Arch-rivals poised for Ashes showdown

● Few series between the old rivals have witnessed such troubled preparations, with the tour threatened early on over Australia’s tough quarantine rules.

Brisbane (Australia), Dec. 6: After a build-up overshadowed by controversies and Covid, Australia and England’s hotly anticipated five-Test Ashes showdown gets under way Wednesday in Brisbane with Joe Root’s men confident of defying recent history to cause an upset.

Few series between the old rivals have witnessed such troubled preparations, with the tour threatened early on over Australia’s tough Covid-19 quarantine rules.

With that hurdle cleared, the hosts were rocked by a text-message scandal that led to the downfall of skipper Tim Paine, while English cricket has been engulfed in claims of institutional racism.

Throw in torrential rain that severely derailed both teams’ warm-up games, and it has been memorable for all the wrong reasons before a ball is even bowled.

The poor weather could yet cause more problems. Showers are forecast for the opening Test at Brisbane’s Gabba, where the deck looks set to favour the seamers given the recent deluges.

England haven’t won a

Test at the ground since 1986 and have only come out on top there four times — twice in the 1930s, once against the Kerry Packerweakened 1978-79 Australians and 35 years ago during Ian Botham’s heyday.

But they do have hope after India pulled off an upset three-wicket win at the Gabba in January, snapping Australia’s undefeated red-ball streak in the Queensland capital that stretched back to 1988. And despite England losing nine of their last 10 Tests in Australia, veteran fast bowler Jimmy Anderson says his team have a real chance.

“We believe we have got a group of players who can win,” said the 39-yearold, England’s leading wicket-taker when they won the Ashes in Australia the last time, back in 2010-11.

England have since been on the end of two series whitewashes in Australia.