Ashes Series 2013: Dates and Predictions for England vs Australia's Test Series

We’re through just one day of play at Trent Bridge and, if Wednesday was any indicator of how the rest of the Ashes is going to go, we’re in store for one of the best series in quite some time.

The English made 215 all out and the Australians finished on 75-4 on the first day of the First Test, according to Telegraph Sport:

England is looking to tie up the Ashes all-time head-to-head record between the two countries, as Australia currently holds the lead by just one series, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

Can the English do it or will Australia extend its lead to two? Based on Wednesday’s play, it’s sure to be quite the duel between two teams and the winner may not be determined until the Fifth Test. Here’s the full schedule for the rest of the series, along with a player to watch and a prediction of which country will win in 2013.

2013 Ashes Series Schedule

Test	Dates	Location
First Test	July 10-14	Trent Bridge, Nottingham
Second Test	July 18-22	Lord's Cricket Ground, London
Third Test	August 1-5	Old Trafford, Manchester
Fourth Test	August 9-13	Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street
Fifth Test	August 21-25	The Oval, London

Player to Watch: Peter Siddle, Australia

There’s no question that Peter Siddle was the most impressive player for either team during the opening day of the First Test. Siddle wasn't very sharp early on, but once he found his spot, there really wasn’t much that England could do against him. He allowed 50 runs and took five wickets for Australia on Wednesday.

Sky Sports deemed Siddle the “Man of the day” for his performance against England, and he absolutely deserved the recognition. If Australia wins the First Test of the Ashes, it’ll probably be because of how Siddle bowled.

Going forward, expect Siddle to have a large impact on the result of the series. He’s going to continue to bowl well and will certainly top his wickets total from the 2010-11 Ashes series (14). He’s nearly halfway there and we’re only through one day of play. Siddle could finish the Ashes with 25-plus wickets.

Series Prediction

We’re still a ways away from crowning a winner, but there’s no hurt in making a prediction for what’s to come between England and Australia. From what we saw on Wednesday, it appears that strong bowling is going to be necessary in order to come out on top. Thus far, I’m giving the edge to Australia.

But the Australians can’t expect England to bat as average as it did moving forward. A total of 215 is much lower than what the Englishmen are going to do in the upcoming days and weeks. What’s important to take from the first day of play is how well England did despite the poor batting performance.

England came back against Australia late in the day to make things interesting. The English proved that even if they don’t have the best day batting, their bowlers could keep them in the match. If they can bowl just as well as Australia, England should be able to win this series.

Prediction: England wins 5-Test series 3-2