Ashes 2017 the ultimate test for Joe Root and England

Sept.25 - England have several questions facing them ahead of the defence of the Ashes in Australia. England won their first two series of the summers under the captaincy of Joe Root, defeating South Africa and the West Indies on home soil. Although Root's men triumphed over the two outfits, the success did not come without flaws in their performances, especially the batting.

There are still a number of positions in the side that need to be clarified ahead of the first Test of the Ashes at Brisbane. Despite the flaws in their side, Root's men will still travel to Australia with confidence and are well worth a free punt as far as retaining the urn is concerned, given that they start the series as underdogs.

Lets look at the positions that are up for grabs in the line-up and that could lead to England's success or their downfall Down Under.

Openers

England have had issues at the spot alongside Alastair Cook since the retirement of Andrew Strauss. Eleven men had come and gone from the position since Strauss ended his tenure in the game in 2012. Mark Stoneman is the man in possession, although he was far from convincing against the West Indies in his three matches.

The 30-year-old scored 120 runs in his five innings, making just one knock over fifty. He did guide the Three Lions over the line in the final match of the series, scoring an unbeaten 40. Stoneman may have done enough to secure his place alongside Cook for the start of the Ashes.

However, Keaton Jennings will have felt aggrieved. The Durham batsman was the man in possession at the start of the summer for the series against South Africa. The 25-year-old scored just 127 runs in his eight innings against the Proteas, struggling immensely to cope with the quality of their attack.

Vernon Philander gave him a torrid time early in the innings, although the South Africa pace bowler is capable of troubling even the world’s best at the crease. Jennings would have appreciated the opportunity to play against less-talented bowlers, but he was dropped for the Windies’ series.

He returned to the county game and failed to fire for Durham, suffering from a series of low scores in County Championship Division Two. The 25-year-old may still be on the plane to Australia, but whether he will be able to contribute should Stoneman lose his place.

Haseeb Hameed impressed against India on the sub-continent as he notched two half-centuries in six innings. However, a broken finger ended his tour and allowed Jennings to come into the fold. Hameed has struggled for Lancashire this season but has found some form towards the end of the season, only to suffer another broken finger.

There is an England Lions shadowing the senior squad around Australia – therefore he is unlikely to come into consideration. It’s Stoneman’s position to lose Down Under.

Middle Order

England have also had problems in their middle order since Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen left the set-up. Gary Ballance has had three chances to secure his place in the side but has failed to lock down his position, suffering from the same weakness that plagued his first spell in the team.

Under Root’s captaincy, he was offered the chance to play at number three. However, he failed to pass fifty in his four innings against the Proteas, while a finger injury ruled him out of contention for the final two Tests. He has not thrived on his return to Yorkshire for county action, but he could snatch a place in the squad on default.

Ballance could be on the tour because his replacement Tom Westley has failed to seize the opportunity. The 28-year-old had a bright start to his Test career, scoring a half-century in his first match against South Africa. Unfortunately for the Essex man, he was unable to sustain his form.

Westley scored 27 runs in his opening four innings against the West Indies as his suspect technique left him vulnerable to lbw decisions. He managed to score a confidence-building 44 unbeaten to guide England over the line in the third Test. That might be enough to get him on the plane, but Westley will be under extreme pressure.

Alex Hales’ impressive form in the County Championship has moved him into consideration for a place in the middle order.

He was one of the eleven men that failed to establish himself as a Test opener alongside Cook, but his pedigree in the ODI and T20 arenas has highlighted his international class.

Hales scored a double century for Nottinghamshire in their Championship clash against Derbyshire. He’s an intriguing player to consider and could offer a different dimension than the other players available.

Out of the players in the summer Dawid Malan perhaps made the most strides forward in adapting to Test level.

The 30-year-old struggled against South Africa but found his feet with a couple of half-centuries against the West Indies. His position at number five could be secure, although he will have to perform from the off at the Gabba.

Bowlers

The one area England head to Australia in a position of strength is their bowling attack. The selectors are spoilt for choice with their seamers, although James Anderson and Stuart Broad have their places secured in the side.

Anderson dispelled any notion that he was coming to end of his career as he claimed 39 wickets over the summer at an average of 14.10. The 35-year-old was at his imperious best, capitalising on favourable conditions to return to the summit of the ICC rankings.

England will need him to maintain his form Down Under where he has not always thrived, averaging 38 in Australia. This will probably be his last tour and potentially last Ashes series so he will want to go out on top against the Three Lions’ bitter rivals.

Broad was not quite at his best during the summer as he battled a heel problem. However, he always has success against Australia, including his figures of 8-15 during the last Ashes series at Trent Bridge.

The other spot alongside them is up for grabs with Chris Woakes, Toby Roland-Jones and Mark Wood vying to start at the Gabba. That is also without mentioning Steven Finn, who has made a decent claim with a strong end to the season with Middlesex.

Woakes was the man expected to start the summer Tests, but a side strain ruled him out of action, allowing Wood to come into the fold after impressing during the Champions Trophy.

However, the Durham seamer struggled for rhythm in his return to the Test side following a 22-month absence due to injury. The 27-year-old lasted just two matches before another issue sidelined him for the rest of the summer.

Roland-Jones had been on the periphery of the England squad for over a year due to his form for Middlesex. He seized his chance after Woakes and Wood were sidelined, impressing against South Africa and the Windies. The 29-year-old has surely secured his place on the plane at the very least for Australia after taking 17 wickets at an average of 19.64 in his four matches.

England have not lost a match when he has played so he has that going for him. Although he does not boast the same quality as Woakes with the bat, Roland-Jones is still more than useful at number nine. It’s going to be a tough choice for the selectors at the Gabba.

The only other decision in the ranks to make is the backup to Moeen Ali as spinner. Mason Crane edged ahead of Adil Rashid after being named in the squad for the West Indies' Tests. Rashid did very little wrong during his time in the shirt in India last year.

However, the selectors have taken a punt on the potential of Crane, despite his inferior record at first-class level. Joe Leach has a better record than both Crane and Rashid in the County Championship, but the lure of potential may swing the votes in his favour to travel Down Under.