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Bob Willis believes forthcoming Ashes series 'will be competitive'

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Bob Willis has called for a complete overhaul of the England team following their group stage exit at the World Cup

Sky Sports cricket expert Bob Willis is confident England will make it a 'competitive' series when they entertain the touring Australians this summer.

Willis, who played 90 Tests for England, says a number of the experienced players still have plenty to offer in the five-day format although a radical overhaul of the limited-overs party is required following a miserable World Cup campaign which ended in the knockout stages following defeat to Bangladesh.

Before the Aussies arrive, England will head to the Caribbean to take on the West Indies in a three-match Test series, while New Zealand are also in the northern hemisphere during the early part of the summer.

Clearly James Anderson will be looking forward to getting a red cricket ball in his hands again.
Bob Willis

Asked whether England's bowling attack is good enough to give the tourists a run for their money in the forthcoming Ashes Test series, Willis told Sky Sports News HQ: "In English conditions, it is going to be far more competitive than it was during the last series in Australia.

"Clearly James Anderson, who struggled desperately in the World Cup, will be looking forward to getting a red cricket ball in his hands again.

"And by the time it gets to the Ashes, he should have broken Ian Botham’s all-time English wicket-taking record, so he is still going to be a force to be reckoned with along with Stuart Broad, two seasoned Test match campaigners.

"But the rest of the bowling attack England will need to sort out quickly. They need to decide who’s going to do the pace bowling, because they have to fight fire with fire.

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"I'm very pleased Mark Wood of Durham is on the trip to the Caribbean because he’s got genuine pace. Hopefully Chris Jordan can develop in that department as well."

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Bob Willis has praised the IPL for introducing a new style of cricket which he believes made the World Cup in Australia & New Zealand a success

'Embarrassment'

But Willis, who took 325 Test wickets between 1971 and 1984, says England’s tour of the West Indies will be a far easier challenge than the one facing the team later in the year.

The 65-year-old added: "It’s difficult to remember, after the embarrassment of the World Cup, but the last time England played Test cricket they won three matches in a row against India last summer.

"They will be playing a depleted West Indies team because a couple of their players have retired from Test match cricket and others are going to be playing in the IPL – and that’s a shame that clashes with the West Indian season.

"England should easily beat the West Indies, no doubt about that. But they don’t want to kid themselves that if the batsmen come back averaging 50 or 60, they are going to be able to do the same against Australia."

Out goes the likes of Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan from the batting department, and also Anderson and Broad from the bowlers.
Bob Willis

England face 50-overs matches against newly-crowned world champions Australia and New Zealand in a busy summer schedule and Willis would like to see a new-look side take to the field for the first of those against the latter at Edgbaston on Tuesday, June 9.

"I do believe we have to have a complete clear-out. Get rid of all the senior players who let us down in Australia and New Zealand," he said.

"So out goes the likes of Ian Bell and Eoin Morgan from the batting department, and also Anderson and Broad from the bowlers.

"I want to see fresh young faces, dynamic batsman. I want to see Jason Roy from Surrey, James Vince from Hampshire, I want to see Ben Stokes in the middle order and Adil Rashid, who’s going to the Caribbean as a spin bowling all-rounder.

"Regarding pace, I want Wood to convert his form to one-day cricket. I want Jos Buttler higher in the order and I want England to really emulate the likes of Brendon McCullum at the top of the order."

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