Predict the outcome of the 2021/2022 Ashes Series?

[Saj]

The 5 Test series starts on 8th December in Brisbane.

Home advantage and a new captain for the Aussies whilst Ben Stokes is back for England, although they are without Archer.

What do you think will be the outcome of this series?


Australia squad for first two Tests: Pat Cummins (capt), Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Steve Smith, David Warner.


England Men's Test Squad - Ashes Tour of Australia 2021-22
Joe Root (Yorkshire) Captain
James Anderson (Lancashire)
Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire)
Dom Bess (Yorkshire)
Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire)
Rory Burns (Surrey)
Jos Buttler (Lancashire)
Zak Crawley (Kent)
Haseeb Hameed (Nottinghamshire)
Dan Lawrence (Essex)
Jack Leach (Somerset)
Dawid Malan (Yorkshire)
Craig Overton (Somerset)
Ollie Pope (Surrey)
Ollie Robinson (Sussex)
Chris Woakes (Warwickshire)
Mark Wood (Durham)

 

[James]

1-3 Australia.

A rainy draw and an exciting Test match win for England in there, but Aussie dominance defining the other games in the series.

 

[Firebat]

Australia are an improved prospect than they were last Ashes series. Labuschagne's rise, Warner on home turf.

England couldn't win at home just a couple years ago, they'll find it far harder this time round with Broad-Anderson a couple years older.

 

[Robert]

1-3 Australia.

A rainy draw and an exciting Test match win for England in there, but Aussie dominance defining the other games in the series.

Agreed. Brisbane will likely be a interrupted by rain so will be a draw.

England have a good chance at Adelaide.

Otherwise they might get another draw somewhere is Root gets 200 in the first innings, but their batting is still frangible and the Australian pace attack too strong for them.

So 1-3, or possibly 1-2 if Root carries on in beastmode, or 0-3 if they fail to pick the right bowlers for the conditions was which is likely because they are England.

It won’t be a demolition as Stokes will make a big impact if he stays fit.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I had predicted 5-0 earlier but I hadn't taken the impact of La Nina into account. You might get damp pitches which would favour the English 130 kph bowlers. It's how England won the Ashes in Australia last time around .

 

[James]

Agreed. Brisbane will likely be a interrupted by rain so will be a draw.

England have a good chance at Adelaide.

Otherwise they might get another draw somewhere is Root gets 200 in the first innings, but their batting is still frangible and the Australian pace attack too strong for them.

So 1-3, or possibly 1-2 if Root carries on in beastmode, or 0-3 if they fail to pick the right bowlers for the conditions was which is likely because they are England.

It won’t be a demolition as Stokes will make a big impact if he stays fit.

Stokes has already looked like our best and most impactful player again in the warm ups (because he is).

There is also an interesting subplot developing with the authoritarian politician guy in Perth/Western Australia preferring to uphold draconian quarantine rules over the privilege of hosting an Ashes Test match. In which case it’s possible that a second day/night match could take place at either Sydney or Melbourne. This would be a boost for England if it happened.

I still think 1-3 though…

 

[Devadwal]

3-1 to Australia .

 

[Ab Fan]

3-1 to Australia .

Why does most in general always predict a 5 match test series outcome as 3-1 in favour of home team?

 

[Robert]

Australia are an improved prospect than they were last Ashes series. Labuschagne's rise, Warner on home turf.

England couldn't win at home just a couple years ago, they'll find it far harder this time round with Broad-Anderson a couple years older.

Anderson is over - we saw in against India that he cannot come back in the second innings even at home - but I think a rested Broad could have a good series.

Attack should be Wood, Robinson, Broad, Stokes and Leach.

But watch them pick a wholly unsuitable attack with clapped-out Anderson, HTB Woakes and never-will-be Bess.

 

[Robert]

Stokes has already looked like our best and most impactful player again in the warm ups (because he is).

There is also an interesting subplot developing with the authoritarian politician guy in Perth/Western Australia preferring to uphold draconian quarantine rules over the privilege of hosting an Ashes Test match. In which case it’s possible that a second day/night match could take place at either Sydney or Melbourne. This would be a boost for England if it happened.

