The 2023 Ashes are currently standing at an extremely sensitive crossroads. Following the World Test Championship triumph against India at the Kennington Oval, the Aussies were in astounding form as they recorded two Initial wins to acquire the lead against the hosts.
Nevertheless, Brendon McCullum‘s Bazball approach finally emerged victorious and kept England’s hopes alive against the Australian cricket team in the third and most recent five-day fixture. Thus, the fourth match of the prestigious series will be climacteric. If England wins, they’ll get on equal grounds with the Kangaroos.
However, on the flip side, they will lose the series if they fail to ambush the Australian cricket team. Nevertheless, a draw can add more layers to the intriguing diegesis in the series of the longest format of cricket because it will increase the possibility of a potential drawn series.
What have they done so far?
The first match of the 2023 Ashes took place at Edgbaston and after winning the toss, the hosts decided to bat first. Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope lost their wickets early in the first inning, however, Joe Root scored an incredible ton (118) against the Australian pacers and played the role of a perfect anchor. Consequently, Jonny Bairstow also supported the former English skipper with 78 runs in the same number of deliveries.
Thus, going strong, Ben Stokes’s side decided to declare the innings at 393 at the loss of seven. Batting second, Australia met with a difficult start but Usman Khawaja’s century helped his side reach a total of 386 before getting all out.
Pat Cummins and Nathon Lyon helped the Australian side defeat England in the first test
In the second innings, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon dismantled the English batting line-up at 273. Chasing a target of 281, Khawaja again helped his side with a 65-run innings as they eventually managed to win the match by two wickets in the third session of the fifth day.
With the lead of one, Australia faced England at the Lord’s for the second match. Steve Smith and Travis Head gave brilliant batting performances to help the visitors reach 416 in the first inning. Powered by a 98-run innings from Ben Ducklett, England reached 325 in the first attempt.
In the second innings, James Anderson and Stuart Broad displayed their experience as well as bowling prowess to restrict the English side to 279. Chasing 371 in the last inning, Duckett again came to the rescue with an 83 inning and also partnered with skipper, Ben Stokes to get closer to the win. Stokes played really well and scored 155 runs, however, as he lost his wicket, the whole team got all out in the same session, losing the match by 43 runs.
The third match turned out to be a whole new battle as the bowlers majorly dominated the fixture. Playing at the Headingley Carnegie, England decided to field first and their decision turned out to be accurate.
Mark Wood picked up five wickets but the inning that stole the attention was played by Mitchell Marsh as he scored 118 runs off 118 deliveries and helped his side reach 263. England also lost early wickets in their first inning, however, Ben Stokes rescued his side with his 80 as the Poms eventually scored 237.
The Aussies would have expected to post a mammoth total in the second inning but unfortunately, they collapsed at just 224. Hence, to win the match and stay in the series, England had a target of 251 to chase as two days were remaining in the match.
Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett gave their side a decent start but losing constant wickets was a huge problem hindering their victory. Nevertheless, Harry Brook conquered all the odds to relinquish Australia and chase the score in the second session of Day 4. Thus, the fourth match will have a much greater significance in the series for both sides.
Head to Head Record
England and Australia share one of the most decorated rivalries in the history of cricket. Consequently, over the years, the two nations have acted as the pioneer of the sport. Since playing their first test match in 1876/77, the two sides have locked horns against each other 359 times in tests.
In all of their fixtures, the Aussies have recorded 152 wins while England has captured 111 victories, moreover, the remaining 96 matches have ended in a draw. The last edition of the Ashes, which took place in Australia in 2021-22, ended in the favor of the hosts as they thrashed England 4-0. Moreover, they are also leading the current series 2-1.
Key Players
Ben Stokes has led the revival of the English side with both bat and ball in hand
Ben Stokes (England): Ben Stokes has been doing great as an all-rounder as well as a skipper. Moreover, his 155-run inning in the second test has emerged as the highlight of the series.
He also comes to bowl at clutch positions and his on-field enthusiasm and never give up attitude have been the key to England’s success. Moreover, sailing on a win, Stokes will be looking forward to helping his side level the series.
Usman Khawaja (Australia): The Australian opening batsman has been a brilliant form lately. He also played a decent role against India in their World Test Championship triumph. Consequently, playing the first match against Ben Stokes’ England, Khawaja scored 141 runs and carried the team on his back.
In addition to that, he also played a much more important inning of 65 runs in the second inning too. Moreover, the opening batsman has proved his consistency for Australia on the big stage, hence, if he manages to stay on the pitch for long, England will be in a troublesome situation.
Predicted XIs
Australia: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins ©, Todd Murphy, Josh Hazlewood
England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes ©, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson
Prediction
The initial three matches of the 2023 Ashes have been extremely interesting. However, with England’s win, it became even more intense. Thus, it’s expected that Ben Stokes will move forward with an unchanged playing XI while Australia can make a couple of changes in their desperate attempt of sealing the series on a dominant note.