- ENG vs AUS match prediction: Australia to win
- ENG vs AUS toss prediction: Australia to win the toss and bat first
With the Ashes 2023 taking an ugly turn during the Lord's Test following Jonny Bairstow's dsimissal, England and Australia are all set to face off in the third Test at Headingley from July 6th. Australia are leading the series by 2–0 and England need to win this Test to keep their hopes of winning the urn back alive. As the two teams gear up for the clash, we bring you the ENG vs AUS prediction. Before we begin, take a look at the head-to-head record between these two teams.
- ENG vs AUS date and time: July 6th-10th, 3:30 IST
- ENG vs AUS venue: Headingley, Leeds
Contents
ENG vs AUS match preview
England
England had a magnificent run with their Bazball style in the past year but they have come up short against a side that is exceptionally good. England were ahead in the game for the majority of the Edgbaston Test but couldn't cease their moments, losing by two wickets.
The second Test at Lord's was quite different as they needed a miracle to win and for a moment, it looked like Ben Stokes could pull it off again. England needed to chase a huge 371 in the fourth innings at Lord's. Captain Ben Stokes smashed an outrageous 155 to single-handedly take his side closer to the target but it wasn't enough.
We've named a 15-strong squad for the third #Ashes Test 🏏
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 2, 2023
In this ENG vs AUS prediction for the third Test, we think England are likely to make a couple of changes to their playing XI. Ollie Pope was ruled out of the series with a shoulder injury and could be replaced by Dan Lawrence. James Anderson, who has been underwhelming, is likely to make way for Mark Wood. Moeen Ali could also be back after recovering from a finger injury.
ENG Possible 11: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Dan Lawrence, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, Josh Tongue
Australia
Australia won the second Test by 43 runs at Lord's, where they managed to survive Ben Stokes' onslaught. Steve Smith was magnificent in the first innings on the first day, where he scored a century in difficult conditions for batting. Mitchell Starc made an impact with three crucial wickets in the first innings and three more in the second gig.
Considering they lost Nathan Lyon during England's first innings, this win was a great feat by Australia. History awaits them as a win at Headingley will make them the first Australian team to win the series in England in 22 years.
Two-Nil. #Ashes pic.twitter.com/PTzjzj0cZd
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 3, 2023
Now let's take a look at their squad in this ENG vs AUS prediction. Nathan Lyon was ruled out of the series so that could give a big opportunity to Todd Murphy, who was impressive on the India tour.
AUS Possible 11: Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Josh Hazlewood, Todd Murphy
Pitch report and expected weather conditions
If we look at the trend in this Ashes series, the pitches have been on the flatter side than they usually are. Headingley is a venue where batters have enjoyed good success and with the current trend, we expect it to continue in this game. We also expect spinners to get some purchase off the pitch as the match progresses.
As for the weather, the match is likely to be affected by rain on multiple occasions. The weather could be cloudy on the first day. The third and fifth days of the match could lose a lot of overs as there's over a 70% chance of precipitation on these days.
ENG vs AUS Dream11 prediction
Our ENG vs AUS Dream11 predictions for this match:
- Wicketkeeper (s): Alex Carey, Jonny Bairstow
- Batter(s): Steve Smith, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head
- All-rounder(s): Ben Stokes, Joe Root, Moeen Ali
- Bowler(s): Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Mark Wood
- Recommended captain: Steve Smith
- Recommended vice-captain: Pat Cummins
Now here in this ENG vs AUS Dream11 prediction, we will tell you exactly why we have picked this side. Five of these players, namely Steve Smith, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Travis Head and Pat Cummins pick themselves due to their form and sheer ability.
For the wicket-keepers spot, we've picked both Alex Carey and Jonny Bairstow. Carey has been phenomenal behind the wickets and has been in good form with the bat as well. Bairstow, not only adds keeping points but can blast a quick-fire big knock and you don't want to miss out on that.
Usman Khawaja has been rock solid at the top of the order and has looked at ease. He has scored 300 runs in two games and it makes little sense to leave him out. Moeen Ali is likely to return to the side and as a frontline spinner, will be in the thick of the action. If he doesn't feature in the playing XI, go with Josh Tongue.
Mitchell Starc made a big impact in the second Test with six wickets. His pace and ability to swing the ball makes him a good pick. England are likely to bring in Mark Wood and will be looking to intimidate Australia with short-pitch bowling.
As for the captaincy pick, Steve Smith has a ridiculous record in England and he was terrific at Lord's in testing conditions to set up the match. For vice-captaincy, we have Pat Cummins who has picked eight wickets in two games while scoring 115 runs with the bat.
ENG vs AUS match prediction: Australia to win
Australia have a better bowling attack compared to the hosts and have several in-form batters. The Aussies have found counter to England's aggressive batting time and again, giving them an edge in this match. Considering all the factors our ENG vs AUS match prediction is that Australia will win the match.
ENG vs AUS toss prediction: Australia to win the toss and bat first
England have won the toss in both Tests so far, opting to bat first at Edgbaston and bowling first at Lord's due to overcast conditions. In normal conditions, batting first has been the trend in Test cricket. Given the probability of toss success, our ENG vs AUS toss prediction is that Australia will win the toss and bat first.
Man of the match prediction: Steve Smith to win
Our ENG vs AUS prediction for the man of the match in this third Test is Steve Smith. The Australian batter was excellent at Lord's where he scored 110 in the first innings in challenging conditions. Smith has 2048 runs in Test cricket in England, averaging 58.51 with eight centuries.
ENG vs AUS betting odds
- England odds: 2.60
- Australia odds: 2.20
ENG vs AUS betting odds for the third Test are in favour of Australia. The visitors lead the series by 2-0 and are the reigning world Test champions. Understandably, the bookmakers have Australia as favourites to win the match at 2.20 odds. England, who have a lesser chance of winning the match, have odds of 2.60.
