2 England likely to be without all-rounder Ben Stokes. Australia's domestic Sheffield Shield tends to open sleepily, with spring sunshine warming the few diehard fans that turn up to regional venues but auditions for coveted Ashes places have given the start of this year's tournament additional spice. Australia may be comfortable on their own pitches and confident of fending off an England side likely to be without all-rounder Ben Stokes, their most valuable player, for at least part of the five-test series. "But I think your number six as it stands is probably going to be a batsman and ideally he bowls a bit." South Australia's uncapped Alex Carey, who posted an all-time record 59 dismissals in the 2016-17 Shield season, is seen as a dark horse to dislodge the seasoned campaigners.

Source: India Today October 26, 2017 08:26 UTC