England and Australia face off for the first time in this Ashes series with both teams coming into the Edgbaston Test off the back of convincing victories.
Ben Stokes' side thrashed Ireland by 10 wickets at Lord's, although the win came at a cost with England's leading spinner, Jack Leach, now ruled out for the rest of the rest of the summer.
Australia warmed up for their defence of the urn with a 209-run demolition of India in the World Test Championship Final and have no major form or fitness concerns ahead of the opening clash.
- Australia to win
- Joe Root to be England's top batter - 1st innings
- Scott Boland to be Australia's top bowler - 1st innings
Baggy Greens In Good Shape
Australia have won six of their nine Test series since their last trip to England in 2019 with an overall record of 17 wins, six draws and five defeats in 28 matches.
Their order features the three leading batters in the world according to the current ICC rankings - Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Travis Head - and they can call upon Test cricket's highest-ranked spinner - Nathan Lyon.
England may have won 11 of their 13 Tests since Stokes took over as captain last summer, but there are question marks over their opening pair, the bowling fitness of their all-rounder and the quality of their remaining spin options.
England's do-or-die approach usually takes the draw out of the equation, but their opponents' refusal to be cowed by bullying tactics should ensure Australia take a 1-0 lead to Lord's.
Root Must Dig Deep
England's hopes of getting off to a good start will rest on how many first innings runs they make as any deficit could be very hard to make up later because of Lyon's quality.
Joe Root will have a key role to play as he averages over 20 runs more than any other England player in Tests at Edgbaston and is the only home batter currently rated in the ICC's top-15.
Root's overall Test average is back above 50 again as a result of the Yorkshireman averaging 61.94 under the new regime and his strike rate has risen from 54.65 to 75.95.
He rarely sells his wicket cheaply and, after becoming only the second Englishman to pass 11,000 Test runs earlier this summer, has his sights set on more milestones.
JOE ROOT TOP ENGLAND BATSMAN - FIRST INNINGS
Scott Boland will pose a threat
Hosts Must Be Aware Of Boland
Late bloomer Scott Boland made a spectacular entrance to Test and Ashes cricket in the Boxing Day Test of 2021 when he claimed six wickets in a 19-ball burst.
Wicket bursts have since become his signature with sequences of two wickets in eight balls, then two in three balls against England in Sydney before the Victorian took three in 21 balls to finish the Ashes in Hobart.
He claimed three wickets in an over against West Indies a year later and then two in three balls – in both innings - against South Africa.
After removing Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja in three balls to break India's final-day resistance at The Oval last week, the 34-year-old should be the bowler Australia dare not drop for Edgbaston.
The 32-year-old averages 60.81 from 13 Test innings at Edgbaston and he was rock-solid in New Zealand in February, scoring 309 runs at an average of 106.33. He chipped in with 56 against Ireland at Lord's and could lead the way in the first innings.
SCOTT BOLAND AUSTRALIA’S TOP BOWLER - FIRST INNINGS
