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

The Ashes 2023 will begin with the first Test Match between England and Australia at the Edgbaston, Birmingham on June 16. Both teams are in excellent form and have a winning streak going for them. It is certain that both of these teams will give their all to win this game and, eventually, the series since the Ashes are extremely valuable to both the teams and their supporters. In terms of recent performance, England has won four out of its last five Test matches, while Australia has won only two of its last five.

The last time England and Ireland faced off. Ireland were dismissed for a pitiful 172. With no hesitation, England responded with a massive score of 524 runs for the cost of only four wickets before declaring their innings. While batting in their second innings, Ireland responded significantly better, scoring a few half-centuries but ultimately being dismissed for 362 runs. Therefore, England's aim was only 11 runs, which they comfortably achieved and used to win the game by a margin of 10 wickets.

Australia had previously played India, and batted very well on the decent surface, Steve Smith and Travis Head took advantage of it by scoring hundreds apiece, helping Australia achieve a massive total of 469 runs. India's performance in response was poor, but with some fight at the finish, they were still able to score 296 runs. Australia played effectively in the second innings, scoring 270 runs for the cost of eight wickets before declaring their innings and setting India a lofty 444-run goal. India made a strong start, but no player was able to build off of it, and the team was eventually bowled out for 234, giving Australia the victory and the title of World Test Champion by a margin of 209 runs.

Date & Time  Jun 16-Jun 20, 11:00 AM LOCAL, 3:30 PM IST

Venue  Edgbaston, Birmingham

Pitch Report

The Edgbaston pitch is suited for bowlers. Given the pitch's speed and bounce, pacers in particular can benefit more from it. They would aim to swing the ball and cause difficulties for the hitters, who should consider a strategy to block the swing.

Squads

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

Australia Squad: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Todd Murphy, Josh Inglis, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris

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