Why England is poised to win the Ashes for third straight time?

With the recent shambolic  turn of events notwithstanding, cricket fans worldwide finally have a reason to cheer. A riveting contest is on the cards involving two bitter rivals pitted against each other in the oldest format of the game in a historical series whose origins can be traced way back to 1882.      

Yes, the 'ASHES' are back and this time it is going to be played in England.

While this celebrated rivalry involving England and Australia has always evoked strong responses from  cricketers - both past and present, with the usual series predictions, verbal confrontations; in cricketing parlance known as the 'normal Ashes banter' et al, what makes this Ashes series particularly interesting is the fact that both the teams are enjoying absolutely contrasting forms.

From the humiliating 4-0 whitewash against India to their winless Champions Trophy campaign, Australian Cricket seems to be at its lowest ebb. Add to it the in-house drama, with the Warner scandal and the abrupt sacking of Mickey Arthur, it won't be wrong to say that Australian Cricket is in tatters. The Poms on the other hand seem to be going from strength to strength. Having completed a series whitewash against the hapless Kiwis, they were the runners-up in the tensely fought final in the just concluded Champions Trophy.

Putting the contrasting form of the teams in the back burner, here is an in-depth analysis of the personnel in both the teams :  for ASHES

The captains

Here are two phenomenal players who seem to have been inspired to new heights by the captaincy and increased their potency since rising to high office. While both the players are enjoying a rich vein of form at the moment, it is rather their leadership style that is getting much highlighted. 

As a leader, Clarke, a disciple of Shane Warne, is more proactive and more inclined to do unusual things, like getting keeper Matthew Wade to have a bowl in Hobart when he was struggling for wickets. 

Cook is like Andrew Strauss in style but it was seen in India that he is not afraid to quickly change things if they are not going right, like replacing Joe Root at silly point with Ian Bell in the final Test at Nagpur to immediate productive effect as well as leaving out a senior bowler like Stuart Broad after the Mumbai Test.

The bowlers

On paper Australia have an excellent attack full of potential but the challenge for them will be keeping their bowlers fit because they have had one injury after another. The bowling attack made up of Starc, Siddle, Pattinson, Harris, Bird and Lyon is quite well-suited to exploit English conditions -with the only question mark being over a backup for Lyon. With Ashton Agar and Fawad Ahmed still in selectors thoughts, pending his eligibility to represent Australia , it would not be surprising to see late changes to the spinners spot during the Ashes.

England, in contrast, have strength in depth and are raring to go. They have been able to rest and look after their bowlers - with the fast-medium bowler Tim Bresnan and the No. 1 spinner Graeme Swann, both coming back successfully from elbow injuries. In James Anderson who is arguably the best swing bowler and Stuart Broad who can tear any team apart, along with the likes of Steven Finn, Graham Onions and Monty Panesar, it is beyond a reasonable doubt that England hold the bowling edge.

The batsmen

It is especially in this department that Poms hold the aces. The red hot form of Joe Root who has replaced a seething Nick Compton following a solitary poor series, England’s batters just seem more ready for Test cricket in recent times than Australia’s when they are introduced. With experienced stalwarts in Cook, Trott along with the maverick Pietersen, this batting unit definitely knows how to perform in their own conditions.

While for the Aussies, it's a more of a case of less said, the better. Barring Clarke who has had a Bradmanesque  year, all other batsmen in the team have failed miserably. The recall of Chris Rogers-who last played in a solitary match against India in 2008 has been surprising to say the least and clearly shows the panic in the ranks, the hard hitters in the side viz. Shane Watson and David Warner have on most occasions flattered to deceive. With the highly regarded Phil Hughes and Ed Cowan failing to make much of an impression in the Test arena, it wouldn't be wrong to say that the Aussie batting at the moment is in a state of complete disarray.

The keepers

In Matt Prior, England have the best wicketkeeper-batsman in the world. Prior who was declared as England's Player of the Year for 2012-13 is really the finished product. While Brad Haddin has come into the side primarily due to Matthew Wade’s below par performances with both bat and gloves , Haddin's batsmanship will provide the much needed impetus to a middle-order that has been woefully devoid of runs in recent Tests.

It seems it's not too difficult to find out why England are primed to record their first hat-trick of Ashes triumphs since 'Botham's Ashes' in 1981. Having said that, the Aussies are a fiercely competitive side and their never-say-die attitude has bailed them out on quite a few occasions. But will it be enough ? Going by the betting odds, it doesn't seem so.