Stokes’ England reminding us of the mighty Aussies

England's winning run continues under Brendon McCullum's and Ben Stokes' reign. They have won the last four matches under the duo's leadership and are looking invincible at the moment.

The brand of cricket that the English team is playing reminds us of Ponting's Australia in more than one way. The aggressiveness and the hunger to win within the team is quite evident. 

Moving ahead, we will look at how the current English team is reminding us of one of the strongest teams to have graced the game. 

Team's overall scoring rate: Much like the Australian team of the 2000s, the English team is currently looking to score runs at a brisk rate.

During the 2000-10 decade, the Men in Yellow scored at a rate of 3.61 runs per over. This was way over the other teams in the same era.

In a similar manner, the English team has scored runs at a rate of 5.24 runs per over in the last four matches, which is much more than their contemporaries. Though the sample size is significantly smaller, it seems that the team will stick to the plan in the future. 

A compact middle order: A solid middle-order batting line-up is quite evident in both teams. The Australian team had the likes of Ricky Ponting, Adam Gilchrist, Andrew Symonds, and Damien Martyn in their middle order. At the same time, the current English team is powered by the presence of Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ollie Pope, and Ben Stokes in their middle order. 

Let us look at the middle-order batters' records on both teams. 

Australia in the 2000s

England in the last four matches.

The tables are evidence of the impact the middle order had on the performance of the two teams. One of the major noticeable things is that the batters have maintained a strike rate higher than their contemporaries.

Impactful batting from the lower middle-order: The Australian team in the 2000s had the presence of Adam Gilchrist, coming at number 7 in the batting order. Bairstow, in the current English team, has taken up the role that Gilchrist used to play. 

Let us make a comparison of the records of the two players. 

The sample size for Bairstow's records is minimal; hence, the stats may appear slightly skewed. However, in the case of Gilchrist, the feat of scoring more than 7% of the team runs for over a decade is more than a commendable feat. While the same stats are kept in mind for Bairstow, scoring about 24% of the team's runs shows the impact he has had in the last four matches.

Aggressive Captaincy: The skipper of the then Australian team, Ricky Ponting, is considered a revolutionary leader in the longest format of the game. He induced the mentality in his team to go for the win, whatever the condition of the match.

Along the same lines, the same style of captaincy is evident in how Stokes has led his team in the four matches. In all four games, the cricketing fraternity has witnessed England going for the kill when tasked with chasing down a formidable total in the final innings of the match. 

The hunger to win and the never give up mentality are common in both teams, the credit for which must be given to the respective leaders. 

Concerns: However, the current English team is a work in progress. The two major concerns that immediately come to mind are top-order batting concerns and the lack of a quality spinner. 

Openers: The Australian team we are talking about was graced by openers like Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer. They were mostly able to give their team some solid starts. On the other hand, the English team is struggling to get off to a get-good start.

The openers in Zack Crawley and Jack Lees are nowhere close to the legendary duo of Hayden and Langer. 

The records clearly state the gulf of difference between the two pairs.

Spinner: The Australian team had Shane Warne playing for them mainly during the period. The prime spinner for the English team has been Jack Leach in the four matches. A comparative study will give us a clear idea of the impact of the two players on their team's performance. 

The table is a clear indication of the difference in the impact the two players had on the performance of the teams. 

Conclusion: While there is a long way to go for the English team to achieve match Ponting's Australia's feats, the intent from the team is enjoyable for the fans. Time will reveal whether 'Bazball' takes England to the height of the mighty Aussies.