The second Test of Ashes 2023 between England and Australia is set to be played at the Lord’s. After a thrilling game in Birmingham, this game will carry eyeballs from all around the world. A different kind of pitch has been prepared for the same as well.
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England lost the first game but Bazball won’t be compromised. English batters Joe Root and Zak Crawley have already said that they will continue the same approach in the rest of the matches as well. Pacer Josh Tongue will replace all-rounder Moeen Ali in this game.
Australia were not at their best in the last game but still managed to get a victory. Batter Usman Khawaja is in terrific form, whereas the duo of Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith would want to bat well in this match. It will be interesting to see if they will make any changes in their lineup.
Lords London Pitch Report for England vs Australia 2nd Ashes Test
The pitch at the Lords is one of the most competitive tracks in the world. This track for the second Ashes Test is looking like heaven for the bowlers. It is a green wicket and there can be a lot of help for the faster bowlers. Even the practice wickets here are very quick compared to that in Edgbaston.
The pacers are expected to dominate here in the first innings. Dukes ball stays hard for a longer duration and the batters will have a tough time out there in the middle. After settling down, the batters can play their shots as the lush outfield will give them full rewards for their strokes. It has been observed that the spinners also come into play in the later days.
There will be a good amount of bounce as well and the shorter balls can be used extensively. The average first-innings score here has been 309 runs and the average fourth-innings score has been just 154 runs. However, in overcast conditions, bowling first won’t be a bad idea on his green wicket.
“Not a Surprise”: Mitchell Starc on Lords Wicket
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc is not surprised at all by the track for the second Test. The track in Edgbaston was very flat and many experts criticized it. Even England pacer James Anderson was not impressed with the Birmingham track.
“Probably not a surprise after some of the comments from last week and the nature of that (Edgbaston) wicket,” Starc said on cricket.com.au.
The bowling wicket may bring Starc into Australia’s playing XI as well. Starc was dropped out of the first Test, but he can be an extremely dangerous bowler on this surface.
