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Ferguson at 6 for mine, has scored a big hundred which is what the others arent doing in the lead up and has experience which is what you need at 6 ala Hussey, Voges etc of recent times

BH: Have you got Australia as favourites? For me, it will be a matter of whether England can squeeze runs out of Vince, Ballance and Malan.

Both sides have huge question marks with their batting line ups...both are reliant upon two batsmen each...and raffle the rest for runs....though in all honesty I would back Kawhaja to score runs in Oz conditions over Vince at number 3....but hey time will tell....

bowling wise I would like to think the youth of Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood will handle the heat better than old boys in Broad and Anderson.....don't forget Anderson bowled pitifully on his Oz tour..and he is 4 years older.....Broad was good, but the Oz batters just need to reign in their egos and try not to get sucked in an hook and pull all his short stuff early on......let him exert his energy early on and then flay him when he is flagging.....

freezin: I think you will find that Anderson bowlled injurred last tour.

The England batting is that dodgy that I would bat Root at three and Bairstow at four, bringing Foakes in as the keeper to bat at seven. England will resist this because they don't want to expose two of their better players to the new ball.

ArkRoyal wrote: freezin: I think you will find that Anderson bowlled injurred last tour.

The England batting is that dodgy that I would bat Root at three and Bairstow at four, bringing Foakes in as the keeper to bat at seven. England will resist this because they don't want to expose two of their better players to the new ball.

Mentally or physically injured Ark?...LOL....esp after Bailey hammered him one over at the WACA....

Would love to see Starc let it rip like Johnson did....if Aust can get Root and Cook early on in a couple of innings could put loads of pressure on the newbies finding their way at test level...tho ditto to the Aust lineup....get Warner and Smith early on and Aust could find themselves in big trouble....remember Haddin in the last Aust Ashes series saving Aust skin most tests....

Freeze: I think Starc will let it rip, both lengths too, full and short. Anderson had a broken rib which is why Bailey took all those runs from the over. Remember that was the only score he made in the series.

Ark Anderson bowled 190 overs that series, the most of all the Eng bowlers, 30 more than Broad...he took 4/60 odd in the next test after Bailey taking the long handle to him in Perth....if he indeed had # ribs not sure why he bowled so many overs then?.....both Cook and Root averaged mid 20's that series....do that again and Aust will be half way there.....hopefully Starc can replicate Johnson, Hazelwood or Cummins replicate Harris and Lyon repeat his effort....Warner did well, whilst Smith has improved since then and he averaged 40....need to find someone to replicate the efforts of Rogers and Haddin with the bat.

Pietersen was Eng best bat last time and TBH Vince, Ballance and Malan are no where near his abiity....Swann is a better bowler than Moen and he went for a few...no Stokes this time and he was a revelation....Bairstow is a danger tho, of late he has belted Eng out of many tight situations....TBH Stokes, Bairstow and Ali are best 6,7 & 8 combination going around...losing one of them for a game or 3 is very much in Aust favour....though nothing stopping Woakes from stepping up I guess....Ali on Aust wickets will be less of a threat in my eyes...but hey Aust batsmen and spin are indeed a major concern.....so one can never say never

Freeze: I agree with you about the balance of power between th tems being in Australia's favour which is why Malan and Ballance must perform. We can forget about Ali as a batsman in our conditions, bowlling short will sort him out. Woakes has a better technique than Ali for facing Starc because he he can play a back foot defensive shot.

Freeze how did Jimmy bowl out here in the 2010/11 Ashes series?
I believe this is Jimmy Anderson's 5th tour to Australia which equals Bob Willis from the 1970s/80s with the most tours by a Pommy fast bowler to our great shores!
I also have very real recollections from only 2 years ago of Broad taking 8/15 in making an absolute mockery of our batting line up who were all out for about 60 in the first hour of the Test match feck we didnt even make it to the first drinks break!

BH: in regards England's pace bowllers, as you pointted out to me once before, Broad and Anderson are capable of bowlling a spell which could decide the Ashes. Having said that, and having watched some of England's shot selections -- includding the captain today -- England will have to wowl very well.