The much-hyped Ashes 2023 is set to commence on 16th June. Skipper Ben Stokes has made it clear the team would go for results even if the side is on the verge of losing the match. Ben Stokes is quite optimistic that he would be able to bowl but the question remains whether he can bowl longer spells of 4-6 overs. Ben Stokes will have to carefully manage the workload of James Anderson & Stuart Broad as the side can’t afford another injury setback after Jofra Archer.
The Pat Cummins-led side will have to bring their ‘A’ game if the side wants to dictate the terms against England who have been on a roll for the last 12 months. Australia have got a brilliant quartet present in the form of David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith & Marnus Labuschagne who will have to bat smartly in the testing conditions of England.
England’s summer will be judged on how they get on in the Ashes- Nasser Hussain
Nasser Hussain wrote in his Daily Mail column. Nasser Hussain said that it will be the biggest challenge for head coach Brendon McCullum & skipper Ben Stokes as their ultra attacking approach ‘Bazball’ would be quite risky. Nasser Hussain pointed out that ECB have taken a good decision by including Jonny Bairstow and dropping Ben Foakes.
“Clearly England’s summer will be judged on how they get on in the Ashes, though, and the biggest challenge for Stokes and McCullum will be to keep playing as if it doesn’t really matter, even though they know deep down that it does,” said Nasser Hussain.
“For now, it’s about recreating the mindset that has threatened to change the way Test cricket is played. If Stokes and McCullum can succeed in that, we could be in for one hell of a summer,” he stated.
“The decision to go with Jonny Bairstow ahead of Ben Foakes makes perfect sense in that respect. I feel for Foakes, who is one of the best keepers in the world and has done nothing wrong. You can never treat a Test match as a warm-up, no matter what lies ahead,” he added.
Exciting Contest on Cards
Australia once again would be banking on the scintillating batter Steven Smith to score runs. The right handed batter had amassed 774 runs and struck 3 centuries and 3 half centuries. The batter though couldn’t dictate the terms in the recently concluded BGT 2023 series.
England on the other hand got a reality check when they lost the 2nd Test match against New Zealand. Perhaps, Joe Root needs to play the role of anchor rather than going berserk. We witnessed against New Zealand how he got dismissed in a bizarre fashion.