WINNER: England

England were flattered by a winning margin of 143 runs against Ireland last week, with the Test minnows threatening to secure a famous win at Lord’s.

As usual it was England’s seam bowlers who got them out of trouble, with Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes putting on a masterclass in overcast conditions.

The imminent return of James Anderson and Jofra Archer from injury should mean they have enough firepower to cover for the painfully long-standing batting issues that remain.

Australia are in a similar situation, with the visitors boasting a lightning bowling attack but an untested batting order likely to struggle in English conditions.

Home advantage is likely to be the difference between the teams, with the home side winning each of the last four Ashes series.

SCORE: 3-2

There has been just one draw across the last three Ashes series and there is little to suggest that this year will be any different.

England’s warm-up against Ireland was over within three days, while Australia’s intra-squad match at Southampton did not yield an innings of more than 170 runs.

The last Ashes series in England in 2015 ended 3-2 to England and that scoreline looks a good bet once again.

England are likely to take an early lead at Edgbaston, where they have won 11 straight matches in all formats and four consecutive Tests, including an eight-wicket victory in 2015.

Australia, meanwhile, will be most dangerous in the second Test at Lord’s, where they triumphed by 405 runs four years ago, and the Oval, where they have lost just once in their last five.

TOP ENGLAND BATSMAN: Joe Root

It is impossible to look past the England captain here.

Root does not look in particularly good form after innings of two and 31 against Ireland, but his consistency should see him accumulate nicely over the five matches.

There is also a distinct lack of competition for the 28-year-old, with very England’s top three regularly failing to fire and Jonny Bairstow out of nick.

TOP AUSTRALIA BATSMAN: Steve Smith

Much like Root, Smith looked to be suffering from a World Cup hangover as he struggled to scores of seven and eight in Australia’s intra-squad warm-up.

The former captain always rises to the big occasion however, making him the obvious choice here.

A lack of form and experience elsewhere in the squad is another factor in play, with Smith clearly the visitors’ best hope for big runs.

TOP ENGLAND BOWLER: Stuart Broad

Broad’s place in the team had been brought into question by England’s newfound fast bowling options, but he provided a timely reminder of his talents with seven wickets against Ireland.

When the 33-year-old gets going there is nothing that can stop him and, with slight fitness concerns over James Anderson and Jofra Archer, he looks well-placed to top the wickets chart for England.

Anderson  and Archer  are the other obvious options here if their fitness holds up throughout the series.

TOP AUSTRALIA BOWLER: Mitchell Starc

Starc was at his brutal best throughout the World Cup as he ended the tournament with a record 27 wickets.

His record in Tests is not quite as impressive but the pace and swing he generates in English conditions is set to pose serious problems to a brittle England batting line-up.

Pat Cummins  will likely be his biggest competition here, while Peter Siddle – who has taken 34 wickets for Essex in the County Championship this summer – is an outside shot at .

PLAYER OF THE SERIES: Ben Stokes

Stokes played some of the best cricket of his career as England won the World Cup in July, rounding off his redemption story after a testing two years.

The all-rounder should return rejuvenated after being given a short break and is likely to play a big part with both bat and ball for England.

His tendency to produce match-winning performances should give him a good chance of winning player of the series, with Joe Root  the likeliest to push him close.

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