Pakistan fell on home soil, another 3-0, earlier in 2023. New Zealand came back for a second sip to draw 1-1 as England ground to a halt one single, solitary run short of another clean sweep. But Australia, Australia are different.<\/p>\n
Armed to the teeth with bat and ball in hand, the tourists are worthy of their place at the head of the top table in world Test cricket. Can England stop them?<\/p>\n
RadioTimes.com<\/a> brings you our predictions ahead of The Ashes this summer.<\/p>\n Read more: Best cricket players in the world 2023<\/a> | Best cricket players of all time<\/a> | Highest wicket takers in Test cricket<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n It feels too easy to say Ben Stokes<\/strong>, but what he does without bat or ball in hand could define this series. Stokes\u2019s captaincy has been exemplary so far. Bold, brave, unconventional.<\/p>\n Pound-for-pound, England boast a batting line-up to match anyone in world cricket, though their bowling attack, while bristling with potential match-winners, looks slightly ragged.<\/p>\n Jimmy Anderson and Ollie Robinson are coming off injuries, Mark Wood hasn\u2019t bowled for England in England since August 2021 and Moeen Ali was probably checking our TV guide for coverage details of the Ashes<\/a> as recently as last week. Stokes\u2019s captaincy, managing the fine resources at his disposal will determine England\u2019s success this summer.<\/p>\n Watching Australia\u2019s exploits against India in the World Test Championship final was hardly a gratifying experience for the England fan, was it? England\u2019s pre-Ashes warm-up saw Ireland demolished inside three days, while home fans were forced to watch Australia enjoy five days of rust-shaking against elite opposition under the baking sun at Lord\u2019s. Ideal for the tourists.<\/p>\n \u2018Bazball\u2019 has taken centre stage in the build-up to the series, naturally leading the conversation towards whether England\u2019s batting line-up can enjoy such fruitful innings\u2019 under the probing conditions provided by Australia\u2019s all-action bowling attack, all the while Steve Smith<\/strong> has gone about his business in a cool, composed, collected manner. He racked up scores of at least 80 in seven of his last nine innings for Australia on English pitches, including his 121 at the Oval against India last week. Without a doubt, taking Smith early is the No.1 dream scenario for England in each innings.<\/p> Harry Brook<\/strong> has already broken out for England, but he could skyrocket from rising hot talent to fully-fledged star over the course of this summer. His seven caps for England are book-ended by 12 and a DNB against South Africa, and 9* and DNB against Ireland. He recorded an astonishing 797 runs in just five matches between, including another DNB, 9 and a duck. His 81.80 batting average must surely take a tumble against an elite unit such as Australia, but maturely aggressive innings this summer will see his stock explode upwards.<\/p>\n For Australia,\u00a0Cameron Green<\/strong> is the next big superstar to roll off the never-ending conveyor belt Down Under. The all-rounder boasts 21 caps by the age of 24 and is a land, sea and aerial threat for the Aussies. With a 33.84 bowling average, 36 dead-on batting average \u2013 that has been creeping up year-on-year since his debut \u2013 and 21 catches in 21 matches, he is tracing Stokes\u2019s Test career record with eerie accuracy. Like Brook, he is hardly a hidden talent, but this could be his moment to seize the next rung on the ladder to greatness.<\/p>\n This should be a far closer affair than in 2021\/22. Let me rephrase that, this\u00a0must<\/em> be a closer affair than in 2021\/22. From the moment Mitchell Starc dismantled Rory Burns with the first ball of the series Down Under, it just felt\u2026 over. Edgbaston is a far more favourable launchpad for England to begin their journey in 2023 and so much about this team, the well-documented style shift, captaincy and confidence, feels different to pre-2021\/22.<\/p>\n This one has the feel of a series going all the way. Both teams are blessed with deep batting stables with the likes of Joe Root and the returning Jonny Bairstow among a number of England players capable of racking up centuries against any team.<\/p>\n However, that bowling fragility is cause for concern for England. Jack Leach is a big loss, Moeen Ali is a wildcard gamble, and cotton wool manufacturers won\u2019t believe their luck as Anderson, Robinson and Wood must be tightly swaddled in between Tests.<\/p>\n For this reason, the settled, ominous nature of Australia<\/strong> right through their squad means they are the favourites to win their first Ashes series in England since 2001.<\/p>\n Zak, Ben, Oliver, Joseph, Harry, Benjamin, Jonathan, Moeen, Stuart, Oliver and James, you know what to do.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n You can watch The Ashes live on Sky Sports<\/a> Cricket and Main Event.<\/p>\n You can add the Sky Sports Cricket and Sky Sports Football channels for just \u00a318 per month combined or pick up the complete sports package for just \u00a325 per month.<\/p>\n Sky Sports customers can live stream The Ashes via the Sky Go app on a variety of devices including most smartphones and tablets as part of their subscription.<\/p>\n You can also watch The Ashes via NOW<\/a>\u00a0without signing up to a contract.<\/p>\n NOW can be streamed through a computer or apps found on most smart TVs, phones and consoles. NOW is also available via BT Sport.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re looking for something else to watch, check out our\u00a0TV Guide<\/a>\u00a0and Streaming<\/span> Guide<\/span><\/b><\/a> or visit our Sport<\/a> hub for all the latest news.<\/strong><\/p>\n Try Radio Times magazine today and get 12 issues for only \u00a31 with delivery to your home \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>subscribe now<\/strong><\/a>. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to\u00a0<\/strong>The Radio Times Podcast<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n Our thoughts and predictions ahead of The Ashes 2023, including who we think will lift the urn in July. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":33838,"template":"","categories":[6,7,5],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/06\/the-ashes-predictions-who-will-win-the-ashes-in-2023-scaled.jpg",2560,1705,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/06\/the-ashes-predictions-who-will-win-the-ashes-in-2023-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/06\/the-ashes-predictions-who-will-win-the-ashes-in-2023-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/06\/the-ashes-predictions-who-will-win-the-ashes-in-2023-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/06\/the-ashes-predictions-who-will-win-the-ashes-in-2023-1024x682.jpg",800,533,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/06\/the-ashes-predictions-who-will-win-the-ashes-in-2023-1536x1023.jpg",1536,1023,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2023\/06\/the-ashes-predictions-who-will-win-the-ashes-in-2023-2048x1364.jpg",2048,1364,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Our thoughts and predictions ahead of The Ashes 2023, including who we think will lift the urn in July.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/33837"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33838"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}The Ashes predictions 2023<\/strong><\/h2>\n
England\u2019s key player<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Ben\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/06\/Ben-Stokes-2-f0b4c44.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Ben\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Australia\u2019s key player<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Breakout star of The Ashes?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""Cameron\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/06\/Cameron-Green-e66e5a5-e1686832905822.jpg?quality=90&resize=619%2C413"\" "\\"\"Cameron\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Who will win The Ashes?<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\""The\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2023\/06\/Ashes-urn-5722a11.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"The\\"\/")
<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>How to watch The Ashes on TV<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Live stream The Ashes online<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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