The Ashes rivalry will head to the Mecca of Cricket, the Lord’s for the second Test match. Australia were able to draw first blood in the five-match series as they clinched the opening thriller by two wickets. Ergo, Australia will look to continue the winning impetus whereas England will aim to bounce back.
The Edgbaston pitch came under scanner as it had almost no assistance for the fast bowlers. England continued with their aggressive Bazball approach and there is no doubt that they will go even harder at Australia in the second game.
England skipper Ben Stokes had decided to declare at 393-8 and his decision to call back a well-settled Joe Root, who was batting unbeaten on 118, was questioned by a lot of cricket boffins. Root is once again going to play a key role for England.
Furthermore, England had played with three seamers, who all bowled around the 135 kmph mark. Thus, it won’t be a surprise if they will add the pace of Mark Wood to the fast bowling battery.
On the other hand, there were a lot of positives for Australia as Usman Khawaja delivered in both innings, scoring 141 and 65 to play a key role in the team’s win. Moreover, Pat Cummins, Travis Head, Alex Carey, and Nathan Lyon played substantial roles in the team’s emphatic triumph.
However, Australia will want more from their talismanic duo of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne, who both failed to deliver the goods in the opening game.
Match Prediction: England might enter the contest as favorites against Australia despite losing the first game.
England Ashes squad 2023
Confirmed squad for 1st Test and 2nd Test.
Ben Stokes (captain), Ollie Pope (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Australia Ashes Squad 2023
Confirmed squad for 1st Test and 2nd Test.
Pat Cummins (captain), Steve Smith (vice-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, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.
