England fast bowler James Anderson maintains Australia are ‘beatable’, even though the upcoming Ashes series is down under.
The tourists have only managed four away victories against their rivals this century, losing nine of their past 10 encounters.
But, Anderson ‘believes [England] have got a great group of players who can win,’ he told the BBC’s Project Ashes podcast.
“I’m not just saying that. Quite often you do say that because you have to be positive, but we do genuinely believe we can win out here.”
England are aiming to win back the Ashes earn, which the Aussies retained in 2019 with a 2-2 draw in the UK – the series that included Ben Stokes’ Headingley heroics.
The first Test takes place on Wednesday, 8 December at 00:00 GMT in Brisbane, with the starting line-ups yet to be confirmed.
The odds are massively in favour of Australia, as England have failed to win at the Gabba since 1986.
However, India ended the home side’s 33-year unbeaten run at the ground earlier this year.
“We know they are beatable in Australia. We’ve seen teams do it,” said Anderson. “It’s not like years ago when they were such a dominant force, you would go there tentatively.
“India have won their last two tours here, South Africa have won here. It’s not an impossible task.”
England’s draw at the Gabba in 2010/11 was the catalyst for their 3-1 series win, but the Lancashire legend has also experienced two 5-0’s and a 4-0 defeat down under.
“If you lose at the Gabba, it’s a real uphill struggle from there,” he added. “When we came away from Brisbane with a draw in 2010, that set the series up for us.”
England’s all-time leading wicket taker also referred to two of his current teammates who could lead the team to victory.
Captain Joe Root, with six Test centuries already in 2021, and Ben Stokes, fresh from a hiatus, will need to dominate if Australia are to be taken down.
“We’ve got some world-class players,” Anderson said. “We’ve got the best batsman in the world and the best all-rounder in the world. We truly believe we’ve got a good chance.”
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