I still think 1-3 though…

Thinking Hobart might get the test that should be at the WACA.

 

[Robert]

I had predicted 5-0 earlier but I hadn't taken the impact of La Nina into account. You might get damp pitches which would favour the English 130 kph bowlers. It's how England won the Ashes in Australia last time around .

More to do with scoreboard pressure - an avalanche of runs from the very strong top seven, particularly Cook with 732 runs in the series.

Root and Stokes apart, England have nobody who could break into that batting side.

 

[street cricketer]

 

[Robert]

Hawaii strikes again.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

More to do with scoreboard pressure - an avalanche of runs from the very strong top seven, particularly Cook with 732 runs in the series.

Root and Stokes apart, England have nobody who could break into that batting side.

Australias bowling attack was very poor on that series too. Sidnt have a bowler who could take advantage of the conditions

 

[Robert]

Australias bowling attack was very poor on that series too. Sidnt have a bowler who could take advantage of the conditions

Johnson and Siddle played every test and Harris two IIRC.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Johnson and Siddle played every test and Harris two IIRC.

Johnson missed the Adelaide test. Siddle was never a strike bowler . Their sounder was Doherty and their other seamers were Bollinger and hilfenhaus.

 

[Swashbuckler]

Gabba will see a pointless draw because of weather.

SCG should be a boring draw on a dead wicket. But never know if Root goes missing.

Either 3-0 Aus or 2-1 Aus. Eng's best chance will be the D/N match in Adelaide. Leaning more towards 3-0.

Labu my man of the series, Root should do well with 2-3 100s I guess. Not enough firepower in England's bowling, but their batting may surprise many now that Stokes is back. One good thing from their home series against India was that they found their top 3, also looking forward to watch Leach bowl, Moeen had never done well in Aus in the past.

 

[Mamoon]

Root has never performed in Australia and he is at the peak of his powers right and now and is in the form of his life.

If he has another lean series, his status as an elite batsman and modern great will have to be questioned. It is the only hole in an otherwise imperious track-record.

If he does have a big series though, and I hope he does, his legacy as one of the finest players in history - and arguably the finest in English history if you exclude the pre-war amateurs - will be set in stone.

 

[James]

Interesting to see a slight swing in opinion towards England not being totally beaten out of sight.

I hope it’s a good contest and is worth losing the inevitable sleep over with it being on Aus time, lol.

 

[gazza619]

England to win this 4-1

 

[shaz619]

England need to rotate their fast bowlers and pick bowlers for the conditions / not based on reputation, spin will be a weak point though with no Mo.

However, am confident of a 3-2 England victory; Australia are not what they use to be and England can smell the kangaroo blood

 

[Swashbuckler]

Keen to watch Starc and Lyon, both underperformed last time against India resulting in a rare home series loss for the Aussies. Starc in D/N match is always a handful but what can he offer with the red ball? Want Lyon to do well since I rate him highly and want to watch his duel against Root.

Peak Root against the 4 Aussie bowlers will be the most interesting part of the series. Should be an epic battle if Root brings his A game.

 

[street cricketer]

Keen to watch Starc and Lyon, both underperformed last time against India resulting in a rare home series loss for the Aussies. Starc in D/N match is always a handful but what can he offer with the red ball? Want Lyon to do well since I rate him highly and want to watch his duel against Root.

Peak Root against the 4 Aussie bowlers will be the most interesting part of the series. Should be an epic battle if Root brings his A game.

Starc really should not be in the starting XI. Neser should actually have played in that Gabba test, but Australia decided to stick with reputation like we're sticking with Rahane and Pujara, despite all the Aussie bowlers feeling gassed out after the Sydney draw vs India. Ideally I would have Jhye or Neser for at least three tests and play Starc in the pink ball test.

 

[Robert]

England need to rotate their fast bowlers and pick bowlers for the conditions / not based on reputation, spin will be a weak point though with no Mo.

