So it is nearly here the eagerly awaited return match between the England and the latest incarnation of the Aussie cricket team to return to these shores to contest for the sacred urn. The 13man Squad, who will be led by  captain Andrew Strauss for the first time in an Ashes series, will be trying to ensure that they return empty handed. The betting odds are currently placing England as slight underdogs. Let’s take a look at the players  who will be representing the nation in the battle ahead.

Andrew Strauss Captain- Middlesex

As a left handed opening batsman Strauss has enjoyed very much mixed fortunes playing for England. On his day he is undoubtedly one of the best batsmen in the world but he often goes out early at completely the wrong time. Having played 53 tests and scored just under 4000 runs averaging 41. Innings that has included 12 centuries and 14 fifties. He has made two centuries against the Aussies in the never to be forgotten 2005 Ashes, at Old Trafford and the Brit Oval.

Kevin Pietersen

Since bursting on the international stage Pietersen has become one of the most high profile cricketers in the world and he is considered England’s best batsman. He will heavily relied upon help England win the Ashes. Having played in 52 test matches for England, scoring nearly 4,500 runs at and averaging over 50. He has played ten tests against Australia scoring nearly a thousand runs at an average of 53.50. He has also scored two Ashes centuries.

Paul Collingwood – Durham

Collingwood will be competing in his third Ashes series and has played in 39 Tests. He has one appearance in the excellent Ashes winning team of 2005, and was one of the few lights in the disastrous whitewash Ashes 2006/7 tour. He has scored 2,689 runs at good average of 42, which also includes six centuries, one of them a double hundred, made on the first test of the Ashes 2006/7 tour. He can also take a turn at bowling with useful figures 14 wickets for 49 runs each.

Matt Prior – Sussex

The first choice England wicket keeper has often come in for much justified criticism for his performances behind the stumps, but this is balanced by his excellence as a batsman having a test average of just under 50. Prior could turn out to be the key men for the squad.

Alastair Cook – Essex

England’s opening batsman and vice-captain with a current batting ranking of an impressive 8th in the world. First selected for England’s test team, in March 2006 against India and scoring an excellent 60 in the first innings and a 104 not out in the second innings. He has played 34 tests and has an average of just over 42 runs, including seven centuries with one of them against Australia in the third test of the 200/7 Ashes tour.

Ian Bell – Warwickshire

Bell is a considered to be very talented batsman batting at middle order but has also frequently opened. He has established himself in the England team for the past five years and has amassed just under 3000 runs averaging  42.36.  A recent dip in form  has led to his place being challenged by Ravi Bopara. He has often been criticised for making the fifties but not enough hundreds, especially when playing the Aussies.He has not yet scored a ton against them.

Andrew Flintoff – Lancashire

Freddie is probably the best known cricketer in England, if not the world, and he has  certainly captured the imagination of cricket and non cricket fans alike. When fully fit he is generally regarded as the best all-rounder anywhere. His combination of big hitting and aggressive fast bowling, have made him the one the Australian  cricket team fear most. His Test debut was in 1998 against South Africa and he has played a total of 70 Tests. This would undoubtedly have been more but for persistent foot injury that has dogged his career. He has scored 3,494 runs at an averaging  32, which  including 5 centuries and 24 Fifties. He has also taken 206 wickets at an average of 32 a piece. A true star of the cricket world.

Ravi Bopara – Essex

This will be the young  Bopara’s first Ashes series having now made the breakthrough into the Test match squad. He is a massively talented all rounder and  big star in the making. Here’s hoping that he establishes himself in the team. He has played in six Test Matches to date scoring  three centuries already – all against the West Indies. The 2009 Ashes could be the stage he has been waiting for.

James Anderson – Lancashire

This strong right arm quick bowler has been a Test match regular since 2003.Having  played a total of 29 Tests and taken 104 wickets at an average of 34.51. He has made huge strides forward over the last couple of years, especially  with his run saving deliveries. He seems to have lost his tendency to bowl at least one loose ball per over. He has taken five wickets in an innings on five different occasions.

Stuart Broad – Nottinghamshire

Son of former Test opener, Chris Broad, a fast bowler who made his Test debut against Sri Lanka in December 2007. In a relatively short time he has taken 24 wickets at an average of over 40. Additionally he is  a very useful lower order batsman and has already scored 272 runs at an average of over 37. Broad has  a best score of 76. England expects great things are of him in his first Ashes series.

