Cook’s men must adopt a positive attitude at all times

ENGLAND’s cricketers begin their defence of the Ashes on Thursday chasing a fourth successive series victory against the old enemy.

Most bookmakers have Alastair Cook’s men as favourites, but the England captain will not be fooled by the scale of the challenge.

Although his team comfortably beat Australia last summer, winning the series in England 3-0, this will be a different kettle of fish in a country where it has always proved historically difficult for England to prevail.

Australia, galvanised by their defeat in England, and improving under a new coach in former Yorkshire batsman Darren Lehmann, are capable of springing a surprise and re-tilting the balance of Ashes supremacy.

However, Cook led England to one of their more famous – and convincing – series wins Down Under last time, when they triumphed 3-1 in 2010-11, so the task will hold no fears for his side.

Not for nothing, indeed, are England third in the International Cricket Council world rankings and Australia fifth.

But this has the makings of a hard-fought series and one that is extremely difficult to predict.

If England are to prevail for that fourth successive time, something they have not achieved since 1890, here are five key things they must do to keep their great run going...

1) Bat better

With the exception of Ian Bell, England’s batsmen were inconsistent in last summer’s series.

The Warwickshire man had a rubber to remember: 562 runs at 62.44 with three centuries in an emphatic demonstration of his class and capabilities.

Beyond Bell, however, there was nothing much to write home about. Kevin Pietersen scored 388 runs at 38.80, Joe Root 339 at 37.66, Jonathan Trott 293 at 29.33 and Alastair Cook 277 at 27.70 – not the sort of statistics guaranteed to result in a successful Ashes defence.

However, those batsmen have proven international track records – and Root a rapidly developing CV – to suggest that such figures might only be a blip.

England’s supporters should certainly not be unduly concerned, but the players themselves will recognise that better will surely be needed Down Under.

In particular, much will rest on the top three of Cook, Michael Carberry (assuming he opens the innings) and Trott to give England the sort of platforms required to post match-winning scores.

Bell cannot be expected to do it all on his own this time and success will only likely be gained through a strong collective effort.

2) Negate the threat of Mitchell Johnson

A key part of England’s bid to bat better could lie in their ability to withstand the challenge presented by Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson.

Johnson is one of those mercurial performers who is devastatingly brilliant one day and devastatingly bad the next – a sort of Australian Steve Harmison.

Like Harmison, however, Johnson can get the very best international players out at any time with his ability to bowl wicket-taking balls that can make a mockery of even the most benign batting conditions.

The word from Australia is that the 32-year-old is back to something like his best and that he might not be the figure of fun for English cricket fans that he has sometimes been in the past.

Australia captain Michael Clarke certainly thinks Johnson could be his trump card and has had no hesitation in saying so publicly.

“It wouldn’t surprise me in a couple of months’ time if you see Mitch being man-of-the-series,” Clarke declared the other day.

Whether that was his way of “bigging-up” Johnson and boosting his fragile confidence remains to be seen.

However, England certainly cannot afford to take lightly any man who has taken 205 Test wickets at 30.93.

3) Ensure support for Jimmy Anderson

It would perhaps seem strange to raise any question marks against England’s bowling attack.

After all, star man Jimmy Anderson is supported by the likes of Stuart Broad (217 Test wickets at 30.58) and Graeme Swann (248 at 28.55).

Broad matched Anderson’s tally of 22 wickets in the last Ashes series – achieved at the slightly superior average of 27.45.

And Swann was the home team’s leading wicket-taker with 26 at 29.03 as England’s bowlers were collectively too strong for the Australian top-order.

However, that top-order is now more settled and better balanced – not to mention a bit more experienced – and conditions will not suit Swann, in particular, as they did in England.

Broad is a fine bowler but, not unlike Mitchell Johnson, he can be up and down, while Chris Tremlett is a risk after his injury difficulties, Steven Finn another hot-and-cold type and Boyd Rankin generally untested.

Nor is Swann getting any younger, with the Nottinghamshire off-spinner turning 35 in March.

England’s supporters would perhaps breathe easier if Tim Bresnan was fully-fit.

The Yorkshireman might not be the side’s biggest wicket-taking threat but he balances the team and brings consistency of performance.

4) Re-create the intensity of 2010-11

When England won in Australia last time, it was their first series victory Down Under since Mike Gatting’s class of 1986-87.

An England team that had regained the Ashes in 2009 required no extra motivation to retain them on enemy soil as a generation of hurt was finally brought to an end. As in 2005, when England won the Ashes for the first time – home or away – since Gatting’s men, the history was important and an extra motivation.

The historical incentive this time is not so great – no matter how much England would love to win their fourth successive series against their old rivals.

It is imperative, therefore, that the same intensity of purpose that carried them to glory three years ago is replicated again.

England were driven to achieve success last time after the previous tour Down Under ended in the embarrassment of a 5-0 whitewash in 2006-07 – and it showed.

As the great Australian sides of the Nineties and Noughties proved, the mark of a great team is not just the ability to win but to keep on winning – time after time, year after year.

If England can display that attitude, it could go a long way to making it a winter to remember.

5) Be positive

Shane Warne threw a googly into the works the other day when he branded Alastair Cook “boring” and “negative” and said England would not retain the Ashes unless the captain changed his style.

Although it is tempting to subscribe to Stuart Broad’s theory that Warne is just a “trash talker”, the leg-spinner’s comments are not without a kernel of truth.

For if Cook is not a negative leader, then he can certainly be cautious in terms of tactics and field placings.

When England played New Zealand at Headingley last summer, for example, he held off declaring until the tourists needed a world record 468 to win – and that despite a bad weather forecast that could have scuppered his team’s hopes of victory.

Cook is unlikely to radically alter his style but perhaps even he acknowledges that he must try to be a little more proactive.

England leave no stone unturned in their attention to detail off the field, what with their 82-page culinary demands and the forensic planning of team director Andy Flower.

But where Warne is correct is that wins are not only forensically pre-planned but improvised on the pitch, depending on circumstances.

England must play positive cricket at all times.