The Ashes 2023: 5 Players to watch out for in first Test at Edgbaston

4. Joe Root

Joe Root will be a key batter for England in the upcoming five-match contest. The English team will heavily rely on him to fare well in the tournament. Since 2021, he has played his part in the team brilliantly with his superb batting performances. In the previous year, the veteran scored 1098 runs with five tons and two fifties in 27 innings of 15 Test matches.

During the New Zealand tour in February, he played a match-winning knock of 57 in the second innings to help his team thump the hosts by 267 runs in the first Test. So far, the right-handed batter has played 29 Tests against the arch-rivals Australia, in which he has racked up 2016 runs with 16 half-centuries and three hundreds in 56 innings of 29 Tests.

In the Ashes, his experience and skills will play a huge role for the Three Lions to counter the dangerous Aussie bowling unit. This year, the 32-year-old has scored 375 runs in five innings of three Tests with a century and three fifties. Noting their batting stalwart’s recent numbers, the English team management will expect him to make a huge contribution with his bat against their arch-rivals.