Day of Reckoning: Thursday November 23, 2017: Gabba, Brisbane
Cricket's greatest rivalry is back. We in India will wake up earlier than usual on Test match days this winter to witness the best form of the game. Two debutant Ashes skippers Steve Smith and Joe Root will dish out some exciting fare for the World to watch.
In the past, Australia have been ruthless against England in Brisbane and Perth, especially in the past 3 decades. The first Test will be no different. The hosts will surely get the head start. I am keenly looking forward to the 2nd Test at Adelaide Oval, which I presume will see some challenge from the Englishmen. Hope the newly crowned vice captain - James Anderson and the wily Stuart Broad will make the pink Kookaburra swing to their tunes in the day-night Test.
While the Boxing day duel at Melbourne will be keenly fought, the hosts could prevail over 5 days, the New Year's at Sydney could well be Nathan Lyon's way of saying happy 2018 for the Aussies.
Players to look out for
Of course quite predictably the numero-uno left-arm swing bowler in the world Mitchell Starc will be spearheading the Aussie attack, but shall look out for the Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins to wreck havoc on the English batting that will sorely miss Ben Stokes.
England will bank heavily on skipper Joe Root, but I shall also look out for old war horse Alastair Cook, new found delight Mark Stoneman, the mercurial Jonny Bairstow and the ever reliable all-rounder Moeen Ali to spring some special performances.
It is the Australian batting that is bereft of the usual star-studded line up. Skipper Steve Smith will have to shoulder more than the usual responsibility. David Warner will lead from the front, hopefully. I am big fan of the Sunrisers Hyderabad skipper and would love to see him score a few tons in this edition. Then there are Shaun March and Glen Maxwell, who will do well to improve their reputation.
I somehow see a 4-0 series win for Australia in this Ashes down under!
As always, I would love end with the same cliche that I used for my earlier Ashes posts:
November 23, 2017 is a day of reckoning, an eagerly awaited date for the connoisseurs of the game, for this will decide whether the longest version of the game will bite the dust or rise from the Ashes.
-------------------------------- pics : Internet----------------------------
