5 reasons why Australia are Ashes favourites

Cameron Bancroft - A solid foil for the attacking David Warner

In recent times, Australia haven’t been able to find a good opening partner for the attacking, swashbuckling David Warner. And it’s very important for any test team to have a solid opening combination. They add stability and importantly, they protect the middle-order from getting exposed early.

Australia have tried Matt Renshaw who showed some grit and determination. He was good in Indian conditions where the experienced Warner failed to impress. But he was unable to convert his starts to something substantial, which made the selectors think of other alternatives.

Cameron Bancroft has been impressive with his performances in the domestic circuit. 67 matches, 4477 runs at an average of 39.97 with 11 centuries and 18 fifties for Western Australia are good numbers.

With Australia looking at someone who can be a good foil to David Warner- who is prolific in home conditions, the selectors preferred to pick someone who has played well in Australian conditions heading into the Ashes.

And it’s never easy for someone to make his test match debut against England in a high pressure series like the Ashes. And not to forget, he has to face the likes of Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Chris Woakes in full flow.

Keeping those points in mind and just based on his performance in the first test match at the Gabba in Brisbane, Australia seem to have found a good solid opening partner. This further strengthens the Aussie batting lineup making it look more settled and less wobbly.