ENG vs AUS Ashes 2023, 5th Test: Toss result and playing XIs for today's match, umpires list and pitch report
England will take on Australia in the fifth and final Ashes 2023 Test at the Kennington Oval in London starting Thursday. The Aussies retained the urn following the rain-enforced draw in the previous Test at Old Trafford in Manchester. Although some critics have termed Australia lucky to escape defeat in the fourth Test, it shouldn’t be forgotten that they won the opening two matches.
What cannot be denied, though, is the fact that England have been the better of the two sides in the last two Tests and that has clearly reflected in their performances. The inclusion of Mark Wood and Chris Woakes has made a massive difference to the fortunes of the hosts. The urn may be lost, but a 2-2 result would please England and the team’s fans for sure.
Pat Cummins has made it clear that Australia will go all-out for a 3-1 scoreline. Although they retained the urn, there is still an Ashes series to win, which is a major motivation for the visitors. They, however, need to pick themselves after a pretty lackluster show in the last Test.
Today's ENG vs AUS toss result
Australia have won the toss and opted to bowl first.
“[There’s a] bit of cloud overhead. The wicket looks like a good one,” Pat Cummins said.
The Aussies have made one expected change to their playing XI - Todd Murphy comes in for Cameron Green.
England captain Ben Stokes admitted that he too would have bowled first had he won the toss due to overhead conditions.
ENG vs AUS - Today's match playing XIs
England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (w), Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson.
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey (w), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Josh Hazlewood, Todd Murphy.
Today's ENG vs AUS pitch report
The Oval outfield is green and there is a bit of grass on the pitch. However, it is quite dry underneath. Remember, India inserted Australia into bat in the WTC final here and ended up losing the Test.
Today's ENG vs AUS match players list
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Moeen Ali, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Ollie Robinson, Daniel Lawrence, Josh Tongue.
Australia squad: Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Todd Murphy, Scott Boland, Marcus Harris, Michael Neser, Josh Inglis.
ENG vs AUS - Today's match umpires
On-field umpires: Joel Wilson, Kumar Dharmasena
TV umpire: Nitin Menon
Match Referee: Ranjan Madugalle