Ashes 2019: England vs Australia, 1st Test - Toss Report

Fresh from their maiden ICC World Cup 2019 win, England will be keen to make a double this summer winning the Ashes 2019. In a bid to do so, the host will be desperate to make a winning start when they play Australia in the first Test starting from August 1 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

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Meanwhile, the first Test will also mark the beginning of the World Test Championship. Both the teams will be high on confidence and will go hard at each other to make a winning start to the championship. England who are coming from the back of a win against Ireland will have to solve their batting woes. Joe Root, the captain, is likely to move up a spot to bat at No.3, with Joe Denly set to come in at No.4. Pace sensation Jofra Archer, who is recovering from a side strain has failed to make the cut the first Test; thus stretching his Test debut. Veteran pacer James Anderson has recovered in time to be available for the maiden Test of the Ashes 2019.

Steve Smith in the 2017/18 Ashes:

SHORTS

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5️⃣ Tests
6️⃣8️⃣7️⃣ runs
Batting average: 1️⃣3️⃣7️⃣.4️⃣0️⃣
High score: 2️⃣3️⃣9️⃣

Will Australia's leading batsman in Test cricket have a similar impact in 2019? pic.twitter.com/81skRXhYxi

— ICC (@ICC) July 29, 2019

Also read: 10 Cricketers Banned For Doping

On the other hand, Australia will come out with full strength, hungry and well-prepared. David Warner and Usman Khawaja have recovered in time to be available for selection for the first Test at Edgbaston. The management will have a task at hand in choosing Warner’s opening partner form Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris. James Pattison is likely to make a comeback to the Test side, head coach Justin Langer indicated.

Toss Report

Australia skipper Tim Paine has won the toss and elected to bat first against England in the first Ashes Test against Australia at Edgbaston in Birmingham.

Here is what the captains said,

Tim Paine

We are going to have a bat first. The wicket looks nice, hard and dry; hopefully, we’ll post a good score in the first innings. It’s exciting for me personally. Really excited for the first hour and session of play. Siddle is playing, we have six changes from the last game, so can’t remember all of them. We have spoken about getting the right combination to get all 20 wickets in the match. The boys are happy to have them back in our set up.

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Joe Root

I am not disappointed to be honest. Hopefully we can exploit the overcast conditions. We always love playing here as we get fantastic support. The atmosphere is always electric. Jofra is a fine talent. We also have the luxury of having two guys who played well in the last one week. They are world class players and a big part of this Test team.

Playing XI

England: Jason Roy, Rory Burns, Joe Root (c), Joe Denly, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

Australia: David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Matthew Wade, Tim Paine (c/wk), James Pattinson, Pat Cummins, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon