The Ashes 2023 2nd Test Prediction, Odds and Betting Tips: England versus Australia. Who Will Be Victorious?

The wait is over, the second Test of The Ashes is upon us, and we hope that the two teams serve up the same kind of Test match cricket treat that they did at Edgbaston last week. Australia have held the urn since 2018, and their win in Birmingham has seen them put two fingers on it - if they were to claim the win at Lord's as well, they will have one hand firmly on sport's smallest trophy. We are expecting another match of epic proportions, so read on to find out who I think will win this second Test.

🌹 England The Ashes 2nd Test Preview

A few days ago, England decided to call up Rehan Ahmed to their squad for this match as a cover option for Moeen Ali. The England all-rounder struggled in the first Test due to a nasty blister on his finger, and it has not yet been revealed as to whether he will be fit enough to take part in this upcoming game. If not, then Ahmed will get his first taste of Ashes cricket at just 18 years old. There have been no other changes to the squad, so far.

England have more questions to answer than Australia do heading into this Test, so let us look at a couple of changes that I think Brendan McCullum and Ben Stokes will decide to make. Personally, I do not think that it is worth risking Ali in this match - he gets a lot of accolades, but for me he has always been pretty bang average, and his stats back this up. He averages 36.66 with the ball and just 28.29 with the bat in Test cricket. He bowled many rank full tosses at Edgbaston that the Aussies tucked into, and he always seems to just gift his wicket away. I watched Ahemed on his debut against Pakistan last year and was impressed with what I saw. I would leave Ali out and include Rehan.

I also think that Mark Wood should come into the team, but at whose expense? Well, this is a hard one, but I think James Anderson should be the man to drop out for this one. He has a great record at Lord’s but I fear that he might still not have fully recovered from last week – we have to remember that he is 40 now. England lacked extreme pace at Edgbaston, and Wood is the one that can provide that at Lord’s, and give the Aussie batsman something else to think about.

My predicted England XI: Duckett, Crawley, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes, Bairstow, Robinson, Broad, Wood, Ahmed.

🦘 Australia The Ashes 2nd Test Team Preview

Australia will probably be wondering how it is that they have a 1-0 lead in the series - with 8 wickets down in their second innings and still needing 50 plus runs, everything pointed to an England win. However, some quality batting from Pat Cummins, ably supported by Nathan Lyon, saw their side over the line. There is a saying about not changing a winning team, but I think there will be at least one change for this game at Lord's.

I think that Mitchell Starc, who was left out of the first Test for tactical reasons, will be recalled to the playing XI. Who is it that will get the boot though? Well, I think Scott Boland will be the unfortunate casualty - he has never let his country down, but England took a firm liking to him at Birmingham, scoring at 6.14 an over off him in their first innings and 5.08 in the second. Starc is a lot more aggressive than Boland and will pitch the ball much further down the pitch, which brings his swing and deadly yorkers into play. To be honest, I would be very surprised if Starc is left carrying the water bottles once again.

There is some doubt surrounding the fitness of Cameron Green, and if they do not think that he is fit enough to bowl, then it is likely that he will be replaced by Mitchell Marsh, who is another top all-rounder. Australia need to have an extra seam option because Cummins needs to be managed over the course of this condensed series.

Our predicted Australia XI: Warner, Khawaja, Labuschagne, Smith, Head, Green, Carey, Cummins, Lyon, Starc, Hazlewood.

⚡ The Ashes 2nd Test Toss Prediction

To date, there has been 144 Tests played at Lord's and 52 have been won by the side that won the coin toss - a percentage of 36.11%. The team that bats first at Headquarters has won 35.42% of matches, compared to the 29.17% winning rate of teams batting second. Cricketers, despite what they might tell you, will always look at stats and what has happened in the past, so I think that whoever wins the toss will decide to bat first and put at least 350-400 runs on the board.

🌱 Pitch Conditions at Lord's Cricket Ground

Your average Lord's pitch is usually dry with a little bit of grass, making it a good place to bat and bowl. The average score for the team batting first at Lord's is 310, which shows that there is value for your shots here. The Lord's pitch usually takes plenty of spin in the third and fourth innings, so if Stokes wins the toss, I can see him batting first so he can avoid having to bat against Nathan Lyon in the fourth innings. All in all, the pitch at Lord's should be a lot livelier than the one that was offered up at Edgbaston.

🔮 Our Ashes Second Test Match Prediction

So, if you are going to placing a match winner bet at one of the top betting sites in Ireland, who would I suggest you back? Well, I am expecting another humdinger of a match between two very evenly matched teams, but my money is on the Aussies to take a 2-0 series lead. This is because they have all of the momentum heading into this match, and will be full of confidence after their win last week. Also, I don’t see Warner, Smith, Head and Labuschagne failing in two consecutive Tests.

✒️ Sheldon Muchmore - iGaming and Sports Betting Enthusiast

This Ashes Second Test prediction was written by Sheldon Muchmore.

Sheldon is a tipster and betting expert from the United Kingdom who has a passion for a whole range of sports, particularly football, rugby, and cricket. He is an avid Aston Villa fan, so feel free to feel a bit of pity for him. He has been involved in the online gambling industry for a number of years now and has written a large number of predictions for a variety of sports including GAA, so he has built up a lot of sporting expertise over the years.