The Ashes are the pinnacle of Test cricket for any England player, and if we can follow up our World Cup victory by winning back the urn from Australia it would represent one of the greatest summers for the sport in this country.
It would be quite an English thing to say we need to come down from the extreme high of that day at Lord’s, however. Everyone in the squad would do anything to experience it all again but what we can do is harness the feelings and confidence it gave us, not try to suppress them.
Thinking back to the end of the last Ashes series, when Australia celebrated on the outfield of the Sydney Cricket Ground with those oversized hands on the podium rubbing in the 4-0 scoreline, it was obviously a very difficult time. Quite upsetting, really.
But those are the moments as cricketers when you make a pledge to yourself that next time around it will be different. From my point of view, it would be great to send Australia home from nearly six months in the country with nothing to show for it.
Starting this series at Edgbaston – for me the best ground in the country for home support, and probably the toughest for a visiting team – is a big plus. It was only a couple of weeks ago that we beat Australia convincingly in that World Cup semi-final. That match will be in their minds and the plan is to hit them hard again.
But clearly this only goes so far. Test cricket is a different ball game and we respect our opponents. It will be my third Ashes but I expect this one to be a bit different in terms of on-field relations. It’s well known that I have personally received some abuse in the past but Australia are actually quite nice to play against these days.
They decided to make a positive change to their cricket after the ball‑tampering thing blew up in South Africa last year and credit must go to Justin Langer, their head coach, and their two captains, Tim Paine and Aaron Finch, because they have turned it around in the space of 18 months.
As a team we tend to focus mainly on ourselves, however. And in an Ashes series the best approach as a player is to not get caught up in feeling pressure for your position but to think only about the greater cause. How can I contribute? It could be a single moment, like a blinding catch or a run out. Think only of the team’s needs.
As an all-rounder I can affect every innings of the game but in all honesty I know my batting has been a problem of late. Given I’ll probably be coming in at No 8, my primary role is with the ball and since returning to the side last summer against India my record has been strong in this department.
I have accepted this for a while, the ball has been coming out nicely and in Test cricket the wickets have followed. But I would be lying if I thought the attention was on this, because even though I am not on social media these days, I am aware of the criticism of my batting in recent times.
I have always been a player whose form goes up and down but at the moment I feel my batting confidence is at its lowest. Negative comments can affect you and they probably have. I know I play some horrendous shots at times but, when I do, I feel I attract more stick for it than others.
I have batted everywhere in the England team and it has probably caught up with me. It’s not easy for a player who considers him or herself to be a proper batter to then adjust down the order. Put anyone there and the scores won’t necessarily come. You can lose a bit of love for it, too.
But after the Ireland Test I decided to consult some of my most trusted advisers: my dad, Munir, my brother, Kadeer, and Paul Farbrace, who was the England assistant coach up until recently. I have had a little reset and the plan is to go out there and simply enjoy my batting again – to not get consumed by negative thoughts and try to play with more freedom than I have.
The fact is, my bowling is why I am in the Test team right now and on form, rightly so. Runs are important, don’t get me wrong, but it will be wickets that I will be judged on.
But again it comes back to how you can contribute to the cause in any way possible and that is to win back those Ashes – to make 2019 a famous double-winning year.
