Australia, the new World Test Championship champions, have already begun their Ashes 2023 journey against England. They have already won the first two Tests of the Ashes 2023, and it is undeniable that Australia is the front-runner to take the title of Ashes 2023.
Here are three considerations for Australia’s potential to win the third Ashes Test in 2023 and seal the series:
1. In-form Middle-Order Batters
As you are all aware, the second Ashes test ended up being won by Australia by 43 runs in a session that was spared on a humid Sunday, following another significant individual attack by England skipper Ben Stokes. In contrast the Pat Cummins-led Australian team, which has a great and strong middle order with players like Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, Cameron Green, and Alex Carey, who fantastically contributed with the bat to win the second Ashes, no one in particular, apart from Stokes and Duckett, could help England prevail in the match over the Aussies. Notably, this will be the prominent reason that Australia has the chance of winning the third Ashes in a row owing to his great middle-order batters.
2. Strong Til
The strongest lower-order batters, who can surpass the restrictions to clinch matches without depending on top-order or middle-order batters, are what really sets the Australians apart from the English team. Ultimately, it has been noticed that England expected a solid partnership for the few wickets remaining during the second Ashes; unfortunately, that was unable to happen. On the flip side, the duo of Pat Cummins and Nathon Lyon’s stand during the first Ashes would have enabled them to secure a victory in the opening game. Notably, during the final hour of the final day, Cummins and Nathan Lyon (16 not out), who had two sixes and four fours between them, shared a match-winning 55-run ninth-wicket partnership, which led them to their first win in the Ashes in 2023.
Prior to the Ashes 2023, Australia, led by star seamer Pat Cummins, successfully grabbed the title of World Test Champions at The Oval, defeating India, led by Rohit Sharma, by a commanding score of 209 runs. It is noteworthy that the Australian middle order stars like Travis Head and Steve Smith, whose outstanding hundreds in the first innings set the stage for Australia’s early dominance in the Test, felt motivated to compete in the Ashes following their win over India. Meanwhile, as of now, they must be confident after claiming the first and second matches of the series, as the Aussies just need to win a single match out of the three matches left to win the Ashes in 2023 following their great victory in the WTC Final.