There's plenty at stake for captains

Rival skippers Alastair Cook and Michael Clarke have particular reasons for wanting to win the upcoming Ashes series that begins with the first Test in Cardiff on Wednesday.

For England skipper Cook, an Ashes series win would be the ideal reward for several difficult years which included a 5-0 whitewash reversal Down Under in 2013-14, the fallout from the international exile of Kevin Pietersen and a personal loss of form.

Meanwhile, an Ashes series win in England is one of the few outstanding achievements left for Clarke to fulfill in the course of a brilliant career, with the star batsman's three previous Test series in Britain ending in defeat.