Ashes 2023: Top 5 player battles to watch out for

England and Australia are set to restart their Test rivalry when they lock horns in Ashes 2023, which is scheduled from June 16 in England, as the old foes will be fighting out for the famous urn. 

Australia have the urn since they won the home series in 2017-18. In 2019, the team from Down Under drew the series 2-2 in England before registering a thumping 4-0 series win at home in the last edition of the Ashes. The Pat Cummins-led side will be looking to continue their recent domination over England while the latter would be desperate to reclaim the urn in familiar territory. 

As the cricket world eagerly waits for the Ashes to get underway, here is a look at five potential players battles that could play a key role in deciding the outcome of the series. 

Top 5 player battles to watch out for in Ashes 2023:

5. James Anderson vs Marnus Labuschagne

James Anderson vs Marnus Labuschagne contest will be another one that will have a big bearing in the series. Labuschagne has played two Ashes series so far and did well on both the occasions. In 2019 when he famously replaced Steve Smith as a concussion substitute, he scored an impressive 353 runs at an average of over 50 to help Australia draw the series.

A couple of years later in 2021, he starred with the bat again for his team and finished the series as the second highest run-scorer after scoring 335 runs, behind Travis Head. He will be eyeing another successful series with the bat against the Ashes rivals.

For England, the onus will be on their old warhorse Anderson to ensure that Labuschagne does not have another prolific series. Anderson has not bowled much against the right-handed batsman and will be looking to make an impact in the forthcoming series.