The Ashes 2015: 10 Reasons to Be Excited About the England vs. Australia Series

The start of the Ashes is just a few days away, and anticipation is building ahead of England’s Test series against Australia.

It is sure to be a tough series between two closely matched teams. Therefore, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the upcoming matches.

With five Tests stretching across the rest of the summer, before a Twenty20 International and five one-day internationals, there should be plenty of entertainment.

Here are 10 reasons to be excited about the Ashes.

They have been playing each other since 1877; thus, England and Australia have the longest and biggest rivalry in the sport.

This means that both teams always raise their games when they face their oldest enemy. It makes for some thrilling cricket.

The 5-0 whitewash inflicted on England by the Australians last time out will give both sides incentive to perform.

England will not want to be demolished in such a way again, desperate to win out, while Australia will see this as a great chance to prove their dominance once again. 

It is hard to believe that the momentous and thrilling 2005 series was a full decade ago. That is reason enough to follow this latest edition with interest.

Perhaps it will be as good as that year’s series, and that surely is another good reason to be interested in the five Tests.

In their recent Test series against New Zealand, the England team appeared to be somewhere close to their best, albeit with some issues still remaining.

They will definitely fancy another victory over the Baggy Green, especially with a squad filled with talented players. 

Meanwhile, Australia looked in even better touch against the West Indies in their most recent series as they won easily 2-0.

With a very experienced squad at their disposal, they will be determined to hold onto the urn. 

In the 2013-14 Ashes, Mitchell Johnson ran riot for Australia as he took 37 wickets at an average of 13.97.

He left the England batsmen shell-shocked and bereft of confidence. It will be interesting to see if he can do it again. 

In the 2010-11 series Down Under, England opener and now captain Alastair Cook was in brilliant form as he scored 766 runs in five games at an average of 127.66.

If he can recapture even a modicum of that form, he will give his side a real boost, especially against this strong Australian bowling attack. 

It promises to be an interesting beginning for new England coach Trevor Bayliss, who takes charge of his first Test series for his new international team.

He has said he will tell his side to be aggressive, and it remains to be seen whether it will be effective. 

Australia vice-captain Steven Smith comes into this game in strong form in international cricket, having made 199 against the West Indies in Kingston last month.

He appears to be flourishing in the No. 3 position in the batting order. He will find it is a crucial position in England against the swinging ball.

He is quickly becoming a superstar performer for England. Joe Root will be determined to keep up his high standards against Australia.

He's seemingly settled at No. 5 in the batting order, having been shunted up and down, and while he did not manage a century against New Zealand, he looked very good indeed.