England will take on Australia in the fifth and final Test of the Ashes series 2013. After securing the series, the hosts will be looking forward for a clean sweep. The fifth Test will kick off on Wednesday at Kennington Oval, London.
The match will begin at 3:30 PM IST (Friday) and it will be telecast live in India on Ten Cricket.
Overview:
The Ashes 2013 was completely dominated by England except the third Test that ended in a draw due to bad weather. England skipper Alastair Cook will be keen to inflict a historic 4-0 victory on Australia. They have already secured the third consecutive Ashes series victory after wining the fourth Test by 74 runs.
Australia's hope of bouncing back in the series was thrashed when the third Test was abandoned due to bad weather. It was their closest chance to win in the entire series. They will be very keen to win the last Test match and avoid 0-4 humiliation.
Previous Meetings:
England 32-31 win-loss and six draws record against Australia in 68 Ashes series played till date.
Team News:
England: Kevin Pietersen, who had a knee injury, will return to the team. Chris Tremlett, Steve Finn and Chris Woakes are in the queue to play in the fifth and final Test, as Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions will miss the match due to injuries. Spinner Simon Kerrigan has also made it to the squad.
Australia: Shane Watson is expected to play despite an injury scare. Phillip Hughes is expected to replace Usman Khawaja, and James Faulkner is likely to take the field. Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc, Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle are expected to lead the bowling attack.
Team Performance:
England: Ian Bell is in good form with two centuries in his kitty this series. Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Joe Root and Jonathan Trott are also in good form. They will rely on the top order to put up a good total on the board.
On the bowling front, Stuart Broad took 11 wickets in the fourth Test, and Graeme Swann took four wickets, helping the team win the series.
Australia: Chris Rogers scored a century in the previous Test, while Shane Watson and David Warner scored half centuries each. Michael Clarke, Steven Smith and others have shown sparks of brilliance but their inconcistency should be a matter of worry.
On the bowling front, Ryan Harris took nine wickets and Nathan Lyon took seven in the previous match.
Prediction:
Australia are expected to bounce back and end the series on a winning note.
Squads:
England: Alastair Cook (captain), James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Ian Bell, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Simon Kerrigan, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Joe Root, Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott, Chris Woakes
Australia: Michael Clarke (captain), Chris Rogers, Ed Cowan, Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, Matthew Wade, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar
