Fifth Ashes Test preview: England v Australia - prediction, stars to watch and suggested bets

The 5th Test of the Ashes series starts on 27 July 2023. Australia successfully retained the coveted urn after the fourth Test in Manchester ended in a damp squib. They will want to go one better and win the series.

England, on the other hand, will want to end on a relative high with the same series result as four years ago.

England v Australia, Thursday 27 July to Monday 31 July, The Oval

James Anderson has received a few question marks about his performances of late. He has struggled to find his wicket-taking best, only managing four wickets in the series so far. If the Lancastrian was to play the fifth Test at The Oval, he could well be playing his last home Ashes Test.

Pat Cummins may be thinking about including a specialist spinner in Todd Murphy. Part-time off-spinner Travis Head went at almost seven and a half runs per over in Manchester. The inclusion of Murphy would hopefully add some stability to Cummins' bowling attack.

Cameron Green has had a rather quiet series with bat and ball, scoring just over 100 runs and only taking five wickets. His exclusion could come down to the skipper's decision on whether to include a spinner or not. Fellow all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who scored 51 and 31 not out in the fourth Test, continued his good form with the bat and maybe the preferred all-rounder to stay in the XI.

David Warner has only managed a score above a half-ton once this series. He hit 66 at Lord's. The selection panel may be inclined to stick with him to see out the series despite his struggles against Stuart Broad.

Harry Brook has been so close, yet so far from bringing up his first century in front of a home crowd. His half-centuries of 50, 75 and 61 have been important in turning around his team's fortunes. The middle-order batter will be hoping for his first three-figure innings in England at The Oval.

The first drawn match of the 'Bazball' era came courtesy of a day five washout in the previous Test. England pulled off a victory at Leeds which kept their Ashes hopes alive at the time. The Aussies won the three Tests prior to that.

Ben Duckett has been impressive in home conditions, giving his side a solid start at the top of the order. He averages 52.50 at a strike rate of 83.16 with one century (182) and two half-centuries when playing Tests in England.

Fresh off a five-wicket haul in the previous Test, Chris Woakes is no stranger to success in English bowling conditions. His tally of 106 Test wickets in England is almost triple the number of wickets he has in every other country combined. The right-arm seamer has also only ever managed a five-wicket innings haul and 10-wicket match haul in his home nation.

Former Australian captain Steve Smith is experiencing a rare patch in England Tests of five innings without a half-century. The number four batter has accumulated 15 scores above 50 in his 40 Test innings in England. This gives him at least a half-century roughly every two or three innings.

Josh Hazlewood managed a five-wicket haul in Manchester, despite the demolition job of the Aussies' bowling line-up. Currently, the right-arm quick is the third-highest Australian wicket-taker in the series and fourth-highest overall.

Ben Stokes' England have built momentum as the series has gone on. The hosts have steadily increased their aggression throughout the series. The hosts' run-rate was almost five and a half at Old Trafford. It was arguably down to tactics based on weather forecasts, as opposed to something that was pre-planned.

The only draw of the series came from a Test which seemed the most one-sided of all of them. The English look favourites to continue where they left off at Old Trafford. They can hold their heads up high if they level the series.

Chris Woakes to be top England bowler

Steve Smith to be top Australian batsman