Can Punter wrest back the famous Urn?

Punter and his men are all set to lock horns with Englishmen in what promises to be an enthralling Ashes series. The upcoming Ashes series has been touted as the Test series of the calendar year and there is an air of expectancy in the build up to the series.
 
The last occasion when England triumphed in an Ashes series Down Under dates back to 1987. Mike Gatting’s men then prevailed over the Aussies led by Allan Border. One of the chief Architects of that Ashes triumph in 1987 was Chris Broad who shone with the bat scoring three centuries in five test matches. Chris’s son Stuart could hold the key for England’s success in Ashes 2010.
 
In each of the five Ashes series played Down Under since 1987, England has been drubbed and the contests have been lopsided. The 2010 edition promises to be a close affair primarily because the Englishmen seem to have all the aces up their sleeves this time around and the Aussies no longer have the aura of invincibility even while playing at Home.
 
England are well endowed in the pace department with the trio of Finn, Anderson and Broad ably supported by Tremlett and Bresnan. Anderson being the spearhead of the pace attack should lead from the front. He is well attuned to performing in English conditions where the length needs to be fuller in order to exploit the lateral movement on offer. In Australian conditions, Anderson would be well served if he alters his natural length and keeps the length a little shorter as he would not get the same kind of lateral movement on offer in English conditions.
 
Finn, Tremlett and Broad could form a potent force on Aussie tracks as the condition lends itself well to those who are willing to bend the back and hit the deck. Due to the bounce and carry on offer in Aussies wickets (especially Gabba and MCG, WACA has been disappointingly placid over the last four to five years) their natural short of a good length stuff delivered through high arm action would come in handy.
 
Swann and to a lesser extent Panesar would have a huge role to play if England were to defend the Ashes. Swann has been arguably the best Off-Spinner in the last couple of years. He should relish bowling in Adelaide and Sydney especially if England were to win the toss and bat first. England might look at the option of playing Panesar at Sydney as the turf out there traditionally offers lot of purchase for spinners especially on Day 4 and Day 5.
 
England’s batting fortune would primarily revolve around the form of Strauss, Cook, Trott and Pietersen. Bell, Collingwood and Prior would be able to build on the start provided by the top order and they have effectively done that in the past. Broad and Swann have the ability to add crucial lower order runs. The English batting has a settled look around it and should be able to hold fort against an Aussie attacking lacking in class and caliber ever since the exits of Mcgrath and Warne.
 
The build-up to the Ashes has not been good for the Aussies. They have lost three tests in a row for the first time since 1988 and as a unit they seem to be a far cry from the golden days when they used to roll over sides in a hurry. In the batting department, with the exception of Ponting, Watson and to an extent Katich, the rest of the line-up seems to be suffering from poor form. Notwithstanding Marcus North’s century in the Bangalore test against India, he has not done enough in terms of numbers to justify his potential. Hussey’s famed consistency has deserted him in the recent past and Clarke is going through a bad patch as well. The Aussie batting line up would be severely tested by the English attack and it is up to the likes of Hussey and Clarke to support Ponting.
 
The Aussie bowling attack is in a much better shape compared to the batting unit. The trio of Bollinger, Johnson and Hilfenhaus form a good pace attack especially in Home conditions. Nathan Hauritz despite the pasting he received at the hands of the Indians in the recent test series would relish bowling to the Englishmen who are not as adept at facing spin bowling as their Indian counterparts. The Aussies might mull at the option of including Steven Smith at some stage during the Ashes campaign. Smith is being mentored by the legendary Shane Warne and should fancy his chances of making it to the playing XI at Sydney. Shane Watson could be a handy customer provided there is a fair bit of reverse swing on offer with the Old ball. His fuller length makes him potent especially if reverse swing is on offer. The Aussie bowling attack needs to come to the party and they need to cover up for some of the chinks evident in the batting unit.
 
England appears to be the stronger side on paper to defend the Ashes but I expect the Aussies with their famed grit and determination to push the Englishmen all the way. I expect England to triumph at Brisbane and Sydney. Aussies should prevail at Melbourne and I expect the other two tests at Adelaide and Perth to be drawn affairs. All in all I expect an encore of Ashes 1987 triumph for the Englishmen with a margin of 2-1.