England vs Australia 2nd Test Preview & Prediction | 2023 Ashes Series

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THE FACTS

When is England vs Australia taking place? Wednesday, June 28th-July 2nd, 2023 – 11:00 (UK)

Where is England vs Australia taking place? England vs Australia will take place at Lord’s, London

What channel is England vs Australia on? England vs Australia will be televised live on Sky Sports in the UK

Where can I stream England vs Australia? Sky Sports subscribers in the UK can stream England vs Australia live on Sky Go.

LAST MEETING
Australia beat England by 2 wickets

THE LOWDOWN

ENGLAND

• England were left to rue an inability to take 20 wickets as they fell agonisingly short in a thrilling opening match of the Ashes against Australia. Ben Stokes also came under scrutiny for what many thought was an early declaration in the first innings but England will die on their sword under ‘Bazball’ and are unlikely to change their ways.

• Joe Root was the key man with the bat while Stuart Broad was the pick of the bowlers and the letter’s performance at Edgbaston could be enough to retain his spot. Mark Wood is waiting in the wings to add some extra pace to the attack so Ollie Robinson’s position in the side could come under threat while youngster Rehan Ahmed has been added to the squad as cover for Moeen Ali, whose finger injury could rule him out of this game.

AUSTRALIA

• Australia got the job done against England to claim the lead in the series and they will look to back up their efforts from the opening game as they head to Lord’s looking to double their advantage. Having fallen to 227/8, the Aussies were thankful to a crucial, unbeaten and match-winning partnership from Nathan Lyon and skipper Pat Cummins as they put on 55 for the ninth-wicket.

• As well as their tail helping them to victory, there was also a welcome performance from opener Usman Khawaja who dispelled any worries about his form or capabilities of playing in England as he produced scores of 141 and 65 to lead the way for his side. Fellow opener David Warner still has a point to prove moving forward and will need to produce more to retain his spot while Michell Starc is in contention to come into the bowling attack with Cummins hinting that rotation will be deployed throughout the series.

THE PREDICTION

The 2023 Ashes series got underway in the most dramatic of circumstances as England and Australia played out an unbelievable Test match at Edgbaston. The Aussies edged a thriller by two wickets with the game in the balance right until the end of the fifth day, in part because of the way England approached the game. Their first innings declaration played its part in a result being found and while they were not on the right side of it, there was a lot to like about how they attacked the game. The hosts will need to improve and find the right balance moving forward but they could get some joy in this Lord’s pitch which is likely to be more active than the one played in Birmingham. The tourists showed their quality to claim the win in the first encounter and there is more to come from the likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne and that will worry England but if Joe Root can find a couple of companions and Jimmy Anderson can get the ball to swing, the hosts can bounce straight back and level the series to set things up brilliantly for the remaining contests.

TIP: ENGLAND TO WIN