England vs Australia, The Ashes 2023, Today Match Prediction

eng vs aus Match Prediction & Analysis

After a nail-biting finish in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston, England will host Australia for the second Test at The Lords, London between June 28th to July 2nd. The second Test will start at 3:30 pm. Australia have taken a 1-0 lead in the series with a 2-wicket victory in the first Test after a scintillating partnership of 55 runs for the 9th wicket between skipper Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.

Batting first, Ben Stokes made a heroic decision to declare the innings on 393 for the loss of 8 wickets. Joe Root scored his 30th century while Jonny Bairstow added 78 runs in his comeback innings to guide England to 393. In-form Aussie opener Usman Khwaja scored 141 runs in return to take Australia to 386. With a lead of 7 runs, England took the Bazzball route to add 273 runs in the second innings. Nathan Lyon finished the test with 4 wickets in each inning. 

Starting with a partnership of 61 runs, the Aussie middle order collapsed to the English Bowling attack. Khwaja once again made the headlines by scoring 65 in the second innings. Australia were once down to 227 for the loss of 8 wickets. Cummins and Khwaja then kept their wickets till the end to register a remarkable 2-wicket victory in the final session of the Test. 

Both teams have shared equal figures at The Lords when it comes to winning in the last few games. The last Test at the Lords between the two ended up in a draw. While Steve Smith scored 92 runs in the first innings for Australia, Ben Stokes returned with a hundred in the second to save England from a loss. Overall it’s two wins each for both sides in the last 5 Tests at The Lords.

TEAMS PREVIEW

England Preview

Though England suffered a defeat at Edgbaston, They had the upper hand on Australia in most of the sessions. Even skipper Ben Stokes said that they will continue playing the fearless Bazzball to put Aussies under threat. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley will open the innings for England. Crawley scored a half-century in the first innings, while Ducket couldn’t add the runs expected from him. Duckett had 182 runs against Ireland in the last Test played at the Lords. Ollie Pope who scored 205 runs in his last innings at The Lords, will continue to play in the top order for England.

Joe Root has raised eyebrows with a century in the first innings. Scoring his 30th ton, Root played some dangerous reverse scoops unnatural to his way only showing that the elegance now has shaken the hands with some fearless cricket. Root will be the top batter in the second Test for England.  He has 1680 runs in 35 innings at an average of 52.50 with 5 centuries and 6 half-centuries. Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, and Jonny Bairstow will add the firepower to English middle order. Bairstow scored 78 runs on his comeback which actually changed the equation of the game in the first Test. Besides that, the five catches behind the stumps cleared the doubts about his fitness.

James Anderson and Stuart Broad will lead the English bowling attack with Olie Robinson. The duo has 225 wickets at the Lords at an average of just over 25. Broad stood out in the first innings with 6 wickets to put Australia in jeopardy. He also has 950 runs at the same ground. Moeen Ali will be the spin option for England. Ali returned from his retirement to take three wickets in the first test.

Key Players: Joe Root, James Anderson, Stuart Broad.

England Predicted Playing XI:

Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson

England Actual Playing XI:

Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Ollie Pope, Stuart Broad, Zak Crawley, Ollie Robinson, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, James Anderson, Ben Stokes, Josh Tongue

Australia Preview

Australia will stick with two left-handed openers. Fortunately, Khwaja is having a dream run with the bat since the last year. He has two centuries and a fifty in his last five innings. Khwaja scored 206 runs in the first Test. But the same can’t be said about his partner David Warner, who has scored just 125 runs in the last 8 innings. Marnus Labuschagne couldn’t manage to add runs in the first Test, but he will still be a threat to the English side. 

Steve Smith will be the top batter from the Aussie side. Though Smith managed just 22 runs in the first Test, His record at The Lords is amazing. The top-order batter has a double century on his name here. Travis Head and Cameroon Green will play in the middle order as an anchor. Head scored a half-century in the first innings. 

Australia opted to play with Cummins, Hazelewood, and Boland in the first test. Cummins took 4 wickets in the second innings and also played the lead role with the bat in the chase. The words are not enough to describe the importance of Nathan Lyon for Australia. The spinner took 8 wickets in the first game. This will be his 100th game without any absence throughout his career. He has 76 wickets in the last 22 Tests. Mitchell STarc might be back in the second Test to replace Scott Boland.

Key Players: Usman Khwaja, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins.

Australia Predicted Playing XI:

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland

Australia Actual Playing XI:

Nathan Lyon, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Alex Carey, Josh Hazlewood, Cameron Green, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith, David Warner, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The weather will be mostly cloudy. The temperature will range between 13 and 26. The wind will be flowing from the west at 8-12 kmh. Rain is expected on day two. The pitch at The Lords Cricket Ground is known for its traditional characteristics and is often considered favourable to both batsmen and bowlers. It offers assistance to both fast bowlers and spinners. As the match progresses, the pitch at The Lords tends to offer some turn for the spinners. 

Venue Details

The 2nd Ashes Test will be played at The Lords, London. The match will be played from 28th June June from 3:30 pm onwards. The venue has a capacity of 30000 spectators and has hosted 144 Tests, 84 ODIs & 11 T20Is. Both teams have two victories in the last 5 matches played here.

Toss: To Bat

In 144 T20Is, the results have favoured teams defending the target. The team defending the target has won 51 times as compared to 42 while chasing. The team winning the toss should bat first. The average first innings score at The Lords is 309.