The Ashes: Four players who could make a difference at Old Trafford

While there’s no denying that all three Tests thus far in the 2023 Ashes Series have been incredibly close encounters that could have gone either way, Australia will still feel like they could have been going into the fourth match at Old Trafford with the tour already wrapped up and the urn secured for at least another two years.

Instead, England kept their hopes of winning their first Ashes Series since 2015 alive with a nervy three-wicket win at Headingley in West Yorkshire, and coach Brendon McCullum will be keen to ensure his side can level the score in Manchester so they can go to the Oval for the fifth and final Test with it all still to play for.

Given that the Series has been played on a knife edge to this point, it will likely be another game of fine margins at Old Trafford with not much to separate the two sides in the Ashes betting. That said, let’s take a look at four players — two from each side — who could make a difference in the penultimate Test. 

Joe Root

Considered one of the best batsmen in the world, Joe Root fired 118 from 152 balls in the opening innings in the first Test at Edgbaston and a further 46 from 55 deliveries when he took to the crease for the second time in Birmingham. But he’s been somewhat disappointing since, scoring just 28 in both innings at Lord’s and only a slightly better 40 across the four days at Headingley. 

Root is usually much more prolific than that though and his record at Old Trafford suggests he could be influential in the fourth Test. The 32-year-old has scored 790 runs in 16 innings at the Manchester venue, averaging over 60 runs each time he’s at the crease, while it is also the location of his best-ever Test score when he racked up 254 against Pakistan in 2016.

Usman Khawaja

Usman Khawaja was dropped ahead of the fourth Test at Old Trafford when Australia toured England for the 2019 Ashes Series four years ago, but he’s likely to keep his spot as the opening batsman for the visitors this time around — with David Warner the more probable fall guy after the Leeds disappointment — and he could prove a thorn in England’s side. 

Khawaja had a fantastic first Test at Edgbaston, knocking 141 from 321 balls in the first innings and 65 from 197 deliveries in the second innings, while he made up for a mediocre 17 runs in the first innings at Lord’s with a score of 77 next time he took to the crease. He scored just 56 runs in total at Headingley, but will be keen to get his tally back up and frustrate England as the Aussies aim to retain the urn.

Mark Wood

Some questioned the decision to leave Mark Wood out of the squad for the second Test at Lord’s as the fast bowler is considered something of a specialist at the ‘home of cricket’ and he perhaps made Ben Stokes and McCullum rue the choice to leave him on the sidelines with his outstanding performance in Leeds. 

Australia struggled to cope with Wood’s 90+mph fastballs in the first innings at Headingley as the 33-year-old took five wickets for just 34 runs. He took two more wickets in the second innings as he ended the Test 7-100, while his 40 runs with the bat in hand across the four days were also pivotal. England will be hoping Wood’s raw pace can make all the difference again in the fourth Test.

Pat Cummings

It was hard to pick between Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummings as our second Australian selection, as both have had a massive impact on the 2023 Ashes Series thus far. But we’re siding with the visitor’s captain as it will likely come down to him whether or not Australia are able to retain the urn at Old Trafford or if the Series will go down to a decider at the Oval. 

Cummings has been influential with the ball, taking an impressive six wickets in the first innings and another in the second innings at Headingley, four overall at Lord’s and another further four at Edgbaston — where his 44 not out with the bat also secured a surprise Australian victory. But he has big decisions to make that could impact the match as well, most notably whether or not to drop Warner. 

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