Ashes 2023: Will England end Australia's bid for historic win?
The 2023 edition of Ashes is approaching its business end. After four Tests, Australia are ahead with a margin of 2-1. The visitors have an opportunity to win their first Ashes series in the UK since 2001. Although the odds were against Australia in Manchester, rain played spoilsport. England would want to finish the series with a befitting win at The Oval.
Pitch report, conditions, and streaming details
As mentioned, the Kennington Oval in London will host the duel, starting July 27. The conditions here make it ideal for the batters to score freely. However, the dry nature of the surface could perturb them eventually. One can watch the match live on the Sony Sports Network. Fans can also live-stream action on the SonyLiv app (paid subscription) from 3:30pm onward.
Kennington Oval: England 17-7 Australia
England have a great record against Australia at the Kennington Oval. They have featured in 38 Test matches at this venue and have emerged victorious 17 times. Meanwhile, Australia have won only seven times, and 14 Test matches have ended in draws. In their last meeting here, England won the clash by 135 runs. Jofra Archer starred with his 6/62.
Australia have retained the Ashes
Australia have already retained the coveted Ashes urn. Besides, rain thwarted England's bid to win the series in Manchester. The hosts last won an Ashes series in 2015, defeating Australia 3-2 at home. Australia bounced back in 2017/18 and won 4-0 convincingly. The 2019 series got drawn, while the 2021/22 edition belonged to Australia (4-0). Going into The Oval, Australia can't lose the series.
Will Australia script history at the Oval?
Australia require a win to win a historic Ashes series in England. Notably, the Aussies haven't won an Ashes series in England in the last two decades. Their last series win in the nation came in July 2001 under Steve Waugh. England have won four out of five times ever since, while the 2019 series ended in a 2-2 draw.
England name unchanged XI
England (Playing XI): Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jonny Bairstow (wicket-keeper), Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, and James Anderson. Australia (Probable XI): David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wicket-keeper), Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.
A look at key performers
Anderson and Broad have scalped 49 and 41 wickets at the Oval, respectively. Root has hammered 672 runs at this venue in nine Tests at 44.80. His counterpart Smith averages 91 at the Oval, having amassed 546 runs in four matches. The last time Australia played here, Marsh scalped 5/46 (career-best figures). Moeen has slammed 348 runs here while scalping 14 wickets.
Here are Fantasy XI options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Zak Crawley, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith (captain), Harry Brook (vice-captain), Mitchell Marsh, Chris Woakes, Pat Cummins, Stuart Broad, and Mitchell Starc. Fantasy XI (Option 2): Jonny Bairstow, Zak Crawley (captain), Marnus Labuschagne (vice-captain), Steven Smith, Harry Brook, Mitchell Marsh, Chris Woakes, Moeen Ali, Pat Cummins, Stuart Broad, and Mark Wood.
