The difference between the England squad that had played in the Ashes series 2013-14 and the England squad of now is the number of impact players that are there.
The guys playing at 6, 7 and 8 for England at the moment plays at such a brisk pace that their presence at the crease for even a couple of hours can be enough to get the team in a good position.
This was missing the last time around when the Three Lions had gone to Australia.
It was all about England’s top 4 back then. Once they were gone, the Aussies would be just blowing away the lower middle order.
And, that was the main reason, in none of the 5 test matches; England was able to put a good score on the board.
Test match Cricket is indeed a format where patience matters the most, but, counter attack is also a vital thing.
You’ve got to have players who can take the attack back to the opposition when needed.
So, it’s been pretty smart of the England selectors to give those sorts of players a go this summer.
There was a strong case of Ben Stokes not to be selected and Chris Woakes to be preferred over him as the Warwickshire all rounder had such a great last season.
And, on the other hand, the three test matches that Stokes had played the previous summer, he had a horror of a time. He was getting out on ducks.
So, to still show the faith in him, it’s a very positive decision.
And, the Durham man is repaying it now. He won England a test match against New Zealand a few weeks back and he yesterday scored a fluent fifty in the first Ashes game too in Wales.
And, not only Stokes, the likes of Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali, they all whack it in the lower order for England.