England v Australia, 4th Ashes Test 2023: All you need to know

Date, time, location, TV and streaming, squads, form, odds, weather and more ahead of the fourth meeting of the sides at Old Trafford...

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What's the match?

The fourth Test of the Men's Ashes between England and Australia.

When is it taking place?

Play is scheduled to begin at 11am BST on Wednesday, July 19.

Where is it?

The match will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester.

What's happened so far?

Where to start? The three previous Tests have all gone down to the wire and been packed full of exciting cricket, including dropped catches, run-chasing heroics, unusual field placements and controversial moments. Stuart Broad continues to get David Warner out, Ben Stokes has been England's star on one leg, while Usman Khawaja has quietly gone about being the best batsman on show.

Australia currently lead the series 2-1, having won the opening two Tests at Edgbaston and Lord's, but the momentum is with England following a morale-boosting win at Headingly.

England need to win the remaining two Tests to claim The Ashes back off the visitors, while Australia only needs another draw to retain the urn. However, the world Test champions have a first Test series win in England since 2001 in their sights and will be gunning for nothing less.

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James Anderson returns to the England team [Getty Images]

Who's involved?

James Anderson will replace Ollie Robinson, with Old Trafford being his home ground and one where he has a great record. The pressure will be on Anderson after he struggled on the hard and flat pitches of the opening two Tests.

Mark Wood and Chris Woakes keep their places after impressive performances with the bat and ball in the last game. Meanwhile Jonny Bairstow will once again wear the gloves despite a shaky start to the series.

Australia has some selection headaches of their own. The third Test saw Cameron Green rested due to a minor injury and his replacement Mitchell Marsh was the tourists' standout performer, hitting 118 in the first innings. Will Pat Cummins revert to Green or look to get them both in the lineup?

Fast bowler Scott Boland did not pick up a wicket at Headingly and Josh Hazlewood could be in line to replace him at Old Trafford.

Marcus Harris has not played in any of the three Tests so far but there is a possibility he will come in for David Warner following the opener's struggles in the last two Tests. Pat Cummins has chosen to wait for the toss before announcing his starting lineup so far in the series.

England XI: Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood

Australia squad: Pat Cummins, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

Who are the umpires?

Ranjan Madugalle is the match referee. The stanings umpires are Joel Wilson and Nitin Menon. Kumar Dharmasena is on TV umpire duty, while Martin Saggers is the fourth official.

What's the weather forecast?

The current forecast for Old Trafford is for a clear two days before overcast conditions arrive from Friday onwards. Temperatures will be around 18 degrees Celsius throughout the week.

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Australia will retain The Ashes if they avoid defeat at Old Trafford [Getty Images]

What are the odds?

England are currently available at 5/4 with Australia listed as 6/4. The draw is available at 3/1.

Where to watch?

In the UK, Sky Sports have the broadcast rights for the entire series, with coverage beginning at 9.30am on day one and 10.15am thereafter. The Test will be shown on Sky Sports Main Event (Channel 401/Virgin 501) and Sky Sports Cricket (Channel 404/Virgin 504). Now TV offers month-by-month subscriptions to Sky Sports.

A one-hour highlights programme will shown on BBC2 from 7pm throughout the five days.

Test Match Special will provide ball by ball radio coverage on BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra, accessible via the BBC Sport website, BBC Sport app, and BBC Sounds app.

The Cricketer will have reports and reaction from each day of the match and after each day's play, George Dobell will field your questions in our Ask George roundup. Get your questions in via our social media channels.

In Australia, fans can watch all five Tests on Fox Cricket or free-to-air on Channel 9. The series can also be streamed via Kayo and 9Now.

Elsewhere, the series will be shown on the Sony Network in India and on Supersport in South Africa. In New Zealand, Spark Sport has the broadcast rights while Willow TV is the place to go in USA and Canada.


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