet in Cardiff on July 8, it will be the Australian's third Test match since they defeated India in early January, almost six months ago.
Conversely, England have recently toured the Caribbean and hosted New Zealand, meaning the opening Ashes encounter will be their sixth Test in under three months.
What's more, when the Aussies touch down on British soil, they will have just two warm-up games against possibly understrength county teams in which to prepare for English conditions.
So when things get serious in Wales, will Michael Clarke's men be ready to face Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad with a new ball on a seaming wicket under overcast conditions?
3. Trevor Bayliss
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England's drawn Test series in the Caribbean signalled the departure Peter Moores. Despite Jason Gillespie seemed primed to become the new coach, but his compatriot Trevor Bayliss eventually got the nod.
If his track record is anything to go by, new ECB director of cricket Andrew Strauss' appointment could prove to be a huge coup.
Though the Australian had an unremarkable playing career, he has proved to be a master from the dugout, tasting success in the Sheffield Shield, Big Bash League and Indian Premier League.
Internationally, the 52-year-old guided Sri Lanka to No. 2 in the ICC's official Test rankings and to the final of the 2011 World Cup, in which they lost to India.
While Bayliss's CV is impressive, his knowledge of the Australian players should be extremely valuable during the forthcoming Ashes.
2. Jimmy Anderson
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Mitchell Starc may be enjoying something of a King Midas phase right now, but it's worth remembering Jimmy Anderson has a better economy rate, strike rate and average than the Australian.
Additionally, at the time of publication, the 32-year-old has taken 403 wickets—347 more than Starc—and recently became the leading wicket taker in England's cricketing history.
Anderson has bounced back dramatically from a disappointing World Cup by claiming 23 Test scalps this year, and there appears to be no depreciation in his skills or pace.
Throw in home conditions and the use of his preferred Duke cricket ball, and the Lancastrian swing merchant could be the key bowler in this year's Ashes.
1. Alastair Cook
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If England had been allowed one wish before the cricketing summer began, it would've been for their leader and captain, Alastair Cook, to return to the form that once saw him produce 766 runs in a single Ashes series.
And judging from his performances against the West Indies and New Zealand, it appears he has.
Despite overseeing a successful series win against India last summer, the England skipper didn't look right at the crease, and his ongoing troubles in white-ball cricket saw him axed as ODI captain just weeks before the 2015 World Cup.
However, a few months off has seemingly revitalised the 32-year-old, who has compiled 577 Test runs so far this year, including two tons.
In the process, the left-hander passed Graham Gooch to become England's leading Test run scorer of all time and also recently reached the 9,000 run milestone.
More importantly, his calm and reassuring presence at the top of the order helps his side see off the new ball and grind the opposition's bowlers down.
With the Essex man cleary having a point to prove against the Aussies after his team's humiliating 5-0 defeat Down Under in 2013/14, watch out for a big series from Captain Cook.
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