Ashes 2023 
ENG vs AUS, 4th Test

Preview

The Hosts England all set to face the Test Champions Australia in the 4th Ashes, starting from July 19 at Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester. Ben Stokes led ENG's make a comeback in the Ashes series with a win at Headingley by making it 1-2 and with some personnel changes. The English side now looks in great shape to continue the momentum, while heading for the 4th test. Whether the second-placed AUS has been exceptional with the ball or ENG has been a bit too attacking with the bat is hard to tell. There is no doubt about the Australian skipper Pat Cummins giving his best with the ball in every game, but the batting approach from England has played in favour of the visitors.

The English gun bowler Mark Wood made a huge impact with his lethal pace after coming back to the XI for the Headingley Test. He was well supported by Chris Woakes, who picked 6 wickets and played a handy knock and hit the winning run in the run chase. James Anderson is to return to the XI for the Emirates Old Trafford test match, the hosts cannot replace either of these two and would consider leaving out Ollie Robinson. The Aussie left-handed opening batter Usman Khawaja has been promising for the Visitors at the top while in the middle order, the likes of Steve Smith and Travis Head will be the key players for the AUS in the 4th test. Skipper Stokes will be delighted with his team’s performance in the previous test match. Though the 32-year-old all-rounder couldn’t finish the match for the team and was out early, ENG's Woakes and Wood led England to a 3-wicket win.

For ENG, Ben Duckett and Harry Brook are among the top finds in this series. Both batters have added 237 and 210 runs respectively in the first 3 test matches of the Ashes. Duckett and Brook have shown great promise and have made a huge impact in their respective batting positions for the hosts' side. Zak Crawley has found some good starts but couldn’t convert them into big scores and scored 196 runs in the series so far. The 25-year-old batter should be looking to make a mark in this match. One of the greatest test bowling pairs Anderson and Broad couldn’t put any pressure on AUS in the first couple of Tests and Wood’s return to the side has been a blessing. 

All-rounder Moeen Ali who batted at number 3 in the last run-chase, took on the Aussie bowling attack. The 36-year-old left-handed batter hasn’t looked in good touch at any position. English wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow is another such player who’s struggled with the bat but since ENG has only a wicket-keeper in their squad, the 33-year-old dynamic batter will continue to play in the XI.

Aussies' skipper Pat Cummins seems pretty confident about turning things around and bouncing back from their previous test match loss. The 30-year-old gun bowler is quite right in thinking it is easy to get over the defeat. The Visitors' are more confident side than the ones that toured England in 2019. AUS recently beat a mighty India Test team in the Test Championship Final and won the first two Ashes Test matches of the series.

With Cummins as the leader, The Visitors have more clarity in their approach to the game and also at the individual level. Left-handed batter Khawaja has found his form and improved on his previous performances in England and he has scored 356 runs in the series as a top run scorer in this tour so far. Whereas, the second-ranked batter in the world Travis Head has continued his good run of form with consistent performances in the middle-order and has added 266 runs. The Lord’s centurion Smith failed to get going in the last game the Aussie's talisman is a class player with a great ability to score runs. The 34-year-old has added 190 runs in the ongoing Ashes so far.

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh also raised to the occasion in the 3rd test match and he smashed a ton at a time when no other batter was able to survive the Hosts bowling attack. The 31-year-old Mitchell Marsh scored 146 runs in the last match in both innings. There have been many such inspiring performances from AUS in the recent past and with skipper at the helm of things, AUS seem to be growing from strength to strength.

Match Details

Match: ENG vs AUS, 4th Test, The Ashes 2023

Date: Wednesday, July 19, 2023 - Sunday, July 23, 2023

Time: 3:30 PM

Venue: Emirates Old Trafford, Manchester, England

Pitch and Weather Report

The average 1st innings score at this venue is 336 runs which should be a pretty decent total under these weather conditions on Emirates Old Trafford. The swing bowlers would have a great outing here considering the overcast conditions on this track. The 4th test match on this 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 fast bowlers can also find movement if they bowl in the right areas.

Teams batting first have won 32 of the 84 Tests played on this track. 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. ENG and AUS have a solid bowling attack and should be confident enough to defend a good score.

The maximum temperature will remain at 20°C, with a low of 10°C with 63% humidity, and a wind speed of 16-19 Km/hr for the 4th Ashes test between England and Australia Wednesday, July 19, 2023 - Sunday, July 23, 2023. We can expect a bit of rain on the last three days of the test match.

ENG vs AUS Squads

ENG: Ben Stokes (capt), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Moeen Ali, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

AUS: Pat Cummins (capt), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Jimmy Pierson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

ENG vs AUS Probable Playing XIs

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

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



Match Prediction

ENG and AUS have played 359 Test matches to date with the Visitors winning 152 matches while the Hosts winning 111 games. ENG's win at Headingley was their 111th. As many as 96 Test matches ended in a draw between England and Australia. Although the test champions' abilities should not be underestimated, the absence of Lyon could significantly impact the latter stages of this match. As spin has historically played a crucial role in the last test match. The thrilling events of the final day of the Headingley Test and the chaotic lead-up to this one might have worked in the Hosts' favour. The Headingley pitch is well-suited to players like Stokes and other batters, and we might witness an exhilarating display of Bazball at its finest in the fourth test as well. Hence, we believe that ENG has a strong chance of securing a victory and keeping the series alive by making it 2-2.

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket