Date, time, location, TV and streaming, squads, form, odds, weather and more...
The first Test of the 2023 Men's Ashes between England and Australia.
Play is scheduled to begin at 11am GMT on Friday, June 16.
The first Test will be held at Edgbaston.
Australia have been in possession of The Ashes since 2017/18, recording back-to-back 4-0 series wins on home soil either side of a 2-2 draw in England in 2019. However, they haven't won a Test series in England since 2001.
Pat Cummins' side head into The Ashes off the back of winning the World Test Championship after defeating India by 209 runs at the Oval. Since the 2021/22 Ashes, Australia have played 15 Tests, winning eight, drawing four and losing three, and have completed series wins over Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa.
However, they are facing a completely different England side to the one they overwhelmed in 2021/22. Under the leadership of Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes, England have won 11 Tests from a possible 13 and are challenging the record books with their rapid run rates and centuries.
They've tasted success with Bazball against New Zealand (home and away), South Africa, India, Ireland and in Pakistan – can they do it against Australia?
Moeen Ali is back [Stu Forster/Getty Images]
The big news from the England camp is Moeen Ali is back, lured out of Test retirement to replace Jack Leach who has been ruled out of the series with a stress fracture (back). The allrounder averages 33.28 with the bat and 33.48 with the ball in English conditions but has struggled against Australia, with his batting average dropping below 30 and his bowling average climbing to 47.86. He hasn't played first-class cricket since September 2021.
Josh Tongue is the other surprise face in the England squad, joining James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, Matthew Potts and Ollie Robinson in the pace arsenal. Tongue was a late callup for the Ireland Test and went on to take 5 for 66 in the second innings at Lord's.
Wicketkeeper Ben Foakes is a notable absentee, with Jonny Bairstow preferred with the gloves. Bairstow will likely bat at No.7 behind a set middle order of Joe Root, Harry Brook and captain Ben Stokes. Under fire opener Zak Crawley, meanwhile, is expected to continue at the top of the order alongside Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope.
As for Australia, much of the attention will be on Steve Smith and David Warner, who had contrasting fortunes during the 2019 Ashes. Smith was the runaway leading run-scorer, scoring 774 runs at 110.57 in seven innings, including three centuries and three half-centuries, while Warner averaged 9.5 and found himself a frequent victim of Broad.
With Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green and Travis Head – who has scored 1,032 runs at 54.31 since the 2021/22 Ashes – at their disposal, there are run-scoring options aplenty.
With the ball, Cummins was the leading wicket-taker in 2019, picking up 29 wickets at 19.62, while Australia's stacked attack also includes Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and spinners Nathan Lyon and Todd Murphy. However, all eyes will be on Scott Boland, who has taken 33 wickets at 14.57 in eight Tests, including 18 at 9.55 against England.
Josh Inglis will serve as Alex Carey's understudy with the gloves before returning to Australia for the birth of his first child.
England squad: Ben Stokes (c), Ollie Pope, Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Todd Murphy, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Starc, David Warner
Scott Boland lit up the 2021/22 Ashes [Cameron Spencer/Getty Images]
Temperatures in the low to mid-twenties are expected across the five days but from day two onwards intermittent showers in the afternoon could cause stoppages in play.
England are at 6/4 to take a 1-0 lead in the Ashes while an Australian win is available at 13/10. A draw is considered the least likely scenario, with odds of 17/4 available.
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, with chief correspondent George Dobell and digital editor Sam Morshead at Edgbaston. After each day's play, the two 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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