KP, Freddie pick their key England figures

A decade after they dominated one of the greatest Ashes series ever staged, England duo Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen have outlined the keys to the home side regaining the cherished urn in 2015.

Flintoff, hero of the 2005 campaign and an Ashes winner again in 2009, was bullish about England’s prospects of winning the series, claiming he wouldn’t make his country’s Test XI. “I can’t see anything other than an England win. There is no reason I can see why England won’t win,” he told M.E.N. Sport in England.

“England are the most dangerous after they have had a bad series. They didn’t do too well in the West Indies and the World Cup was a complete shambles.

“When we hit the wall, that’s when England are at their most dangerous as they start to come back up.

Quick Single: Cardiff pitch puts Siddle in the mix

“We saw that against New Zealand. We drew the series, but I wasn’t fussed about the result, the way they played was magnificient.

“New Zealand’s approach rubbed off on England, they were the perfect team to play against.”

Quick Single: Johnson revives his secret weapon

Pietersen was more cautious in his assessment of the series, identifying a key trio who will need to perform for England if they are to reverse the humbling 2013-14 whitewash result.

“This is going to be a very tough series; Ashes series always are. But that’s not to say we can’t beat Australia, far from it in fact,” he told UK website Paddy Power.

“A great deal, however, relies on the form of the three players Australia will be most concerned about: Joe Root, Jimmy Anderson and Alastair Cook.

Quick Single: Four quicks a realistic possibility: Harris

“Last time Root played in an Ashes series (in 2013-14) he was a young guy, new to the team. Now he’s very much an established international player and someone we’ll look upon to bring the attack to the Aussies.

“‘Cooky’ will need to be at his best if we are to stand any chance, as well. We’ve seen over the years, and importantly so this summer, just what a fantastic batsman he is and if he can make a big score in Cardiff, the Aussies will certainly have cause for concern.

“An in-form Cook, batting over a great deal of time, is something Australia will be fearful of.

“If (Anderson) can take some early wickets and put the Aussies on the backfoot, it will give the boys an incredible boost. Confidence is vital and if these three guys perform, it will filter all the way through the side, which could mark the difference between winning and losing.”

Flintoff echoed the sentiment of his former teammate in terms of key English players, while also adding a pair of young guns to the mix.

“If you look at the players, we have England’s best-ever bowler in Jimmy Anderson, the best-ever batsman in Alastair Cook, we have Jos Buttler and Joe Root who are both unbelievable players,” he added.  

“I just look at the two sides, I would sooner be in the England side than the Australia side – in fact, I wouldn’t get in the England side; they have Ben Stokes now.

“He is a fine player, he is a proper batsman and his bowling will improve. He has all the ingredients, he just needs confidence with the ball.

“I think you will find all the England players grow in confidence and grow in stature throughout the summer. They are a group of people who can rise to the challenge.”