Graeme Swann – Nottinghamshire

Now England’s first choice spinner, he made his test debut in 2008 and to date although Swann has  played just seven tests and has taken 34 wickets-  just over 26 wicket simply incredible figures. He has also mad a good contribution with the bat  making 105 runs at an average of 35. A popular player  with both the team and the fans and he could be game maker in the 2009 Ashes..

Monty Panesar – Northamptonshire

Monty received his first England cap  in 2006 and has been England’s main spin bowler ever since. He has proved popular with the English supporters and has not disappointed .He has taken  114 wickets in 33 Tests at an average of just over 31. He has also taken ten wickets in one match and five wickets on no less than eight occasions. This wills Monty’s  second Ashes series having also been part of the disastrous 2006/7 Ashes tour.

Graham Onions – Durham

Graham Onions was the country’s leading wicket taker this year, He made a sensational test debut against the West Indies taking five wickets in the first innings and a further two in the second. Another one to watch who could make a real difference to the England team in the Ashes series 2009.

With the latest round of one of the worlds most bitterly fought contests in the sporting calendar about to commence – I mean of course the 2009 Ashes Test Series between England and Australia, it is but right that we should look back to past clashes between these two mighty adversaries in cricket to learn where the history of the enmity between these two sides originated.

The Ashes Test Series dates back to 1882-83, when the then national sides of Australia and England played a game at the Oval which in 1882 England lost. It originated from a newspaper article stating that English cricket had died and its body would be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia. Hence the 1882-83 series in Australia was considered to be the first Ashes series as the England team went on a vengeful quest to regain the Ashes. This they duly did and upon winning, England were presented with a small urn with the ashes of an unknown object – often stated to be a bail – the original is now in the museum at Lord’s. A replica is given to the winning captain of each Ashes Test series.

England dominated all of the early Ashes series winning 11 of the first 12 Test’s Australia’s first win came in the ninth series – in 1891/92 in Australia. They have since become more successful. Of the 64 completed series, Australia has won 31 to England’s 28 (with five drawn ) In the recent era Australia has become the dominant cricket team defeating England in nine of ten Ashes Tests.

What England cricket fan can forget the glorious 2005 Ashes Test when English cricket dominated the sports news and Michael Vaughan lifted the fabled urn. The series is destined to go down in history alongside along with three other Ashes series – Botham’s Ashes, the Invincibles and of course the Bodyline Series.

The 1981 Ashes Test more commonly known as Botham’s Ashes this was because of the heroic efforts of Sir Ian Botham. ( aka Beefy). He was commonly acknowledged the best player of the series, Ian Botham – or Beefy, turned the Ashes around. After one drawn game and one loss, England were heading for yet another defeat by the old enemy as they were made to follow on at Headingley. A huge 149 not out from Beefy, followed by an impressive eight wicket haul by Bob Willis, turned the tied in England’s favour. Inspired by that win, England won further games and drew the last match to win the series 3-1. In all three of England’s games in the 1981 Tests Sir Ian Botham was namedrightly man of the match.

The 1932-33 Ashes tour of Australia is one that has gone down as a black time in the annals of cricket history.The English cricket team were so worried by the batting skills of a certain Sir Donald Bradman that the bowlers set out to intentionally injure Bradman – and the other Aussie batsmen, hoping to force them to give away their wicket easily or even to retire hurt. The infamous Bodyline tests.

If you were to choose the best ever test side, the 1948 Australian cricket team arriving England led by Don Bradman would be a strong contender. It contained such cricketing greats as Sid Barnes, Ray Lindwall and Lindsay Hassett Known as the Invincibles they were the first Test match side to go undefeated for an entire tour, a total of 31 matches. This Ashes series saw “The Don” play his last ever Test match. As he went out to bat for the final time at the Oval, he was awarded a standing ovation. He needed just four runs to record a staggering career average of 100, unfortunately Bradman was bowled second ball without scoring a run and leaving his average stuck on 99.94 – still a fantastic feat.

The current Ashes series are five games long, having varied between six and seven, and been as low as a three-match series. The 2009 Ashes series will be the five-Test format and will start at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff- which will be the first ever Test match played there as England captained by Andrew Strauss look to make it two from two on home soil.

Ashes 2009 Test Series

1st Test: Wednesday 8 July – Sunday 12 July (Cardiff)

2nd Test: Thursday 16 July – Monday 20 July (Lords)

3rd Test: Thursday 30 July – Monday 3 August (Edgbaston)

4th Test: Friday 7 August – Tuesday 11 August (Headingley)

5th Test: Thursday 20 August – Monday 24 August (The Oval)

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