England and Australia begin their fight for the Ashes today as the men’s series gets under way at Edgbaston.
Australia utterly dominated their visitors when the two sides last met Down Under, when Mitchell Starc memorably bowled Rory Burns with the very first ball at the Gabba to set the tone for a 4-0 thrashing. But 18 months is a long time in Test cricket and the landscape has changed dramatically. England have adopted a revolutionary attacking style with both bat and ball under new captain Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum which has brought 11 victories in their past 13 matches, and they are bullish about their chances of winning the Ashes for the first time since 2015.
Stokes has turned to the familiar figures of James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Jonny Bairstow and Moeen Ali – coaxed out of Test retirement – in England’s bid to get off to a winning start. But they face a formidable Australian side with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne leading the batting charge backed up by an experienced and varied bowling attack.
Not out! England 177-5 (39), Jonny Bairstow 1, Joe Root 37, Josh Hazlewood 2-37 (10)
Over the top! A sigh of relief for Jonny Bairstow as ball tracking shows Hazlewood’s nip-backer skimming a few centimetres over the top of leg peg. England really would have been in the mire but their fire-starter will have to play fire-fighter here.
Lawrence Ostlere at Edgbaston: “It has all gone a bit flat here at Edgbaston. Brook had just settled when he had that slice of bad luck which saw him bowled in bizarre circumstances. Stokes’ exit was a little careless, however, and England have their backs against the wall in this first innings now. The players are taking drinks and plenty of fans are streaming out to recharge too on what is a baking afternoon in Birmingham.”
England 180-5 (40), Jonny Bairstow 3, Joe Root 38, Nathan Lyon 2-55 (13)
Nathan Lyon hurries through his over, Australia all abuzz after those two quick wickets. These two were the stars of England’s summer last year but they’ll have to strike the right balance here.
How can I watch the Ashes?
Viewers in the United Kingdom will be able to watch every ball of every Test live on Sky Sports Cricket, with the channel holding exclusive television rights to the series. Subscribers can stream the action via the Sky Go app, while a nightly highlights show will air on the BBC.
2023 Ashes schedule
The men’s Ashes will be contested over five Tests, with each scheduled for five days of action if required. The series begins at Edgbaston on Friday 16 June and will conclude at The Oval at the end of July.
Each day’s play is scheduled to begin at 11am BST, though this is subject to change depending on weather.
First Test (Edgbaston, Birmingham): Friday 16 June to Tuesday 20 June
Second Test (Lord’s, London): Wednesday 28 June to Sunday 2 July
Third Test (Headingley, Leeds): Thursday 6 July to Monday 10 July
Fourth Test (Old Trafford, Manchester): Wednesday 19 July to Sunday 24 July
Fifth Test (The Oval, London): Thursday 27 July to Monday 31 July
Who currently holds the Ashes?
Australia retained the Ashes with a conclusive 4-0 win on home soil in the winter of 2021/22, having also kept hold of the un after a 2-2 draw in the last series England hosted in 2019. The tourists have not won a series on English soil since 2001, though.
The overall record after 72 series reads: 34 Australia series wins, 32 England series wins, six drawn series.
England vs Australia LIVE: Cricket scorecard and Ashes updates from the first Test at Edgbaston