Melbourne, October 23
Former England cricketer David Llyod made a bold claim that England will whitewash Australia by 5-0 on their Ashes tour to Australia, saying that Aussies are at "sixes and sevens" about their batting and the battle between Joe Root and Steve Smith will play a crucial role in determining the series outcome.
Llyod was speaking on SENQ Breakfast. England's away Ashes will start from November 21 onwards at Perth. The Three Lions would aim to win their first Ashes series in Australia since the 2010-11 triumph and their first overall since the 2015 series at home.
Speaking as quoted by Fox Cricket, Llyod said, "I hate predictions, I cannot be doing with them. I am going to turn into Glenn McGrath, it is going to be 5-0 England."
"It is dead simple. If you come up against a team better than you in their backyard, you will suffer. Our guys right now...there is a real sense that we can do something here."
"We have come over here to Australia and played the Ashes and lost before because the other team is better. There is a real thought right now that England has a massive chance to win the Ashes in Australia," he continued.
Llyod pointed out that Australia's batting order is not fixed. The opening partner for Usman Khawaja has not yet been determined, with Marnus Labuschagne, Sam Konstas, Matt Renshaw, and Jake Weatherland being a few names in contention. The batting spots for Labuschagne, Steve Smith, all-rounders Cameron Green and Beau Webster are not decided yet, and it is not known how much bowling the team would need out of these two.
Also, skipper Pat Cummins is under doubt for Perth Test due to back stress issues.
"They feel they have the attack, they feel that Australia are at sixes and sevens with the batting line-up, who will open, who is three, does Labuschagne come back in the team? Then there is a really great match-up between two of the best in the world, in Joe Root and Steve Smith. Whoever comes out on top in that will have a real influence on the series," he concluded.
While Smith has been exceptional in home conditions and has been on a red-hot run of form with hundreds against India and Sri Lanka in the last two Test assignments and a clutch 66 against South Africa in the low-scoring ICC World Test Championship final, Root would be aiming to get his first-ever century in Australia in the longest format.
In Australia, Root is not only winless in 14 previous Tests against the Aussies, but he has not scored the way he would have liked, having made nine half-centuries at an average of 35.68 and scored 892 runs in 14 matches and 27 innings. With his best score being 89 and having three scores of 80s, the veteran has been unlucky to miss out on the milestone in some of the toughest conditions to bat in.
During the last tour to Australia during 2021-22, when England were thrashed 4-0, Root top-scored for the side with 322 runs in five matches and 10 innings at an average of 32.20, with three fifties. He was the third-highest run-getter overall.
England squad for The Ashes series against Australia: Ben Stokes (c), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood.
- ANI
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