England will host the world champions Australia in the 2023 Ashes with the aggressive “Bazball” brand

With their incredibly aggressive “Bazball” style of cricket, can England win back the Ashes, or will they falter against a seasoned Australia?

The solution will emerge over the ensuing weeks, beginning on Friday at Edgbaston with the first Test of a highly anticipated five-match series.

Since Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum joined forces as captain and coach last year, England has won 11 of its last 13 Test matches, making the rest of the world sit up and take notice.

But there are still questions about whether their all-out offensive strategy can succeed against their bitter rivals Australia, who just last week crushed India by 209 runs at The Oval to win the World Test Championship.

Stokes’ team’s alternative strategy is being questioned by Stokes’ teammates, including Steve Waugh, the last Australian captain to win an Ashes series in England back in 2001.

“Do they have a backup plan?” To the Australian media, Waugh said. They have proven they are capable of playing this style of cricket, but facing Australia’s elite bowling attack will be their true test.

Before newly appointed English cricket chief Rob Key brought McCullum and Stokes together to oversee a dynamic revamp of their long-format game dubbed “Bazball,” a reference to the moniker of former New Zealand captain McCullum, England had only won one out of 17 Test matches.

And all-rounder Stokes is adamant that he has no plans to change his strategy.

The 32-year-old told the BBC that “nothing is going to change because we’ve had unbelievable success with it.”

“Anything from the last 12 months would have been completely pointless if we were to change anything because we find ourselves in an Ashes series.”

Hit Ratio

In the past year, England has scored at a staggering rate of 4.85 runs per over.

The most successful paceman in Test cricket, James Anderson of England, added that this was also advantageous for the bowlers.

“The (bowling) run-rate is irrelevant to Ben in particular,” said Anderson.

‘I don’t care how many runs you go for, I want 20 wickets as soon as possible,’ he says. Then, as a bowler, you’re always thinking “How am I taking my next wicket?”

Stokes’ fitness is of greater urgent importance to England supporters than his ideology.

Stokes, a dynamic seamer, decided not to bowl himself during England’s recent 10-wicket victory over Ireland because of a knee issue.

As Anderson and fellow paceman Ollie Robinson are nursing minor ailments, the hosts will be hoping he can live up to his recent declaration that he is well enough to bowl.

Jack Leach, a left-arm spinner, will miss the whole Ashes series for England due to a back injury.

In his place, Moeen Ali has been called up, and even if he averages a pricey 64.65 in Ashes cricket, the off-spinner’s two-year Test retirement might come to an end at his home stadium of Edgbaston.

Ashes-holders In comparison, Australia has Nathan Lyon, a world-class off-spinner who is rapidly approaching 500 Test wickets.

The lucky Pat Cummins will get to choose whether Mitchell Starc or Josh Hazlewood join him in a fast-bowling assault that will probably also feature Scott Boland.

With his five wickets in the WTC final, Boland finished with 33 wickets in eight Tests at a pitiful average of 14.57.

Second-ranked Australia and England split the most recent Ashes series 2-2 in England in 2019 and destroyed the longtime foe 4-0 at home in 2021/22.

However, they haven’t won a series in England in 22 years, and most of their batters, with the notable exception of Steve Smith, have trouble adjusting to the English playing style.

After a first-wicket partnership of 20 or more, Australia have now gone 12 Test innings without one in England, and under pressure opener David Warner, 36, has now only scored one century in his in 34 Test innings against all opponents.

With Tests at Lord’s, Headingley, Old Trafford, and The Oval to follow the curtain-raiser in Birmingham, his conflict with his archenemy, paceman Stuart Broad, will be just one of many compelling subplots.

“Winning the Ashes (in England) is brutally difficult. It won’t be simple since it’s been 20 or so years, the 30-year-old Cummins added. “If we succeed, that will define our legacy.”