However, am confident of a 3-2 England victory; Australia are not what they use to be and England can smell the kangaroo blood

Unsure where they will win three tests. Batting too weak, Aussie fast bowlers too strong.

 

[Robert]

England need to rotate their fast bowlers and pick bowlers for the conditions / not based on reputation, spin will be a weak point though with no Mo.

However, am confident of a 3-2 England victory; Australia are not what they use to be and England can smell the kangaroo blood

Moeen got hit all over Australia before. It’s a graveyard for offies. Even Swann averaged 40 there. I think Leach can do a holding job.

There is only one fast bowler.

Unsure where they will win three tests. Adelaide maybe. Nowhere else - batting too weak, Aussie fast bowlers too strong.

 

[James]

[MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION] England will have more of a chance than usual with their seam bowlers if this Australian summer continues to be a wet, cloudy, humid and damp one with rain breaks. In 2010/11 the conditions at every ground except the scorching Perth were very English. As [MENTION=113824]Nikhil_cric[/MENTION] has perceptively noted.

 

[gazza619]

Am I the only one who think that 5 test matches is way too much in this day and age of Covid bubble? In addition there is so much T20s and leagues these days.

It’s all well and good for test specialists like Joe Root & James Anderson, but it’s a lot to ask for from guys who are in demand for all forms of the game.

 

[Robert]

[MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION] England will have more of a chance than usual with their seam bowlers if this Australian summer continues to be a wet, cloudy, humid and damp one with rain breaks. In 2010/11 the conditions at every ground except the scorching Perth were very English. As [MENTION=113824]Nikhil_cric[/MENTION] has perceptively noted.

Another thing in Strauss’s favour was that Australia had a tactically unsound and excitable captain in Ponting who was also well past his best as a batsman.

The tactic of scoring 500 in the first innings and chipping away with the ball was effective for Strauss.

 

[street cricketer]

Aus fielded one of its weakest attacks ever in 2010/11 which certainly helped matters for England.

Australia had the hot and cold version of Johnson leading the attack with Siddle, Harris and Hifenhaus partnering him in the fast bowling attack. The only saving grace was Ryan Harris. As for the spinners, they were even worse with the likes of Doherty and Beer playing.

That is a far cry from the McGrath, Gillespie, Warne and Lee in the 2000s or Cummins, Hazlewood, Starc, Lyon they have now.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

OZ should win. Apart from Root who will score here. And even he does not have a great record here.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Am I the only one who think that 5 test matches is way too much in this day and age of Covid bubble? In addition there is so much T20s and leagues these days.

It’s all well and good for test specialists like Joe Root & James Anderson, but it’s a lot to ask for from guys who are in demand for all forms of the game.

Australia is mostly open. Huge money spinner this series. Lot of beers and food to sell in the pubs and hotel stays to keep struggling hospitality sector afloat.

 

[sindhiboy]

I think england will surprise everyone. Probably not win the ashes, but will do much better than expected.

Rory burns already has a 100 vs aus, he will love Australian conditions. Root is in the best form of his career.
Robinson and wood will be their main bowlers.

 

[sweep_shot]

I expect 5-0 to Australia.

England are weak in Test format currently and they generally lose badly in Australia.

 

[shaz619]

Unsure where they will win three tests. Batting too weak, Aussie fast bowlers too strong.

Moeen got hit all over Australia before. It’s a graveyard for offies. Even Swann averaged 40 there. I think Leach can do a holding job.

There is only one fast bowler.

Unsure where they will win three tests. Adelaide maybe. Nowhere else - batting too weak, Aussie fast bowlers too strong.

The middle order is weak but the top order is strengthened with Hameed there and Burns is a resilient bloke, Root is in the form of his life and Stokes is capable of producing special match winning innings. It is tough for offies, Mo last time round was carrying an injury, anyhow he was the best spin option in England and he had proved in his last few performances to, Bess is rubbish and Leach isn't the match winner you'd expect, in fact you wouldn't complain if Rashid was picked over both, not a lot between these guys unfortunately.

