"I’ll now go 4-0 to the tourists" - David Lloyd makes U-turn on earlier prediction, earmarks England to reclaim the Ashes

Former England player David Lloyd has made a U-turn on his prediction about the upcoming Ashes series. Lloyd feels Ben Stokes' return has given England more than an even chance of reclaiming the urn, and they could do so by winning the series 4-0.

In one of his earlier columns, Lloyd had predicted England to get whitewashed in the Ashes series Down Under, and slammed the team selection. The cricketer-turned-commentator lamented the lack of firepower and variety in England's batting line-up.

Writing in his latest column for the Daily Mail, David Lloyd admitted he held no hopes from England the day their Ashes squad came out. However, Ben Stokes' addition means the visitors could now win the series 4-0. He wrote:

"It was all doom and gloom as far as I was concerned the day England announced their Ashes squad. Where was the fire? Where was the aggression? The pace? I couldn’t see anything other than a 5-0 Australia win."

"But things have changed. Not only have they added a fit-again Ben Stokes — and I’m told he is firing on all cylinders — but there has been a massive shifting of the goalposts. And that’s left me feeling much more optimistic. I’ll now go 4-0 to the tourists!"

Stokes will return to action in Australia following his late addition to England's Ashes squad.

The 30-year old was in doubt due to his finger injury and mental health struggles. Now, he seems fit and raring to go as England wish to reclaim the Ashes.

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"You can't block your way to success in Australia" - David Lloyd

Haseeb Hammed and Rory Burns (Image Credits: Getty)

Amid the optimism around Stokes and the bowling unit, David Lloyd still has concerns about Rory Burns and Haseeb Hameed. The 74-year old took Viv Richards' example and wants the English openers to mix defence with watchful aggression.

He wrote in this regard:

"My concern remains England’s openers. Rory Burns is still batting with a technique that no one has ever succeeded with in Test cricket, and Haseeb Hameed reminds me of a schoolboy trying to have his turn to bat. You can’t block your way to success in Australia."

"Yes, you have to defend well — one of the greatest attacking batsmen of them all, Viv Richards, had a fantastic defence — but you have to score, and I just don’t see Hameed as ‘game savvy’."

He added:

"I desperately want both openers to do well, but I have far more confidence in the rest of the team. It’s a team I can see upsetting the odds and winning the Ashes."

The first Ashes Test gets underway on Wednesday at the Gabba in Brisbane.

The visitors haven't won at the venue since 1986, and lost convincingly on two previous occasions.