5 player battles to watch out for in Ashes 2023

The oldest and most prestigious rivalry in cricket resumes with England and Australia fighting for the Ashes in a five-match series commencing with the curtain raiser at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham on Friday, June 16.

With Australia entering the series on the back of glory in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, they will be keen to continue their good run of form and begin the new cycle on a high.

As for England, this is the biggest test yet for their highly revamped template which has seen them attack at will with the bat, while going ultra-aggressive with their field placements as well.

Clearly, we're in for a mouth-watering few weeks ahead of us and a few key faceoffs will prove to be pivotal in deciding where the urn is headed.

On that note, we take a look at five player battles to watch out for in the upcoming Ashes series.

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#1 Steve Smith vs James Anderson

Australia's best batter against England's best bowler. Two all-time greats and modern-day colossi who continue to stretch their limits. Of course, the battle between Steve Smith and James Anderson ought to be a tantalizing one, right?

The English veteran holds a slight edge when it comes to the head-to-head against Smith, having dismissed him eight times in Tests. That isn't to suggest this is a bunny alert, with Smith averaging 50.2 against the swing ace.

England's hopes of regaining the Ashes will hinge heavily on the extent to which they can stop Smith from piling up big runs. If they are to do that, Anderson's unparalleled skill, coupled with the three-quarter seam delivery that he has mastered over time, will be huge factors over the course of this series.

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#2 Joe Root vs Pat Cummins

Joe Root has been at his absolute best in Test cricket over the last two-and-a-half years or so. His side-on approach has enabled him to pile up runs for fun and once again, he will be tasked with leading England's charge with the bat this Ashes.

In his way though is Australian skipper Pat Cummins, who has dismissed Root eight times in Tests at just 23.8 runs apiece. Clearly, England's batting ace has a record to set straight this series and this is arguably his best chance of doing so.

Mind you, he will be up against one of the top-ranked pace bowlers in the format at present and it will be far from easy. But with two players at the peak of their powers in their respective departments at the moment, this matchup could have large-scale ramifications over the next few weeks.

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#3 Travis Head vs Mark Wood

Will England miss Mark Wood in the first Ashes Test?

Travis Head was the Player of the Series the last time England and Australia fought for the Ashes. While it came Down Under, the southpaw will fancy his chances of replicating his counter-attacking best this time around too, particularly on the back of a stunning show in the World Test Championship final against India.

The final did throw up one possible area of weakness in his game though - the short ball. India were too late to realize that but England have the fiery Mark Wood in their ranks to turn to and bombard the head with sheer velocity.

One will have to wait until at least the second Test for the same though, with Wood not named in the XI for the first match at Edgbaston. Yet, if there isn't much life in the pitches going forward in the series, this sure ought to be one feisty battle with neither looking to back away from landing a punch.

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#4 Ben Stokes vs Nathan Lyon

Ben Stokes has often approached his game with the bat in a cavalier fashion, but one has got the impression of him trying too hard since the activation of 'Bazball' mode.

That he has all the shots in the book and is a naturally attacking player means that he has no reason to try something extravagant. His approach will certainly come under scrutiny during the Ashes, particularly against Nathan Lyon, of whom Stokes had the measure of in that famous Headingley heist in 2019.

That said, Lyon has dismissed the England captain nine times in Tests to date, including thrice Down Under the last time out. Stokes does average 43.7 against him though and will look to try and put Australia's frontline spinner under the pump, particularly with Lyon expected to bowl long spells from one end.

Clearly, there's a lot to look forward to in this matchup then, isn't there?

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#5 David Warner vs Stuart Broad

A discourse around the Ashes in England cannot be complete without mentioning this face-off, can it? Stuart Broad had David Warner's number throughout the 2019 summer, dismissing him a grand seven times in that series alone while having accounted for him 14 times in all in Tests.

Warner has struggled against the moving ball and the angle from around the wicket in particular has troubled him a lot. Broad has proven himself to be an expert exponent of that ploy, especially if he can get the ball to nip away off the surface.

It's safe to say that the modus operandi will not change against the southpaw, who could salvage only 95 runs in 10 innings in the Ashes in 2019.

Australia will be keen for a solid opening partnership and with Usman Khawaja not boasting a happy record in England either, how Warner counters his nemesis will go a long way in deciding not just how many the visitors score, but potentially his future in the format as well.

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Which player battle are you most looking forward to in the Ashes? Have your say in the comments section below!