Len Hutton believed any England team visiting Australia had to be 25 per cent better than their opponents to stand a chance.
The conditions and the heat, he felt, were loaded against visitors from damper climes and he had no time for the local umpires.
Several decades on, Hutton’s back-of-a-card calculation still rings true and it is a reminder of the challenge that awaits Joe Root and his team as they seek to regain the Ashes they lost four years ago.
Joe Root and his team will be looking to regain the Ashes they lost four years ago
Jos Buttler will be under pressure to deliver in the absence of Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali
Since the Second World War, England have won only five series Down Under, and one — the 5-1 victory under Mike Brearley in 1978-79 — was assisted by Australian defections to Kerry Packer.
But the Bodyline win of 1932-33, built on Harold Larwood’s intimidatory pace, underlined a truth Hutton bore in mind: in Australia, pace wins matches.
In 1954-55, he had Frank Tyson at his disposal and won 3-1. In 1970-71, Ray Illingworth could call on John Snow, and won 2-0. In 2010-11, Andrew Strauss had Jimmy Anderson and won three Tests by an innings.
It’s why England had hoped to hit Tim Paine and Co with the speed of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood and Olly Stone. But only Wood is fit enough to go and he has played more than two Tests in a series only once. That will leave Root relying on a battery of right-arm fast-medium seamers, with Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes and Craig Overton set to join Stuart Broad and Anderson.
There is the added complication of whether to play both veterans in the same games. Anderson’s seven Test wickets at Brisbane’s Gabba, venue for the first Test, have cost 75 each, while Broad’s six at Adelaide, which is set to host the second, have cost 47.
Either way, with no Ben Stokes or Moeen Ali to provide all-round balance, Woakes may have to bat as high as No 7 if England are to find room for a spinner.
