England faces Australia on Thursday in the second Test of the 2013 Ashes. The match begins at 6 a.m. ET (3:30 p.m. IST). Watch the live stream HERE.
England won the first Test by 14 runs. On Thursday, the squad will try to push its lead to 2-0 in the five-Test series. England's first win was due largely to James Anderson, who had a 10-wicket haul, IB Times reports.
England is expected to field the same squad that played in the first Test. The team will rely on good performances from Ian Bell, Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen. As for bowling, England needs another big game from Anderson. Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad, who had four wickets and three wickets in the first Test, will be depended on.
Despite a close game, Australia fell short in the end by only 14 runs. The squad is looking to even the score on Thursday. Phillip Hughes and Ashton Agar both took Australia's total from 117 for 9 to 280 all out, setting a Test-record tenth-wicket partnership in the first inning. Both players will need similar performances for Australia to even the series. Steven Smith, Chris Rogers and Brad Haddin must continue to score.
As for bowling, Peter Siddle led Australia in the last Test with eight wickets, while James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc had five wickets each.
IB Times predicts Australia to win.
Projected Squads:
England: Alastair Cook (c), Joe Root, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Jonny Bairstow, Matt Prior, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn, James Anderson, Graham Onions.
Australia: Michael Clarke (c), Chris Rogers, Ed Cowan, Phil Hughes, Usman Khawaja, David Warner, Shane Watson, James Faulkner, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin, Matthew Wade, Peter Siddle, Ryan Harris, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar.
