The Ashes 2023: England vs Australia 2nd Test Match Preview, Possible Lineups, Pitch Report, and Dream XI Team Prediction

The second test of the oldest rivalry in cricket is all set to begin in England from June 28 at the iconic Lord's in London. The first match of the Ashes 2023 was much hyped and interesting. It went through to the very last day. The Australian captain held his nerves tight and won the match for Australia. England stuck to their Bazball and played a fearless brand of cricket. However, Australia kept coming back by mixing caution with aggression and eventfully got the job done. England would be desperate to make a comeback and equal the series.

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The Ashes 2023: England vs Australia 2nd Test

Match Details

• Match: England vs Australia 2nd Test
• Date: 28/06/2023 - 02/07/2023
• Time: 3:30 PM IST
• Venue: Lord's Cricket Ground, London
• Where to watch: Sony Sports Network & Sony LIV app

Venue | Pitch Report

The pitch at the Lord's is favourable to bowlers. Pacers, specifically, can extract more help from this pitch due to its pace and bounce. They would look to swing the ball and trouble batters, while batters should think of a way to counter the swing.

Traditionally, the Lord's pitch aids fast bowlers owing to the swing and seam movement on offer. For the second Ashes Test, the pitch is expected to be green, and yet again the pacers are set to enjoy the movement on and off the air. Due to the slope on this surface, the ball will swing more. Teams winning the toss will mostly bat first to make full use of the greenish surface.

144 matches have been played here, and teams batting first have won 52 matches. Teams bowling first have not fared badly either, winning 41 matches. The average first innings on Lord's surface is 310 the score takes a slight dip in the second innings, with 298 being the average score.

England vs Australia | Head to Head

• Matches Played: 357
• ENG won: 110
• AUS won: 151
• Drawn: 96

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The Ashes 2023: England vs Australia | Team News

England

They have called up pace bowler Josh Tongue to replace Moeen Ali. Tongue took a five-wicket haul on his debut against Ireland at Lord's earlier this season. They have backed James Anderson and Stuart Broad to get through another Test. Josh Tongue will make his second Test appearance as part of an all-seam frontline bowling group. That decision was informed by concerns over Moeen Ali's fitness, the poor recent record of English spinners here (in the past five years England have taken 16 wickets with spin at an average of 36.12, and 120 wickets with seam at an average of 21.69) and Mark Wood's decision not to play.

The following is a list of England players who can make a massive impact in the Ashes 2023:

1. Ben Stokes
2. Joe Root
3. James Anderson
4. Stuart Broad
5. Jonny Bairstow

Australia

Australia will celebrate a notable milestone, with this match due to be Nathan Lyon's 100th consecutive Test. He will be the sixth man, and the first bowler, to achieve the feat. Australia have narrowed down the squad with the final decision likely to be between Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland. The English side took Boland at nearly six-an-over at Edgbaston but the grass on the surface at Lord's could keep him in the frame.

The following is a list of Australian players who can make a big difference to the outcome of the Ashes 2023:

• Pat Cummins
• Steve Smith
• Scott Boland
• Mitchell Starc
• Marnus Labuschagne

England vs Australia | Possible XI

England:

• Ben Duckett
• Zak Crawley
• Ollie Pope
• Joe Root
• Ben Stokes (c)
• Harry Brook
• Jonny Bairstow (wk)
• Josh Tounge
• Stuart Broad
• James Anderson
• Ollie Robinson

Australia:

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

The Ashes 2023: England vs Australia | Dream 11 Team Prediction