The much awaited Ashes is all set to begin on June 16 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. England and Australia will renew their historic rivalry and this time around, Bazball is the popular term from the home team's camp. Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum have completed changed the way of playing Test cricket and that has worked for them big time winning 11 out of their last 14 Tests. Meanwhile, Australia are coming off a fantastic win in the WTC Final against India and they will be keen on starting their title defence with a win. Before all the action begins, here's all you need to know about the venue - Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Pitch Report - ENG vs AUS
The first look of the surface at the Edgbaston is it is flat and the batters will enjoy their time in the middle. Having said that, there will be some swing as weather plays an important role in England. The venue has hosted 56 Test matches with the average first innings score being 306.
Will Toss Matter?
Kind of no. England like to chase under Ben Stokes while Australia will be happy to do anything as long as things are falling in place for them. Out of 56, 19 Test matches have been won by teams batting first while bowling first teams have won 21 Tests.
Edgbaston, Birmingham- The Numbers Game
Basic Test Stats
- Total matches: 56
- Matches won batting first: 19
- Matches won bowling first: 21
AverageTest Stats
- Average 1st Innings scores: 306
- Average 2nd Innings scores: 316
- Average 3rd Innings scores: 243
- Average 4th Innings scores 160
Score Stats for Test matches
- Highest total recorded - 710/7 (188.1 Ov) by ENG vs IND
- Highest score chased - 30/10 (12.3 Ov) by SA vs ENG
Full Squads -
England Squad: Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes(c), Jonny Bairstow(w), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, James Anderson, Daniel Lawrence, Josh Tongue, Matthew Potts, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes
Australia Squad: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Marnus Labuschagne, Alex Carey(w), Pat Cummins(c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Todd Murphy, Josh Inglis, Matt Renshaw, Marcus Harris
