The Cricketer selects a combined XI ahead of the 2023 Men's Ashes...
Ahead of the 2023 Men's Ashes, The Cricketer selects a combined XI...
Ben Duckett
618 runs at 38.62 (1 century, 5 half-centuries)
After some time away from the Test team, Duckett has sparkled upon his return, with his century in Rawalpindi the pick of his performances. He also performed well in New Zealand and the first block of County Championship fixtures, and while Australia's attack will present a tougher challenge, Duckett encapsulates the no fear mentality at the heart of England's new playing style.
Usman Khawaja
4,495 runs at 47.81 (14 centuries, 21 half-centuries)
Khawaja has been a mainstay of the Australian Test team since returning to the XI in January 2022. Since then, he has scored 1,621 runs at 64.84 in 17 innings, including six centuries. A member of the squad which retained the Ashes in 2019, he only averages 19.66 in English conditions but with both David Warner (Australia) and Zak Crawley (England) in questionable form, he was a no-brainer for this XI.
Usman Khawaja [Justin Setterfield/Getty Images]
Marnus Labuschagne
3,461 runs at 56.73 (10 centuries, 15 half-centuries)
It feels a little unfair on England vice-captain Ollie Pope but it's almost impossible to look past Labuschagne. Announcing himself on the international stage during the 2019 Ashes, he scored 353 runs at 50.42 in seven innings and has been hard to shift from the top four ever since. He averages 45.86 against England and 46.66 in England, so expect runs.
Joe Root
10,948 runs at 50.22 (29 centuries, 57 half-centuries)
Root is the behemoth of the England team and someone that is capable of dominance. No one scored more than his 1,915 runs during the 2021-23 World Test Championship cycle and after a few teething problems, he's beginning to find himself again in the Bazball era. He averages 53.58 in England and while the Ashes hasn't always been a happy hunting ground, he's free of the burden of captaincy.
Steve Smith
8,792 runs at 59.80 (30 centuries, 37 half-centuries)
Ok, he's a touch out of position in this XI but needs must. The very mention of his name is enough to make England fans and players shudder such has been his dominance of recent Ashes series – do we need reminding of 2019 when he scored 774 runs in just seven innings? His twin tons at Edgbaston won Australia that Test match and he ground England down with a double hundred at Old Trafford. Sure, he was comparatively quiet in 2021/22 but underestimate Smith at your peril.
England captain Ben Stokes [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]
Ben Stokes
5,712 runs at 65.92 (12 centuries, 28 half-centuries), 194 wickets at 32.10
The members of the Australian squad who were present at Headingley in 2019 will still be having nightmares about Stokes. Now England's captain fantastic, he has overseen a red-ball revolution and at his best is a triple threat on the field. He's confident he can bowl and said on the eve of the series: "Am I able to give 100 per cent? I give 100 per cent of all I've got at the time."
Jonny Bairstow
5,482 runs at 37.04 (12 centuries, 23 half-centuries)
With Ben Foakes not selected and Australia's Alex Carey still in the early stages of his Test career, it has to be Bairstow with the gloves. He enjoyed a golden summer in 2022, scoring 681 runs at 75.66 in six matches, including four centuries. India and New Zealand were both on the receiving of blockbuster Bairstow performances and England will be hoping he adds Australia's bowling attack to his list of victims.
Stuart Broad
3,584 runs at 18.19 (1 century, 13 half-centuries), 582 wickets at 27.65
Broad is an Ashes veteran, having played no fewer than 35 Tests against Australia. He's had no shortage of success either, taking 131 wickets at 29.05, including a very memorable 8 for 15 at Trent Bridge in 2015. And then of course, there's the small matter of his battle with Warner, whom he terrorized during the 2019 Ashes. As for his batting, his 'Nighthawk' persona does the talking.
Stuart Broad [Gareth Copley/Getty Images]
Pat Cummins
217 wickets at 21.50
Pat Cummins is now Australia's captain as well as their premier fast bowler and he has had successes in England before. He was the leading wicket-taker in the 2019 Ashes, picking up 29 wickets at 19.62.
Nathan Lyon
487 wickets at 31.03
Ollie Robinson and Scott Boland both came very close to making the cut but for the sake of balance and including a frontline spinner in the attack, Australia's Nathan Lyon gets the nod. His record of 487 wickets with an economy of 2.92 speaks for itself while in 2019, he took 20 wickets and bowled a whopping 242.3 overs.
James Anderson
685 wickets at 25.44
Does this really need explaining? In what might be his last Ashes series (at home at least), Jimmy Anderson will be hoping for a win over the Australians after missing the majority of the 2019 Ashes. Since then, he has averaged 21.05 with the ball while in the McCullum-Stokes era, he has picked up 45 wickets at 17.62 in 10 matches. A player getting better with age.
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