The second Ashes Test match is scheduled to be played at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground, starting tomorrow, 27th June 2023. After losing their first match, questions were asked from Ben Stokes regarding his decision to declare early in the first innings despite two wickets left.
Australia are 1-0 up in the ongoing Ashes series against home team England. Pat Cummins and Co. registered a 2-wicket win over the hosts in the first Test of the series at Edgbaston. It was a mouth-watering contest for the fans as the game went on till the final day of the Test match.
However, the England skipper has reaffirmed that they will continue to play in the same fashion despite the results not going in their favour Thus, you could once again expect them to play aggressively and the possibility of the match ending in a draw is extremely less.
What should be England playing in the second Ashes Test match?
The bowling department did disappoint the fans and there shouldn’t be any debate over the same. Stuart Broad, who played ahead of Mark Wood, did justice to the decision as he ended up taking the most wickets for the team, while Robinson picked five.
However, the veteran James Anderson returned with just one wicket to his name, while the finger injury to Moeen Ali didn’t make things any easier for skipper Ben Stokes. England have Wood and Woakes warming the bench with the latter having an outstanding record at Lord’s.
However, whether will they be in a position to accommodate either one of them in the playing eleven remains to be seen. With the bat, you don’t expect any changes. Ben Foakes is, surely, a better wicket-keeper than Bairstow, however, the latter’s hard-hitting batting prowess lower down the order should help him retain his position.
On the other hand, Australia would be riding high on confidence after the first match win. Skipper Pat Cummins led the way from the front. He went wicketless in the first innings but took the vital wickets when it mattered the most. During England’s second innings, Cummins picked four wickets for 63 runs and then played a match-winning unbeaten knock of 44 off 73.
Mitchell Starc was rested in the last match and chances aren’t too high of him making a comeback. Usman Khawaja has been nothing short of outstanding and is a big worry for England.
His partner, David Warner looked his best during Australia’s second innings. The intent was there to be seen and it’s a piece of great news from Australia’s point of view.
The likes of Smith and Labuschagne are yet to fire but it’s something that Australia wouldn’t be too worried about. Expect them to field the same playing XI in the Lord’s Test match.
ENG vs AUS second Ashes Test Predicted XI
Here’s a look at the predicted playing XIs of both teams:
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins ©, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc
England: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes ©, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Chris Woakes Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson
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