Tonight, there will be millions of people across England who will break their sleeping pattern and risk the wrath of their time efficient bosses in the morning by staying up late and watching the first ball of The Ashes being bowled as England and Australia get ready for what is predicted to be one of the most closely fought series in years.
And it will be closely matched, don’t let anybody fool you. There are many fans and journalists who have been talking up the chances of England, saying that they will never have a better chance to claim a series win in Australia. And they may be right but Australia are no pushovers, especially in their own backyard.
However I do think England will do it. But to do so their hopes rest largely on the shoulders of two players. Kevin Pietersen and Graeme Swann. Pietersen hasn’t looked the same player ever since he was relieved of the captaincy at the beginning of 2009 after infamously trying to remove Peter Moores as coach. He has only scored one test century since. For England to win this series the egotistical South African needs to regain his mojo and get back to doing what he does best and that is dominating the best bowlers in world cricket as only he can do.
However Swann is the man that can decide the fate of this year’s contest. With England relying on a four man bowling attack it is crucial that Swann bowls with discipline and skill while the other three pace bowlers rotate at the other end. However he has to find the fine line between bowling with discipline and curbing his natural wicket tacking abilities. If Swann can find the right balance and James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn all chip in with wickets then England should have more than enough to take 20 Australian wickets.
Less than an hour to go until the first ball is bowled. England to win 2-1. Come on!!!
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