England have a depressing habit of being beaten in an away Ashes before Father Christmas has loaded his sleigh.
The series traditionally started in Brisbane, where they have not won since 1986. Recently, that has been followed by a day-night Test in Adelaide – England have one win in seven pink-ball Tests worldwide, while Australia have won 13 out of 14.
Then on to Perth, a city England have visited 14 times since 1970 and emerged victorious only once, against a Packer-ravaged Australia in 1978.
This time the first three stops on the tour are the same, only in a different order and under different circumstances.
Perth has hosted an Ashes opener before but this will be the first time it will not be at the fabled Waca – scene of many an England humbling – but the shiny new Perth Stadium. It remains a tough assignment, though one the tourists tackle with no historical baggage.
Brisbane is the venue for the second Test, the day-nighter. The last time Australia played a pink-ball Test at the Gabba, they were stunned by West Indies. Similarly, the Aussies are now unaccustomed to playing day matches at the usual day-night venue Adelaide. In the two red-ball matches played in the City of Churches since 2014, Australia lost one, to India, in 2018.
The re-jigged schedule gives England a fresh attempt at starting an away Ashes well, albeit with pitfalls.
Australia have won four of the five Tests played at Perth Stadium, though the one defeat came in the most recent match – against India last year. Every Test at the new ground has been won by the team batting first.
England often complicate day-night matches, when statistics suggest the pink ball does not perform much differently from its red counterpart.
The issue in day-night matches is batters seeing the ball under floodlights. It is therefore questionable why England are sending a Lions team to play the Prime Minister’s XI under the lights in Canberra between the first and second Tests, when the Ashes squad could be gaining valuable practice.
