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THE FACTS
When is England vs Australia taking place? Thursday, July 27th-31st, 2023 – 11:00 (UK)
Where is England vs Australia taking place? England vs Australia will take place at The Kia Oval, 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
Match Drawn
THE LOWDOWN
ENGLAND
It was the rain that did it. England had laid down all the foundations for a thumping victory in the fourth Test over the course of three days, dominating Australia with bat and ball, flaying them to all parts of Emirates Old Trafford. However, a bad weather forecast had lingered in the background like a bad smell and come Days 4 and 5, the rain duly arrived. Only 30 overs were possible across the penultimate day, whilst Day 5 was washed out entirely leaving England unable to finish Australia off and forced to accept a draw. The result means England now cannot regain the Ashes, so they head to the Kia Oval 1-2 down and needing victory to level the series.
Jonny Bairstow had a wonderful fourth Test with gloves and bat, justifying the faith shown in him by skipper Ben Stokes. His 99 not out was exhilarating and typified the ‘Bazball’ style England are accustomed to with the bat. But England’s player of the match was undoubtably opener Zak Crawley, who struck a superb 189 to help lay the foundations for a first innings score that left the hosts well ahead of Australia. The one regret England may have though is Stokes not choosing to declare early on Day 3, which would have allowed them more time to bowl Australia out again. The reality though, is that the sheer amount of time lost over those final two days made it impossible for them to achieve victory despite battering their opponents.
AUSTRALIA
Australia were smashed about, humiliated, reduced to smithereens over the course of the fourth Test. Not that they’ll care one jot now though and who can blame them! The rain came to their rescue right when they needed it and the Ashes are now retained following a draw in Manchester. The tourists can now draw a line under their awful all-round performance and move on in the knowledge that the urn remains in their possession for at least another two and a half years. Now Pat Cummins and his side have the opportunity to cement their legacy and make history as a group of players. With the series 1-2 in their favour, avoiding defeat in the fifth and final Test at the Kia Oval would see them win an Ashes series in England outright for the first time since 2001.
The Kia Oval holds happy memories for Australia already this summer, having beaten India convincingly on this ground to win the World Test Championship. Of course, Nathan Lyon was part of that line-up and his absence continues to be keenly felt by the visitors. A century for top order batter Marnus Labuschagne last time out was a welcome return to form for him, but David Warner continues to struggle and his time in the Test arena is clearly coming to an end. Who knows, this may prove to be his final Test for Australia, whether he likes it or not.
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
England have named an unchanged squad for the final Test, but it would be no surprise to see them alter the starting line-up with a number of injury concerns. Chris Woakes is the most notable player whose fitness is being assessed, whilst it will be a risk to play fast bowler Mark Wood for a third consecutive Test, although such risk can bring big rewards. Stuart Broad has played all four Ashes Tests so far and the temptation may be to give him a rest, although with no international cricket for him in the near future, he’ll no doubt be desperate to play. England have both Josh Tongue and Ollie Robinson in reserve should they be required to replenish the bowling stocks.
AUSTRALIA
A big mistake made by Australia at Emirates Old Trafford was not playing a specialist spinner and this was emphasised by how difficult Moeen Ali and Joe Root made life for the Australian batters in those 30 overs bowled on Day 4. With that in mind, Todd Murphy is likely to be recalled after getting dropped following the third Test. Provided all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is fit to play the fifth Test, Murphy should replace Cameron Green, who has disappointed across the series. However, should Marsh be ruled out then Green will probably keep his place, whilst there are also doubts over fast bowler Mitchell Starc’s fitness, which potentially opens the door for Michael Neser to make his overseas Ashes debut having previous donned the whites against England back in Australia.
THE PREDICTION
It’s hard to ignore just how much England pummelled Australia in the fourth Test before the rain denied them a deserved win and after feeling so hard done by, the hosts are once again expected to come out all firing on all cylinders in the final Test of what has been an enthralling series. Whilst the carrot of winning in England for the first time in 22 years will drive Australia, you can’t help but feel that the fatigue of such a long tour both mentally and physically has caught up with them and captain Cummins in particular, having played five Tests on the bounce now if you include the WTC final.
We’ve mentioned it already in prior predictions and after their showing in Manchester we must do so again, Australia desperately miss the control and potency of star spinner Lyon and England’s batters on what is usually a very good pitch for batting at the Kia Oval, may well cash in once again on that huge chink within the Australian bowling armoury. It would be no surprise if this led to England again setting up a platform to push for victory here. Provided rain doesn’t scupper their hopes, this time that win should come over five days, levelling the series at 2-2 just as it finished back in 2019. But with said weather in mind, utilise the safety of the draw no bet market to back an England win.
TIP: ENGLAND DRAW NO BET