Ashes 2023: England name unchanged squad for fifthTest
Ashes 2023: The fifth and final match of the series will be played from July 27-31 at Kennington Oval in London
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The current Ashes tally is 2-1 in Australia's favour with one game remaining. The coveted Ashes urn was retained by Pat Cummins' team after the fourth Test in Manchester ended in a stalemate. As rain interrupted the final two days of the Test match, England was forced to accept a devastating loss in a must-win contest.
The fifth and final Test match will occur between July 27 and July 31. The contest will take place at the Kennington Oval in London. The host team has announced that they will retain the same squad as the fourth Test.
In the first two games of the highly anticipated series, Australia dominated. In the following two contests, England did not go down without a fight. At Headingley, the home team won the third Test by three wickets, ultimately gaining the upper hand. They carried momentum into the fourth Test and dominated proceedings immediately. They seized a commanding 275-run lead in the first inning with approximately two and a half days remaining. However, only 71 overs were bowled in that period due to the reign of the rain gods.
Ben Stokes urges supporters to show up in London to support the team
Now that England can only level the Ashes, and the urn is already out of reach, it may be difficult for captain Ben Stokes to motivate his team for the fifth Test. However, the talismanic all-rounder stated that they want to end the series on a high note and urged fans to come out in large numbers to encourage them on.
"We understand what the final game means to us as a team, and we want to end on a high note. Stokes stated in the post-match presentation, "We want the crowd to come out and support us."
England squad for Oval Test:
Ben Stokes (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
