England and Australia will battle it out against each other in the first Ashes 2023 Test at Edgbaston tomorrow onwards. The stage is set for a thriller of a series and both teams will be looking to get a winning start.
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England’s performance in the red-ball cricket has been phenomenal recently, and the Bazball approach will again be seen with a keen interest. They have already announced their Playing XI, and there are no surprises in it. Captain Ben Stokes is all set to lead in his first Ashes series.
Australia recently won the second edition of the ICC World Test Championship, and they are in high spirits. The batting duo of Travis Head and Steve Smith is looking in smashing form at the moment. It will be interesting to see who who among Josh Hazlewood or Scott Boland will get the nod in their XI.
Edgbaston Birmingham Pitch Report For England vs Australia Test Match
The first impression of Birmingham pitch is out and it looks to be a good batting track. There is no grass on the surface which suggests that the batters can enjoy their time in the middle after getting set. Obviously, there will be a good amount of bounce on the track and the dukes ball will also be helpful for the bowlers.
The last Test match here was played between England and India where the home team successfully chased a target of 378 runs. Out of 33 wickets in that match, only two of them were taken by the spinners. However, this pitch might get a little dry as the matches goes on, and the spinners can then play a part.
Clear sky is expected on the first two days, and the best decision will be to bat first on this track. A good score in the first innings can put the pressure on the other team.
“It was pretty flat” – Edgbaston’s Pitch Curator
In an interview with Inews, Edgbaston’s pitch curator, Gary Barwell, revealed that the batters will have a brilliant time in the middle in this match. There may be some uneven bounce on the last days, but it will be a flat pitch overall.
“The pitch should be pretty similar [to the last Test match at this venue]. It was pretty flat, there wasn’t much seam movement, wasn’t a lot of spin.”
With all these comments, we can expect a high-scoring encounter where the English batters can continue their aggressive batting approach.
