Fearless England ready to shake off weight of failure, Australia banking on ageing squad

Recent history will weigh heavily on the shoulders of England’s players when they take the field in Perth on Friday seeking to end a lamentable run of Ashes failure in Australia.

They have lost 13 of their previous 15 Test matches Down Under, drawing the other two, and you must go all the way back to 2011 for the last England victory.

Confident noises are coming out of England’s camp, though, and whether or not Brendon McCullum’s side can turn the tide, one thing is for sure, the touring side will not die wondering.

England have resembled lambs to the slaughter in their last three away Ashes series, losing the tactical and psychological battles and having technical frailties ruthlessly exposed.

This time, however, under inspirational captain Ben Stokes they look set to fight fire with fire.

Pace-bowling greats James Anderson and Stuart Broad may have left the stage but England boast six fast bowlers capable of denting the toughest Australian armour, top-order batsmen who can score at dizzying rates and a century-hungry Joe Root freed from the shackles of being captain.

“It’s going to be hard. But if they get everything right, I look at this and go, actually, England can definitely win the series without a shadow of a doubt,” said Alastair Cook, player of the series when England last won in Australia in 2010-11.

“The way this England side plays, they’ve got a really good chance.”

The fearless front-foot approach that coach McCullum and captain Stokes have ingrained in England has produced 25 wins, 14 defeats and only two draws in 41 Tests.

So-called Bazball produced fireworks and acrimony in equal measure two years ago in England when Australia retained the Ashes with a 2-2 draw having won the opening two matches.

At times, Australia were knocked off the rails by England’s full-gas approach, but critics accused the hosts of being architects of their own downfall, especially a frenzied day one of the first Test when Stokes declared on 393-8 with Root unbeaten on 118 and Australia won the match by two wickets.

With the weapons at his disposal, McCullum is unlikely to tone down his team’s cavalier approach, but former England fast bowler Steven Finn reckons Bazball will be used selectively to stop the Australians dictating terms.

“I don’t like the term Bazball,” Finn, another member of the 2010-11 squad, told Reuters.

“But I think that the manner in which they play is part of the reason why I think they’ve got their best chance in 15 years of regaining the Ashes Down Under, because in 2010-11 when we went down there and won, we pushed back against Australia.

“When Australia are on top, you need to be able to push back rather than just fall like a pack of cards as happened in the last three series down there.

“There’s this Australian media rhetoric about (Bazball) being arrogant. I actually think the Aussie public will respect it as a team playing positively to try and force results.”

Stokes is seeking to become only the sixth post-war England captain to win an Ashes series in Australia, and the 34-year-old can be assured a lively reception from the locals in Perth.

“One thing Australia know is if they poke the bear a bit, they know what Stokes can do,” Cook said.

Australia head into the Ashes with an ageing “Dad’s Army” group of players and concerns about a lack of depth to follow in their footsteps, but chief selector George Bailey is adamant the team’s veteran core still has what it takes.

Of the 15 players in Australia’s squad for the first Test in Perth this week just one is under 30 — all-rounder Cameron Green, who is 26.

Usman Khawaja is 38, Nathan Lyon 37, Steve Smith and Scott Boland 36, and Mitchell Starc 35. Josh Hazlewood and Alex Carey are 34 with skipper Pat Cummins a baby at 32.

Even Jake Weatherald, who could make his debut opening alongside Khawaja, is 31 while fringe players Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Michael Neser and Brendan Doggett have all turned 30.

Agencies