Ashes “too close to call” says former England batsman Martyn Moxon

“I think it’s 50-50, personally,” he said. “I think it could go either way.

"I think England's batting line-up, if it fires, is explosive. It's exciting, and it could put Australia under a lot of pressure, particularly in that first Test with Hazlewood and Cummins missing (through injury).

“England could take advantage of that, if they play to their capabilities, but you never know.

“When they come off, they're absolutely brilliant and can beat anybody in the world in any conditions, but you can’t really gauge it.

“Australia’s batting line-up has struggled at times, but they've still got some very good players. On paper, they've got a more experienced bowling line-up, but they've got two massive bowlers missing in Hazlewood and Cummins.

“So, I think England have got a chance, they've definitely got a chance of winning the Ashes, but I think it’s 50-50 and anything could happen.”

Moxon, who played one Ashes Test at Trent Bridge in 1989, along with the Bicentennial Test at Sydney the previous year, among his 10 Test appearances, feels that England’s positivity could work in their favour.

Bazball is certainly capable of producing great things, as has already been seen, but it has also been exposed when things have gone wrong, as it did at times during the 2023 Ashes.

“England could go out and smash 600, 700, but then they could get all out for 120,” added Moxon. “But, when you look down the batting line-up, it’s very exciting.

“Up front, Crawley and Duckett are both capable of scoring big runs. You’ve got Pope at three, Rooty at four, Brook at five, Stokes at six, and Smith at seven - wow. On paper, that’s a very exciting top-seven.

“If they all click, they're going to score plenty of runs, particularly with Australia’s bowling line-up not at full strength.”

Moxon’s biggest fear is the fitness of England’s bowlers. Jofra Archer and Mark Wood have been plagued by injuries, with England’s hopes resting on raw pace and power.

“It’s a bit fingers-crossed with injuries,” he said. “Archer - hopefully he'll be fine. He's played quite a bit of cricket lately. Obviously, there’s been a question mark with Wood, who’s had a tight hamstring.

“You’re not quite sure what’s going to happen, so I think that’s my worry from an England point of view, of how the bowlers are going to stand up to the workload of five Tests. I think that's going to be the key factor - keeping the seam bowling line-up fit and effective.”

Moxon thinks that a good start is vital. So often, England have found themselves playing catch-up Down Under.

“It's key that England start well,” he said. “If they can, whilst Hazlewood and Cummins aren’t playing, then I think they've got a really good chance, but there's lots of ifs and buts and maybes in there.

“There’s been a lot of talk about England’s preparation, or lack of it, with only one warm-up match (against the England Lions).

“With the way that the international programme is set out, it doesn’t give much time to prepare, so I do have sympathy with the players in that respect.

“There wasn’t much time between the one-day series in New Zealand and the start of the Ashes, so there’s no way they could have fitted in two or three state games.

“But I think the ‘has-beens’ (Ben Stokes’s term for some ex-players who have criticised preparation) have a point as well and are rightly worried that Mark Wood has bowled only eight match-overs since February, for example, which isn’t a lot going into an Ashes series, or any Test series for that matter.

“So, it comes back to what I said before and the various unknowns about the England bowling attack because of such factors.”

Moxon, who sits on the cricket advisory panel at Yorkshire CCC, which provides support to the coaching staff and board, feels that home advantage may not be as much of a factor as some might fear.

England have not won a series in Australia since 2010-11, losing the last three campaigns there 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0, but he believes Bazball could take home comforts out of the equation.

“That might have been the case in the past (home advantage favouring Australia), but I’m not so sure with this England team now,” he said.

“I don't think they care, to be honest, in terms of it’s Australia and it’s different conditions. I don't think it's going to matter to them, which is probably a good thing.

“It's not something that's going to be weighing on their minds, and I think they're going to take the attack to the Australians, which is how they like to play.

“As I say, if they come off, and if they click, then they're going to score plenty of runs, but we know that the way they do play sometimes can be risky.

“The one thing that is difficult is if you fall behind in Australia; if you lose a couple of Test matches, it's hard to get back.

“Australia tend to be very good once they're on top to not let it slip. Once they get on top, they don't often let you off the hook, so that good start for England could well be key.”