Anderson/Woakes
Broad/Robinson
Wood/Saq

The above need to be rotated during the series, it's an exciting group of seamers, not been this excited for England's bowling in a while.

 

[Chrish]

4-1 Australia..

 

[Bilal Ahmad15]

4 - 0 Australia easy

 

[carnish]

2-1 to England

 

[Firebat]

The drama around Paine and having Cummins captaining for the first time could throw a bit of a spanner in the works, but the Australian quality is just too good for England, even with that dressing room chaos.

3-1 Australia

 

[PakLFC]

3-1 to the England.

 

[Raja111]

5-0 to Australia

 

[Justcrazy]

3 - 2 Australia.

I think the games will be close , but Aussies will edge opposition out here

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

3 to Australia, 1 to England, 1 match Draw..

 

[shaz619]

The middle order is weak but the top order is strengthened with Hameed there and Burns is a resilient bloke, Root is in the form of his life and Stokes is capable of producing special match winning innings. It is tough for offies, Mo last time round was carrying an injury, anyhow he was the best spin option in England and he had proved in his last few performances to, Bess is rubbish and Leach isn't the match winner you'd expect, in fact you wouldn't complain if Rashid was picked over both, not a lot between these guys unfortunately.

Anderson/Woakes
Broad/Robinson
Wood/Saq

The above need to be rotated during the series, it's an exciting group of seamers, not been this excited for England's bowling in a while.

Anderson is being rested for the first Test, good call

 

[Afhan Ali]

4-0 Australia

 

[Robert]

The middle order is weak but the top order is strengthened with Hameed there and Burns is a resilient bloke, Root is in the form of his life and Stokes is capable of producing special match winning innings. It is tough for offies, Mo last time round was carrying an injury, anyhow he was the best spin option in England and he had proved in his last few performances to, Bess is rubbish and Leach isn't the match winner you'd expect, in fact you wouldn't complain if Rashid was picked over both, not a lot between these guys unfortunately.

Anderson/Woakes
Broad/Robinson
Wood/Saq

The above need to be rotated during the series, it's an exciting group of seamers, not been this excited for England's bowling in a while.

Rashid is excellent in LO but will bowl a four-ball every over in tests.

Agree on Bess.

Leach will at least keep it tight. Is Sydney still a turner?

I would have had Mahmood in the senior team.

Hope Hameed has a big series, it’s his time to step up.

 

[mastimasti]

4-0 if there's bad weather. 5-0 if not.

England will be clueless.

 

[Saj]

Comfortable win for the Aussies at home in my opinion.

 

[MenInG]

England fighting hard but the best outcome for them in my view will be a draw.

 

[Robert]

Going to stick my neck out now the last test is at Hobart and say 2-3 to Australia.

 

[James]

Ok, I will amend my prediction now and change the 3-1 Australia to 3-2 Australia…

 

[shamaan]

3-1 Australia

 

[sweep_shot]

If Australia win 5-0, they can become #2 in ICC Test ranking.

I think they should reach final of WTC if they can pull off 5-0.

 

[James]

2-0 to the Aussies with 3 to play.

Australia have dominated the series thus far.

Going to be another 5-0?

 

[MenInG]

2-0 to the Aussies with 3 to play.

Australia have dominated the series thus far.

Going to be another 5-0?

Seems to be going that way at the moment. There is nothing in the current England line-up that suggests otherwise.

 

[Saj]

The way this series is going if it had been 7 Tests, you'd fancy 7-0 to Australia.

Very poor preparation, planning and tactics by England.

 

[transparent opacity]

The way things are going, anything less than 5-0 will be a miracle.

England is down and out

 

[MenInG]

Ends 4-0 for Australia. Surprised? or expected?

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Ends 4-0 for Australia. Surprised? or expected?

A bit surprised. You won't get more bowler-freindly conditions than that in Australia. And yet, apart from SCG where too many overs were lost, this was essentially 5-0. On normal Aussie flat decks with no inclement weather, this would have been a train wreck with a few English retirements at the end of it.