The Ashes 2023: England vs Australia – 2nd Test Preview and Updates

Cricket

Following a thrilling finish in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, England will host Australia for the second Test at The Lords in London from June 28th to July 2nd. Australia took a 1-0 lead in the series with a two-wicket victory in the first Test, thanks to a 55-run partnership for the ninth wicket between skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.

Ben Stokes, who batted first, made a brave decision to declare the innings on 393 for the loss of eight wickets. Joe Root hit his 30th century, and Jonny Bairstow added 78 runs in his comeback innings to help England to a total of 393. In response, Australia’s in-form opener Usman Khwaja scored 141 runs to take the total to 386. With a 7-run lead, England went the Bazzball route, scoring 273 runs in the second innings. Nathan Lyon took four wickets in each inning of the test.

The Australian middle order collapsed to the English bowling attack after a 61-run partnership. Khwaja made headlines yet again in the second innings, scoring 65 runs. Australia was once reduced to 227 for the loss of eight wickets. Cummins and Khwaja then held their wickets until the end of the Test to secure a remarkable two-wicket victory.

When it comes to recent victories at The Lords, both teams have shared equal figures. The last Test between the two ended in a draw at Lords. While Australia’s Steve Smith scored 92 runs in the first innings, England was saved by Ben Stokes’ century in the second. Both teams have two victories in the last five Tests at Lord’s.

The 2nd Test between England vs Australia will take place on June 28th, 2023 at the Lord’s, London.

Match Details to Note

Match: England vs Australia, 2nd Test, The Ashes 2023

Date: June 28, 2023 (Wednesday)

Time: 3:30 PM IST

Venue: Lord’s, London

The Ashes 2023: England vs Australia

England (Match Odds – 2.10):

Preview:

Despite losing at Edgbaston, England had the upper hand on Australia in the majority of the sessions. Even captain Ben Stokes stated that they will continue to play fearless Bazzball to put the Aussies under pressure. England’s openers will be Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley. Crawley scored a half-century in the first innings, while Ducket failed to add the required runs. Duckett scored 182 runs against Ireland in the last Test at Lords. Ollie Pope, who scored 205 runs in his last innings at Lord’s, will remain in England’s top order.

Joe Root’s century in the first innings has raised eyebrows. Root scored his 30th century by playing some dangerous reverse scoops that were unnatural to his style, demonstrating that the elegance has now shaken hands with some fearless cricket. Root will be England’s top batter in the second Test. With 5 centuries and 6 half-centuries, he has 1680 runs in 35 innings at an average of 52.50. Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, and Jonny Bairstow will bolster England’s middle order. Bairstow scored 78 runs on his comeback, which changed the game’s equation in the first Test. Aside from that, his five catches behind the stumps dispelled any doubts about his fitness.

With Olie Robinson, James Anderson and Stuart Broad will lead England’s bowling attack. At Lords, the pair has 225 wickets at an average of just over 25. Broad took six wickets in the first innings to put Australia in jeopardy. He has also run 950 times on the same track. England’s spin option will be Moeen Ali. Ali made his comeback in the first test, taking three wickets.

Full Squad:

Ben Stokes (captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Players to watch out for:

Joe Root

Only Alastair Cook has more Test centuries than the former England captain, Joe Root. All Australian bowlers want to take right-handed Root’s wicket.

Ben Stokes

The skipper scored 43 runs in the second innings with the bat and took a wicket in both innings at Edgbaston. Fitness concerns about his knee appear to be unfounded ahead of the Second Test of the Ashes 2023.

Stuart Broad

The tall, aggressive pace bowler took three wickets in the first innings of the First Test, including dismissing Marnus Labuschagne for a golden duck.

Possible Playing XI:

Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson

Australia (Match Odds – 1.75):

Preview:

Australia will continue to use two left-handed openers. Fortunately, Khwaja has been on a tear with the bat over the last year. In his last five innings, he has two centuries and a fifty. In the first Test, Khwaja smashed 206 runs. However, the same cannot be said for his partner, David Warner, who has only scored 125 runs in the last 8 innings. Marnus Labuschagne did not add runs in the first Test, but he remains a threat to the English side.

The top batter for Australia will be Steve Smith. Despite scoring only 22 runs in the first Test, Smith has an incredible record at Lord’s. Here, the top-order batter has a double century to his name. Travis Head and Cameroon Green will serve as anchors in the middle order. Head made a fifty in the first innings.

In the first test, Australia went with Cummins, Hazelewood, and Boland. Cummins took four wickets in the second innings and also batted first in the chase. Nathan Lyon’s significance to Australia cannot be expressed in words. In the first game, the spinner took 8 wickets. This will be his 100th game without missing a beat in his career. In the last 22 Tests, he has taken 76 wickets. Mitchell STarc could replace Scott Boland in the second Test.

Full Squad:

Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vice-captain), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

Players to watch out for:

Usman Khawaja

At Edgbaston, the experienced opener scored 141 and 65. His Test average has risen to 48.10 from 109 innings ahead of the Lord’s Test.

Pat Cummins

England’s skipper went wicketless and did not bowl a maiden in the first innings, but he made up for it by taking four wickets in the second innings and seeing his team home with the bat. He’ll enjoy the surroundings at Lord’s.

Nathan Lyon

Regardless of the venue, the off-spinner continues to cause problems for England. He was even at the crease for the winning runs in Edgbaston, which he will have relished.

Possible Playing XI:

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland

England vs Australia Head-to-Head

The victory at Edgbaston extends Australia’s unbeaten streak in Ashes Tests to six matches. Australia has won two of the last three Ashes Tests in England.

England vs Australia Head-to-Head Stats in Tests

	Matches Played	ENG Won	AUS Won	Tie	NR
Overall	357	110	151	0	96
Last 5	5	0	4	0	1

England vs Australia Toss Prediction

The results of 144 tests have favoured teams defending the target. The team defending the target has won 51 times, while the team chasing has won 42 times. The team that wins the toss bats first. The Lords’ average first-inning score is 309.

England vs Australia Pitch Report

The Lords in London will host the second Ashes Test. The match will begin at 3:30 p.m. on the 28th of June. The stadium can hold 30000 spectators and has hosted 144 Tests, 84 ODIs, and 11 T20Is. Both teams have won two of the last five games played here.

The sky will be mostly cloudy. The temperature will range between 13 and 26 degrees Fahrenheit. The wind will be blowing at 8-12 km/h from the west. On the second day, rain is forecast. The Lords Cricket Ground pitch is well-known for its traditional characteristics and is often thought to be beneficial to both batsmen and bowlers. It is beneficial to both fast bowlers and spinners. The Lords pitch tends to offer some turn for spinners as the game progresses.

England vs Australia Prediction

The first Ashes Test was enjoyed by all cricket fans, and both teams will feel they can take positives from the match. The visitors can point to their victory as the ultimate success because England took the initiative and was not afraid of Australia. We expect another close game, but we believe Australia’s key batters will score more runs this time. Australia will win, in our opinion. Check out the odds at Cricbaba!

Australia is the favourite to beat England at the odds of 1.75.

England vs Australia Most Recommended Player for Bet:

Usman Khawaja maintained his outstanding record in Test cricket since his recall in the previous Ashes series in Birmingham. Our pick for Australia’s leading run scorer in this game is the left-hander.

—–>Click here for more details of your betting odds<—–