The Aussies are retaining the title irrespective of what happens in the fifth test. This is not because they won the previous event for a 3-1 imbalance, but because rain played a spoilsport to draw the match between Australia and England. Hosts are confident that they would have smoothly clinched the victory, considering the way they were dominating throughout the innings. However, it was the weather that turned the tables.
Harry Brook has echoed a similar tone while stating that a victory in the 5th test would be a moral victory for the team. Makes sense, as they have no title to lose anyway.
James Anderson has 689 wickets to his name in the red-ball format. His career spans 339 innings. However, he has not been the best of his fast-medium pace during the Ashes 2023. This has planted a seed of speculation that the 5th test at The Oval could make the atmosphere for his retirement.
The 40-year-old right-arm bowler has so far denied such reports. He wishes to continue playing for as long as possible. If true, then fans can expect the English side to go into an all-attack mode and bring the win home for their senior bowler. Odds at many cricket sports betting sites are favoring England with a pinch left for a draw again.
The Oval has a pitch that does not shy away from giving 400+ runs to a team. It is a flat surface, mostly ideal for batters. Bowlers enjoy their time, depending on the weather. Seamers may choose to hit a few bouncers, but that’s it; spinners will have to rely on the surface and wait for the innings to near the end before they can get started.
England and Australia lock horns for the 5th test of Ashes 2023 on July 27, 2023. The event is set to conclude on July 31, 2023. Ben Stokes and Pat Cummins will look to bat first and set the bar as high as possible. There is a possibility that an aggressive attack gets the win to the team that bats first. They may not have to bat again if the bowling line-up does its job fairly well.
Stuart Broad is leading the charts in terms of wicket takers. The right-arm fast-medium bowler has 18 wickets to his name in 8 innings at an average of 28.55. He is followed by the Australian skipper with 16 wickets against his name at an average of 33.37 throughout 7 innings.
Zak Crawley has the highest number of runs to his name, 385, with an average of 55 scored in 7 innings. He is followed by Usman Khawaja with a narrow margin, bringing the score to 377 in 8 innings at an average of 47.12.
While it remains to be seen if The Oval is actually hosting a farewell match for Anderson, it also remains to be seen if England ends up securing the moral victory for the country in their backyard.
