Ashes 2019: Three reasons why England will regain the famous urn

The Ashes has been one of the greatest rivalries in the game of cricket. Every time England and Australia lock horns in the famous series, their fans get to see a tough contest between two well-balanced teams and a whole lot of drama. Ashes 2019 promises to be an even more interesting contest as both sides haven't performed to their expected standards in Test cricket in the past year or so and will be determined to hit peak form in this huge assignment.

In the last Ashes in 2017/18 in Australia, the hosts steamrolled the defending 'Urn' holders by 4-0. Steve Smith was the leading run-getter with 687 runs and three centuries to his name and four Aussie bowlers picked up more than 20 wickets. Australia will be hoping for a repeat performance, though it seems a bit unlikely.

England have home advantage, since the 2005 Ashes, They have dominated Australia when playing at home. The first Test is set to take place in Edgbaston, Birmingham. Australia haven't won a match in Edgbaston in any format since 2001. Their most recent defeat came at this venue during the semi-final of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 to the hosts.

In this article, we are looking at three reasons why England will regain the Ashes this year-

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#3. Australia's batting woes

Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft are all back in the Aussie Test squad

The trio of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft will be back in the Baggy green for the first time since the Cape Town Ball-Tampering scandal. Also, the question remains who is going to partner David Warner, one of the star batsmen of the series, at the opening slot?

Marcus Harris who had a good Shield season but hasn't done a great deal in the six tests he has played. Harris has scored 327 runs at 32.70 with a couple of 50s to his name. On the other hand, Bancroft hasn't done a great deal either. He averages just over 30 in the eight tests he has played.

The middle-order looks quite decent because of the likes of Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, and Tim Paine. Khawaja hasn't got a good record in England, he averages 19 in six innings. A lot will depend on Warner and Smith just like it did in the World Cup.

Matthew Wade has been awarded a place in the Australian squad based on his great form for Australia A. Marnus Labuchagne is relatively new to the test cricket. He has played just five Tests and has only one one-half century to his name.

#2. England's formidable batting line-up

Jos Buttler can be devastating on his day.

England's heroes from the World Cup final, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler, will be back for the first Ashes Test starting on August 1. These two had been rested for the one-off Test match against Ireland.

Jason Roy will most certainly open the batting in the first game. He recently made his Test debut against Ireland, and scored 0&72 in his two innings and was in devastating form in the ODI World Cup. England have also selected Rory Burns and Joe Denly in their squad. Either one of them will partner Roy at the top of the order.

England's middle-order looks quite sharp with guys like Joe Root, Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, and Jonny Bairstow all being in good form. The question looms over Moeen Ali's batting form as he would look to stake his place in the lower middle-order. But England bat very deep nonetheless and guys like Chris Woakes, Sam Curran, Adil Rashid have all got runs in red-ball cricket.

Overall England's batting line-up looks more complete and challenging than Australia's.

#1. The Anderson-Broad threat

James Anderson and Stuart Broad a world-class partnership.

England have a much more experienced and formidable bowling attack compared to Australia. Bowlers like Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad have dominated in English conditions with the ball and they have been well supported by Chris Woakes and Sam Curran.

Furthermore, England has also included their 'X-Factor' bowler Jofra Archer in their squad for the first Test match. It'll be interesting to see whether Archer makes into the 11 or not. The Australian batsmen will have to be very careful, as the English bowlers will give them no freebies whatsoever like the last time.

It will be interesting to see how the Aussies manage the workload of the experienced members of the team, comprising Steve Smith, David Warner, Pat Cummins, and Mitch Starc as they have been playing continuous cricket since the World Cup and will play a huge role in determining how the Aussies fare against the hosts who seem to have the upper hand.