Ashes 2019 | England’s Predicted XI for the first Test at Edgbaston

Openers

Jason Roy: Coming on the back of an outstanding World Cup, the onus is now on Jason Roy to deliver in the game’s longest format. Mind you, like several experts have pointed out, opening the batting in Test Cricket is levels ahead of opening in ODIs. Many an English player in the past has failed to translate ODI success into Test Cricket - be it Alex Hales, James Vince or Dawid Malan. Roy will indeed take confidence from the fifty he scored in the second innings against the Irish but he would need to bat four or five levels higher than that to extinguish the fiery Aussie attack.   

Rory Burns: Boasting an average a tad over 22 with just two fifties to his name, the numbers look anything but pretty for Rory Burns in Test Cricket. But coming on the back of three extraordinary county seasons, Burns would know that he indeed has earned his spot in the team. However, whether he belongs to the highest level is a different question altogether, and while he has shown moments of brilliance - like his 84 against the Windies at Bridgetown, he has never really asserted his authority in International Cricket, and he more than anyone else would know that he is running out of time.

Middle-order

Joe Root: Having chopped and changed up and down the order, skipper Joe Root is finally set to bat at No.3 in the upcoming Ashes. He is the pillar of this fragile English batting line-up, and as the stats suggest, he has been lightyears ahead of any other English batsmen in Tests in the last three years, averaging 45 - at least five more than any other English batsman. With 460 runs, Root ended the 2015 Ashes as England’s highest run-getter, and was an integral part of the series win. With England’s batting frailties exposed by West Indies and Ireland recently, the skipper will have a gargantuan job of not only accumulating the runs, but also holding the line-up together. 

Joe Denly: At 33 years of age, when it looked like all hope was lost, Joe Denly received a miraculous call-up to the Test team, based on the sheer weightage of his performances for Kent. Despite having not grasped the opportunity with both hands, being a seasoned campaigner, Denly will exactly know what is expected of him. With Moeen Ali set to face the axe, Denly will also need to shoulder the responsibility of being the go-to spinner, and while he might not be the household name that will scare the opposition, he might just turn out to be the surprise package that will catch the opposition off guard. 

Jos Buttler: Wicket-keeper, versatile batsman, outstanding limited-overs cricketer and an under-achiever in Test Cricket - this profile not only fits for Bairstow, but for Jos Buttler too. After getting dropped from the Test team in 2016, Buttler forced his way back into the team based on his colored clothing performances, and while he has played many a valuable knock, he hasn’t lit up the world on fire. In the 2015 Ashes, he averaged an abysmal 15.25, and was all but a walking wicket. But once again, the 28-year-old now has a golden opportunity to prove his credentials in Test Cricket, and this time around, his team would desperately need him to come up with the goods. 

All-Rounders

Ben Stokes:  Ben Stokes announced himself with his 120 against Australia at Perth in 2013, and he stood tall when the batsmen around him faltered. That knock almost pretty much summarizes his whole Cricketing career. Stokes missed the 2017/18 Ashes due to disciplinary action taken by the ECB, and boy wouldn’t he be itching to get back on the field this time around. There are few cricketers who enjoy taking on challenges as much as Stokes does, and having already conquered the challenge of winning England their maiden World Cup, he will now set his sights on bringing the urn back to his country.

Sam Curran: In the summer of 2018, England found an unlikely hero and a saviour in the form of young Sam Curran, who blew his opponents away with sheer charm - with match-winning efforts with the bat and game turning efforts with the ball. His approach is simple yet effective - counter-attack with the bat, and torment opponents with swing and consistency with the ball. Australia would be wary of this baby-faced assassin who can turn matches around in the blink of an eye, and come Thursday, it won’t be surprising if the 21-year-old weaves his magic wand and casts a deadly spell on the Aussies.

Wicket-Keeper

Jonny Bairstow: Sometimes, sport can be a tale of two halves, but for Jonny Bairstow, its a case of the sport being a tale of two formats. Having enhanced his reputation as a world-class limited-overs batsman, Bairstow is still visibly struggling to find his feet at the Test level, despite having played 64 Tests. He has averaged an appalling 28.76 since the start of 2018, and has exposed a major technical flaw against the ball coming into the stumps. But many a time in the past, he has proved his mettle in the longest format, and if there ever was a right time for him to spot the avatar, it is now.

Bowlers

Chris Woakes: On Monday, Steve Smith was seen preparing for the threat of Chris Woakes by hitting hours and hours of balls in the nets having his batting coach Graham Gooch simulate the bowling trajectory of the Englishman. In all honesty, there can be no better compliment to the 30-year-old, who has turned into an epitome of consistency with the new ball in his hand. Days ago, he broke Irish hearts with a six-wicket haul at Lord’s, and come Thursday, one can be sure that it won’t be past the boy from Birmingham to break Aussie hearts, just like how he did at the World Cup.

Stuart Broad: With 21 wickets in five matches, Stuart Broad ended the 2015 Ashes as the highest wicket-taker. The wounds of his venomous spell of 8/15 in the fourth Test at Nottingham in 2015 are still fresh in the minds of the Aussies, and the veteran pacer would once again step foot onto the field trying to swing the Ashes in favor of his country, perhaps for one last time.  His seven wickets in the match against Ireland almost serves as a perfect warm-up in build-up to the clash at Edgbaston, and the 33-year-old would be looking to use all of his valuable experience to torment the Aussies one more time.

James Anderson: Jimmy Anderson made his Test debut in 2003, and Australia last won an Ashes series in England in 2001. While this might seem like two completely unrelated facts, it is no coincidence, as the lightning from Lancashire has been the single biggest hurdle for Australia to cross to conquer English soil. England were sweating on his fitness after he suffered a muscle tear which subsequently ruled him out of the Ireland Test, but now, after being passed fit, the 37-year-old would be looking to hunt the Aussies, preferably as a pair alongside his partner in crime Broad.