24 February 2023 , 14:17
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With England enjoying a brilliant run of form under Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, former captain Nasser Hussain is already looking forward this summer's Ashes.
England are hoping to regain the urn from Australia for the first time since 2015 and Hussain believes the series is a "mouthwatering" prospect given the way Stokes and McCullum have got England playing a new positive and aggressive brand of cricket known as 'Bazball'.
And while many believe the outcome of the series will hinge on whether England's 'Bazball' approach with the bat will come off against Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, Hussain feels the Ashes will actually be "won and lost on Australia's batting".
"The Ashes is going to be mouthwatering and I think it will be close," Hussain said in his column for the Daily Mail. "People are talking about whether Bazball will work against their high-quality bowling attack.
"I think the Ashes will be won and lost on Australia's batting line-up. They have been below par away from home but if they can score runs in England, it will be pretty tight.
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"But given Australia have not won here since 2001, England's greatest challenge will be away in India. The pitches there will spin a lot more than they did in Pakistan, so will this batting style work over there and can England find enough cricket for Rehan Ahmed to progress as their second spinner?
England are hoping to regain the Ashes from Australia for the first time since 2015 (Philip Brown/Popperfoto/Popperfoto via Getty Images)"But whatever happens, it will be enjoyable to watch. England said they would win, play a different brand of cricket and make Test cricket exciting again. That is what they have done.
"You can trace it all back to those initial decisions — get [Rob] Key in, get Stokes in, get McCullum in. Together, they have changed the brand and mindset of English cricket.
"As Key said when he came in, 'Enjoy the ride'. We're all doing that and long may it continue."