The Ashes 2023: England vs Australia – 1st Test Preview and Updates

Cricket

The 2023 Ashes series begins at Edgbaston on Friday morning. Ben Stokes will lead an energized England team in their quest to defeat Australia and reclaim the coveted Ashes urn, a feat that has eluded them since 2015. It’s difficult to argue that both teams are excelling in the longest format right now, making them the top two teams for English conditions.

The 1st Test between England vs Australia will take place on June 16th, 2023 at Edgbaston, Birmingham.

Match Details to Note

Match: England vs Australia, 1st Test, The Ashes 2023

Date: June 16, 2023 (Friday)

Time: 3:30 PM IST

Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham

England vs Australia

England (Match Odds – 2.00):

Preview:

England has won 11 of their last 13 Test matches since Brendon McCullum took over as coach, with only two losses coming against South Africa and New Zealand. Notably, the defeat to New Zealand was a one-run loss. England will be hoping that playing at Edgbaston in the first Test works in their favor, despite the fact that the historical strength of ‘Fortress Edgbaston’ has waned due to defeats against New Zealand in 2021 and Australia in 2019.

In honor of their current head coach, England has requested a flat pitch that suits their fast-scoring style of play, affectionately referred to as ‘Bazball’ by fans and observers. If that happens, England’s batting will be interesting to watch.

The opening batsmen, Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett, as well as Ollie Pope at number three, will be critical to the team’s success. Our batter to keep an eye on is Harry Brook. The young middle-order batter has taken the world by storm, scoring 818 runs in 11 Test innings at an average of 81.80 and a strike rate of 99.03.

When it comes to playing against Australia at home, James Anderson (34 wickets in the last eight matches) and Stuart Broad (33 wickets in the last seven matches) have consistently demonstrated their mettle with the ball, and the two seamers will be the visitors’ biggest challenge. Similarly, Ollie Robinson is expected to build on his success and reaffirm his position on the international stage.

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

The former captain has over 11000 Test runs to his name, including 29 centuries. He is England’s most experienced batter and will be completely focused on winning this game.

Ben Stokes

The captain has turned around his team’s fortunes and introduced a new entertaining style of cricket. He’ll have to bowl a lot of overs, and his aggressive batting could be crucial.

Jimmy Anderson

The experienced right-arm swing bowler has just returned from a minor groin injury but is expected to be fully fit for the series opener.

Possible Playing XI:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (C), Jonny Bairstow (Wk), Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Ollie Robinson/Mark Wood, Moeen Ali

Australia (Match Odds – 1.80):

Preview:

Australia could not have arrived at the Ashes in better shape. They are flying high in confidence after winning the World Test Championship final against India at the Oval. Furthermore, they are now well acquainted with the circumstances.

It is common knowledge that Australia has a strong batting lineup. David Warner has been out of form recently, but he has the ability to come back at any time. Despite his underwhelming performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, Usman Khawaja has been consistently excellent for Australia over the last two years. He was the WTC cycle’s second-highest run-getter, amassing 1621 runs in 30 innings at an average of nearly 65.

Steven Smith’s ability to accumulate runs, particularly in England, was on display once again in the WTC final, where he scored a fine century. He is, without a doubt, the main batter to keep an eye on in this Test. Smith now has 1882 runs in England in 32 innings at an average of 60.70, with seven hundreds and seven fifties.

Another batter worth betting on is Marnus Labuschagne (922 runs in the last 10 games at an average of 65.85). Travis Head, the Australian equivalent of ‘Bazball,’ is coming off a match-winning 163 against India in the WTC final.

The Australian seamers will be far more than a handful in English conditions. Scott Boland’s outstanding performance in the WTC final has made an extremely compelling case for him to be named to the starting XI. Captain Pat Cummins will undoubtedly play, but with the return of Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc’s position may be jeopardized. The left-arm pacer struggled to contain runs against India in both innings and will be punished if he cannot find his rhythm against England’s power-hitting lineup.

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:

Steve Smith

The former Australian captain scored a century in the World Test Championship Final and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Test batsmen of all time.

Pat Cummins

The captain took over the team’s leadership just before the 2021-22 Ashes Series, and he has a stellar Test record in England.

Scott Boland

The 34-year-old has only played eight Tests but has already taken 33 wickets. Last week, he took 2-59 and 3-46 against India at The Oval.

Possible Playing XI:

Pat Cummins (C), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Alex Carey (Wk), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood /Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

England vs Australia Batsmen Worth Watching

Our batsmen picks for England are Joe Root, Ben Duckett, and Jonny Bairstow. Duckett has been in superb form since rejoining England’s Test team in Pakistan late last year. Bairstow has 12 Test centuries and 23 fifties to his name.

Our batting tips for Australia include Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Marnus Labuschagne. Head has been on a roll over the last two years, hitting 163 against Indian at The Oval. Labuschagne has a batting average of 56.73 in 66 Test innings.

England vs Australia Bowlers Worth Watching

We suggest England’s ball carriers are Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, and Ollie Robinson. Robinson has 66 wickets at an average of 21.27 in English conditions and is particularly impressive. Broad enjoys playing in the Ashes and has 582 Test wickets to his name.

Our picks for Australia’s top bowlers are Scott Boland, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon. Lyon has a strong record against England, having taken 487 Test wickets since his debut in 2011. During the World Test Championship Final, Cummins reached 400 international wickets.

England vs Australia Head to Head

Australia leads England in all Tests 150-110 and has not lost to England in any of their last five Ashes matches.

England vs Australia Head to Head Stats in T20s

	Matches Played	ENG Won	AUS Won	Tie	Draw
Overall	356	110	150	0	96
Last 5	5	0	4	0	1

England vs Australia Toss Prediction

In the 54 Tests played at Edgbaston, the team batting first has won 18 and the team batting second has won 21. With rain expected on the final three days of the match, the winning team may be tempted to bat first to be on the safe side.

England vs Australia Pitch Report

At Edgbaston, the average score when batting first is 310. The highest team score at the venue is 710-7 (dec.) by England against India in 2011. The team batting first in this Test will be aiming for a total of 400 runs. Surprisingly, 15 of the 54 Tests played at Edgbaston have been drawn. Only ten of the visiting teams have won here.

The pitch at Edgbaston is usually good for batting, and the first Test is expected to be played on a flat surface. There will be plenty of runs scored in the first two and a half days. However, the weather is expected to be cloudy starting on the third day, which will help the seamers get enough movement and cause problems for the batters. Spinners will also be used in the final two days.

England vs Australia Prediction

The start of an Ashes series is always exciting for any cricket fan, but especially for those who root for England or Australia. The previous series in England ended 2-2, and Australia will be confident of winning the five-Test series this time. We anticipate a close race in Birmingham and are rooting for Australia to win. Check out the odds at Cricbaba!

Australia is the favourite to beat England at the odds of 1.80.

England vs Australia Most Recommended Player for Bet:

Steve Smith has a Test average of over 60 and is 53 runs short of a thousand runs. He is a strong contender to be Australia’s leading run scorer at Edgbaston.

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