Ashes Series 2023 – Everything You Need to Know

On June 16, England will host Australia for a five-match Test series. The opening Ashes Test will take place on Friday at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Pat Cummins will captain Australia in the historic series, while Ben Stokes will captain England.

Will Australia finally defeat England on these shores after 22 years, or will England win the series for the first time since 2015? Everything will be resolved in five games spread over the following six weeks.

History of Ashes

While Australia and England began playing Test cricket against one another in 1876, the Ashes were formally established following an Australian victory at The Oval in 1882. This led an English newspaper to joke that cricket had “died” and would be brought to Australia.

Later that year, in 1882–1883, the first Ashes series was played when England toured Australia for a three-Test series.

What makes this year so unique?

The Ashes are one of the longest-running and most legendary sporting rivalries, but this year promises to be particularly memorable.

Under captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum, England had experienced an exciting transition since losing 4-0 when these teams last met in Australia 18 months ago.

They have won 11 out of 13 Test matches while engaging in an exciting, attacking manner. Records are being broken, sixes are being struck, and wickets are being taken like never before for Stokes’ England.

Australia, however, presents a substantial challenge. They brutally defeated India last week to win the World Test Championship, giving rise to the notion that this could be the best Ashes matchup since the legendary series in 2005.

When and where to watch Ashes 2023?

Every Ashes game will start at 8 p.m. (AEST) / 3:30 p.m. (IST) every day of the series.

Channel Nine will televise the Ashes 2023 series in Australia. On Channel Nine and 9Now, every ball of every game will be televised live, along with commentary from former Test captain Mark Taylor.

While in India, Sony Sports Network will broadcast the Test series between England and Australia.

Squad

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith (VC), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Matt Renshaw, and David Warner.

Also Read: Australian Cricketers and their Salary Structure – Detailed

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Dan Lawrence, Moeen Ali, Ollie Robinson, Chris Woakes, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, and Mark Wood.

Who won the previous Ashes series?

The Ashes series is currently in the possession of Australia after a convincing 4-0 series victory at home in the summer of 2021–2022. Since winning the 2015 series 3-2 at home, England has gone without a series victory.

Australia drew the 2019 series 2-2 but has yet to triumph in a series on English soil since 2001 when it won by 4-1.  

Must Read: Top Ten Ashes Tests of All Time

Players to watch at Ashes 2023

The England team for the first Test is already known because they made it public on Wednesday. There are many well-known names, but there are also some fresh ones to watch out for.

• They are captained by Ben Stokes, who made headlines by assisting England in winning the 50-over World Cup in 2019, and later that summer at Headingley in the drawn Ashes series, he played one of the most outstanding innings in history.

• Other significant players include the bowler James Anderson, who is 40 and may be playing his final Ashes series, and the batter and former captain Joe Root.

• Harry Brook is a rising star for England. He had one of the finest Test career starts in recent memory this winter, scoring four hundred in his first seven matches.

• The injury to England’s spinner Jack Leach during the series’ preparation shocked the team. Moeen Ali, an all-around player, has returned from retirement to take his place in the test format.

Even though Australia is keeping their cards close to their chest, we know that their team will currently include the top three batters in the Test rankings.

• One of them is Steve Smith, who will solidify his place as a living legend if he wins another convincing Ashes series. Teammate Marnus Labuschagne is one spot ahead of him in the world rankings while attacking left-hander Travis Head is third.

• Captain Pat Cummins will be in charge of Australia’s bowling attack, and 34-year-old Scott Boland, who is on his first Ashes tour, has had an excellent start in Test cricket.

Must Read: What makes Test cricket tick even after 100 years of existence?