ENG vs AUS Match Prediction & Betting Tips - Jun 16, 2023
The World's most popular Test series, the Ashes, is about to get underway this week as England hosts Australia for the 1st of the 5-match series at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.
Australia has retained the Ashes urn 3 since the 2017-18 series, and England will be desperate to bring it back this time around.
England vs Australia (Ashes 2023) head-to-head record
Both teams have played 356 Test matches against each other till now. England has won 110 of those, while Australia has the upper hand with 150 wins. 96 matches have ended in a draw.
England vs Australia (Ashes 2023) Live-streaming and Broadcast
This match can be streamed on the Sony Liv App or can be watched live on the Sony Ten Sports Network.
ENG vs AUS Team Previews
England
The current England team is very different from the one that was swept away 4-0 by Australia in the 2021-22 series played Down Under. The team has reinvented itself under the new coach Brandon McCullum and adopted an aggressive style of play which has rewarded them exceedingly well. England had breezed through opposition over the last year and is all set to put up a tough fight here.
Ben Stokes will be leading the English team for the first full Ashes series this time around. While there is no doubting the ability of the all-rounder, his injury has weighed heavily on his performances over the past few months. Hopefully, he will be fit enough to bowl here.
England are likely to open with their regular pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett here who will be looking to give the team a solid start here. The hosts have a strong middle order made up of Joe Root, Johnny Bairstow, Ollie Pope, and Stokes. However, all eyes will be on Harry Brook, who has emerged as one of the brightest young stars in English cricket in recent years.
Moeen Ali, who has been recalled as a replacement for Jack Leach can add depth to the batting. James Anderson will once again lead the pace attack here and will be supported by Stuart Broad. Josh Tongue is another exciting find for England and we might see him in action here.
In the spin department, Moeen Ali will be key for England as they lack other specialist spinners in the squad.
The fact that Ben Stokes has been very vocal about playing aggressively makes it very clear that England is going to come out swinging. That was worked wonder so far but how it comes off against the world's strongest (and most experienced) bowling attack will be interesting to watch for sure.
England Playing 11
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson.
Australia
Freshly crowned as the World Test Champions, Australia will be a confident lot as they go into this match. The team has spent plenty of time in England and will be pretty used to the conditions here. It was an excellent all-round effort by Australia in the WTC Finals against India and they will be looking to replicate the same here.
The top order didn’t click though for them as David Warner and Usman Khawaja both failed to convert their starts into a big inning. The form of David Warner in particular is a bit of a concern for Australia. The middle order is pretty solid for them as Steve Smith and Travis Head are both in brilliant form.
Smith averages over 100 in his last 8 innings in England. That is an ominous sign for England ahead of the Ashes.
Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green chipped in too during the last match. However, Australia’s biggest strength lies in its bowling. They have arguably the best bowling unit in the world at the moment. Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, and Scot Boland make up for a formidable seam attack and the team also has Cameron Green to chip in if the need arises.
Perhaps one of the tricky choices will be picking between Boland/Starc/Hazelwood if all are fit. We think Boland will end up sitting out despite his recent brilliance.
Nathan Lyon is a sticky customer and we saw how effective he can be in the last couple of days. All in all, Australia will be betting on their bowlers to dismantle the famous `Bazball´ approach of the hosts. The role of Lyon on flat wickets that spin as the match progresses could be extremely crucial.
Australia Playing 11
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood.
ENG vs AUS Toss Prediction
The team winning the toss will be looking to field first. Both England and Australia tend to be 'ball first' sides but for different reasons. Australia backs itself to do the most damage with the new ball while England thinks it can chase down anything.
Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.
Pitch and Conditions
The pitch at Birmingham is considered good to bat on and offers a good amount of pace and bounce. The average first-inning score here is around 310. That said, the quicker bowlers will be able to extract some movement off the pitch as well as through the air. The spinners will be in action towards the end of the match as the rough spots develop.
The weather is expected to remain clear and pleasant for the first 3 days but we might see some rain during the last 2 days.
ENG vs AUS Betting Tips
Unlike the last Ashes, we are likely to see a much more closely fought series here. It will be an intriguing contest between one of the most aggressive batting lineups in Test cricket against one of the most potent bowling attacks, making this a difficult game to call. While the differences between the teams may be few, we think that the visitors hold a slight edge.
They have good momentum with them and will feel quite confident of their chances here.
Bet on Australia to win.
Who will win ENG vs AUS
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