England vs Australia, The Ashes 2023, Today Match Prediction 19 July 2023

eng vs aus Match Prediction & Analysis

England have made a comeback in the series with a win at Headingley and with some personnel changes, now look in great shape to continue the momentum.

Whether Australians have been exceptional with the ball or England have been a bit too attacking with the bat is hard to tell. There is no doubt about the skipper Cummins giving his best with the ball in every game, but the batting approach from England has played in favor of the visitors.

Mark Wood made a huge impact after coming back to the XI for the 3rd Test. Woakes picked 6 wickets and played a handy knock in the run chase. If Anderson is to return to the XI for the 4th Ashes Test, England cannot replace either of these two and would consider leaving out Ollie Robinson.

Usman Khawaja has been promising for Australia at the top while in the middle order, Steve Smith and Travis Head will be the key players.

TEAMS PREVIEW

England Preview

Ben Stokes will be delighted with his team’s performance in the 3rd Test. Though he couldn’t finish the match for the team and was out early, England’s Chris Woakes and Mark Wood led England to a 3-wicket win.

Ben Duckett and Harry Brook are among the top finds for England in this series. The two have shown great promise and have made a huge impact in their respective batting positions. Zak Crawley has found some good starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores.

He should be looking to make a mark in this match. Mark Wood and Chris Woakes will play a key role with the ball once again. Anderson and Broad couldn’t really put any pressure on the visitors in the first couple of Tests and Wood’s return to the side has been a blessing. 

Moeen Ali, who asked the skipper to promote him to number 3 in the last run-chase, to take on the Aussie bowling attack, hasn’t looked in good touch at any position. 

Jonny Bairstow is another such player who’s struggled with the bat but since England have only wicket-keeper in their squad, he will continue to play in the XI. The bowling will give England some confidence going into this Test but their batting approach is what makes them unpredictable.

England Predicted Playing XI:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Ben Stokes (c), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, James Anderson, Stuart Broad

England Actual Playing XI:

Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, Zak Crawley, Moeen Ali, Ben Duckett, Harry Brook, James Anderson, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes

Australia Preview

Australian skipper seems pretty confident about turning things around and bouncing back from their recent loss. Cummins is quite right in thinking it is easy to get over this loss.

The current Australian team is a more confident side than the one that toured England in 2019. Australia recently beat a mighty India Test team in the WTC Final and won the first two Ashes Test matches of the series.

With Cummins as the leader, Australia have more clarity in their approach to the game and also at the individual level. Khawaja has found his form and improved on his previous performances in England.

Whereas, Travis Head has continued his good run of form with consistent performances in the middle-order. The Lord’s centurion Steve Smith failed to get going in the last game but is a class player with a great ability to score runs. 

Mitchel Marsh also raised to the occasion in the last game and scored a hundred at a time when no other batsman was able to survive the English bowling attack.

There have been many such inspiring performances from Australia in the recent past and with Cummins at the helm of things, they seem to be growing from strength to strength. While Starc and Cummins will be the key bowlers for Australia, missing Nathan Lyon will be a huge blow to the visiting team. 

Though Australia’s bowling attack doesn’t seem to be at its full strength and the best form, the ultra-aggressive batting approach from England is a great help for Australian bowlers.

Australia Predicted Playing XI:

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Todd Murphy, Scott Boland

Australia Actual Playing XI:

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

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch is a balanced one that offers help for both batters and bowlers. On the first couple of days, the batters will be able to play their strokes freely while the seam bowlers can also find movement if they bowl in the right areas. There will be scattered showers on day 1 and 2 while the forecast is for rain thereafter.

Venue Details

The 4th Ashes Test will be played at Old Trafford in Manchester. The average 1st innings score here is 332 runs which should be a pretty decent total under these weather conditions. The swing bowlers would have a great outing here considering the overcast conditions.

Toss: To Bat

Teams batting first have won 32 of the 84 Tests played at Old Trafford. While the average scores are pretty decent in the first two innings, chasing on the final day of the Test will be quite difficult here. Both teams have a solid bowling attack and should be confident enough to defend a good score.