England face a daunting task to break their Ashes drought in Australia

Arch-rivals Australia and England resume Ashes hostilities on Friday in Perth with the hosts weakened by injuries but favorites to inflict more pain on a side with a terrible record Down Under.

The highly-anticipated five-Test series begins on a fast-paced, packed track at a sold-out Perth stadium and with Ben Stokes’ visitors insisting they are unfazed by previous setbacks.

It has been 15 years since England last won an away Ashes series and since then they have failed to win a Test on Australian soil, losing 13 and drawing two.

This time they put behind them a terrible 3-0 one-day defeat in New Zealand and criticism of the scheduling — just a three-day red-ball warm-up on a docile pitch.

Skipper Stokes said they were starting with a clean slate, despite their miserable record in Australia.

“They are an amazing team, especially at home, so we know the next two and a half months will be tough for us,” he said.

“All the series that have gone through, whether it’s in Australia or England, I don’t think they count for much.

There may never be a better chance to end the long winless streak with hosts Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood injured and out of at least the first Test.

Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson said their absence “starts to rewrite the whole script for the Ashes”.

“It reduces Australia’s margin for error and forces the selectors into decisions they hoped they wouldn’t have to make so early,” he added.

At least England have been spared an opening game in Brisbane, where they have won just twice since World War II.

The Gabba will host the second day-night Test before the series moves to Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.

Speed ​​over swing

England rely heavily on their own express pacer cartel led by Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Gus Atkinson, Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Josh Tongue, with Shoaib Bashir the only recognized spinner.

But it is a gamble, with Wood the only one to have tried Test cricket in Australian conditions and has barely played since knee surgery earlier this year.

Along with Scott Boland, wily paceman Mitchell Starc will shoulder the hosts’ attack with Cummins and Hazlewood out, with Nathan Lyon the spin option and seamer Brendan Doggett expected to make his debut.

Former Australia captain Greg Chappell said in a newspaper column that the Ashes will be decided by the senior fast bowling unit.

“The story is unmistakable — to win in these huge, sun-drenched arenas, you need fast bowlers who can intimidate, extract bounce and break up partnerships on pitches that reward raw speed over finesse swing,” he said.

“If England’s attack fires up and dismantles Australia’s batting order, the McCullum-Stokes master plan will see them join the list of successful England leaders in Australia.”

But he warned against England using the ultra-aggressive “Bazball” cricket favored by captain and coach Brendon McCullum.

“Their incendiary style can work on the small pitches in England on pitches that are prepared to be as flat as one-day pitches,” he said.

“But it won’t be so easy to throw caution to the wind on the bigger and more bowler-friendly pitches here.”

Concerns of the highest order

Much of England’s hopes rest on the shoulders of Joe Root and Harry Brook, who are ranked as the top two batsmen in the world.

Brook has never played a Test in Australia, while Root has failed to score a century in 27 innings Down Under where he averages 35.68, well below his career average of 51.29.

Similarly, Australia will rely on Steve Smith to be in the runs.

The 36-year-old, who will captain Perth, has plundered 18 of his 36 domestic Test tons, averaging a formidable 59.70.

“If Smith gets into a roll and starts scoring runs, it will be a challenge for England,” warned long-time former team-mate David Warner.

Australia’s vulnerability is at the top, with an aging Usman Khawaja potentially filling in with a sixth opening partner since Warner retired early last year.

The latest contender is left-armer Jake Weatherald, the top run-scorer in the Sheffield Shield last season but with no experience in the Test cauldron.