The 2015 Ashes: Five key battles

Tomorrow, the 69th Ashes series will get underway in Cardiff, which will see hosting England looking to regain the famous little urn from rivals Australia.

On home soil in 2013-14, the Aussies whitewashed the tourists 5-0, but 18 months on, it is anticipated that a much closer five-Test encounter will be played out.

With that in mind, here are the five battles that Sports Mole believes could go a long way to determining which country will be celebrating come the fifth Test at The Oval late next month.

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When the Aussies last toured England two years ago, the captains found themselves in very different positions. While England skipper Cook was perhaps regarded as a little negative tactically, he was at least producing results, while his opposite number Clarke was overseeing a particularly dark period for Australian cricket.

Yet, to innovative Clarke's credit, the mood is now very different. He brings his side to England having recently won the World Cup and had success in the Caribbean. In contrast, it seemed for a while that Cook's position as captain was hanging by a thread. He survived - helped by runs against the West Indies and New Zealand - but much of the pressure will be on the Essex batsman this time around.

Thanks to the likes of Clarke and Kiwi Brendon McCullum, the approach towards Test cricket is changing. Of course, there is still a need for patience at times, but more and more often we are seeing quick runs being scored and attacking fields put into place. The belief is that Cook will need to follow suit if his side are to stand any chance of winning through.

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Root has done his best in recent days to play down this battle, but the fact is that the form of these two batsmen could well decide the winner of this series. After all, along with New Zealand's Kane Williamson, these two represent the new breed of batsmen, who are capable of scoring runs freely in all three formats of the game.

Over the last 18 months, Australia's Smith averages 93.43, while Root has mustered 82.37 during the same period. The captains-in-waiting can both produce aggressive cricket and they also have the potential to make Test-winning contributions.

Perhaps the one difference in recent form is that Smith has scored runs against virtually everyone that he has faced, whereas Root must believe that he has unfinished business against Australia after the miserable 2013-14 tour. His Ashes century at Lord's in 2013 aside, the Yorkshireman has not enjoyed facing the Aussies.

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In the last 15 years, just two wicketkeepers have taken at least six catches on their Test debuts - Buttler and Haddin. Yet, as far as Test experience goes, these two are poles apart. Haddin heads into this Ashes with 65 Test appearances under his belt, with England's Buttler some 57 outings short of that.

Of course, ensuring that the ball sticks in their gloves will be vital, but what they produce with the bat will also be crucial. Buttler may be a Test novice, yet he still averages 52.66. A century has so far eluded him - his top score was an 85 on debut against India - although his swashbuckling approach to batting has been widely praised.

As for Haddin, he may have had his critics down the years, but he does tend to enjoy facing the English. His 29 catches during the 2013 series was a record, while the seasoned campaigner also produced a string of useful knocks as the Aussies won the urn back last time out.

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With the clamour for Adil Rashid's inclusion growing, the pressure will be on Ali to produce the goods in England's spin department. He may have had a hard time of it of late, but the all-rounder showed against India last summer that he is capable of taking wickets - big ones as well.

But, while Ali is still perfecting his technique - learning on the job if you will, Lyon is much more experienced. Off-spinners tend to prefer bowling to left-handers, which England's likely top three of Cook, Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance all are. Like former England bowler Graeme Swann, Lyon often relies on flight, drift and altering lengths. Swann had plenty of success on English wickets, so there is no reason to suggest that Lyon cannot follow suit.

There is room for Ali to be confident, though, and that comes in the form of the bat. Lyon averages just 15.07 from his 41 Tests, but Ali has already shown that big scores are not beyond him, highlighted by his unbeaten 108 against Sri Lanka 13 months ago.

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It would be fair to assume that these two fast-bowlers will not be sharing a beer after each Test. While they probably respect each other's ability to take wickets, the sledging between the pair in recent Ashes series has suggested that on a personal level, neither man is the biggest fan of the other.

In English conditions, there have been few bowlers that have been able to make the Duke ball dance like Anderson, particularly in overcast conditions. With Stuart Broad prone to injuries and the combination of Mark Wood and Ben Stokes still relatively fresh on the international scene, much will be riding on the 32-year-old's shoulders.

As for Johnson, he has had mixed fortunes against England. However, he banished many of the demons during the 2013-14 series by taking 37 wickets at an average of 13.97 - 15 more than any other bowler. At the age of 33, this is arguably Johnson's last Ashes series, so there is little doubt that having previously suffered at the hands of the boisterous 'Barmy Army', he will be determined to go out in a blaze of glory.