The Ashes: England or Australia? Here's what the cricket world thinks will hold the 'Urn'

Why You Are Reading This: The England vs Australia, Ashes 2023 series will culminate with the first of the five Test matches at the Edgbaston Stadium in Birmingham on Friday. England head into the prestigious series, eyeing their first Ashes title since 2015. On the other hand, the Aussies look to defend the ‘Urn’ coming on the back of a sensational win in the ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final.

3 Things You Need To Know

• Australia won the 2021-22 Ashes series by 4-0
• England haven’t won the Ashes since 2015
• This is Ben Stokes' first Ashes series as a captain

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Cricket legends put out their predictions for England vs Australia, Ashes 2023 

Former Australian cricket Glenn McGrath found himself in the headlines days before the culmination of Ashes 2023, due to his massive prediction for the series. While he appreciated England’s ‘Bazball’ approach, he predicted a 5-0 win for Australia in the coveted series. As per PTI, McGrath said, “England, there's a lot of talk about Bazball and I'm a big fan”.

“I like that backing yourself, going out there, being positive, fourth innings to go out and play your shot, it's an aggressive mindset, and if you can get on top of the bowlers, you can score runs quickly and put the pressure back on them. My prediction is 5-nil”. However, former England captain Michael Vaughan felt otherwise and pointed out Australia’s recent record in England, particularly how they retained the Ashes in 2019 with a 2-2 draw.

Speaking on Fox Cricket’s Edgbaston Ashes preview alongside Ricky Ponting, Brad Haddin and Mark Waugh, Vaughan predicted that the English batters will play Scott Boland like a spinner. “(Bazball) has worked against most teams they’ve played, but this Australian team is different though. They’re a relentless bowling unit. They’ll try though. Scott Boland, they’ll be running at him like a spinner,” said the former English skipper.

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"Intrigued to see what conditions England want to play"

Meanwhile, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was another big name who shed his thoughts on the Ashes 2023. Speaking during the India vs Australia, World Test Championship 2023 Final last week, Ponting predicted that England’s baseball approach might just backfire on them, if they end up playing on flat wickets.

“It's been refreshing to see England’s win-at-all-costs mentality, not caring about losing a game or not putting that ahead of trying to win a game. For that fact, I can't wait for the Ashes to start. I'm really intrigued to see what conditions England want to play that style of cricket. Because if they want the flatter wickets with the smaller boundaries, it might just backfire on their bowling group. That's the biggest thing for me,” Ricky Ponting said.