Ashes Series 2013 Fixtures: Schedule for England vs. Australia 2nd Test

Australia’s thirst for vengeance in the second Test of the 2013 Ashes series could produce drama.

Now down 1-0, the southern hemisphere visitors will feel aggrieved at the fashion in which they lost the first Test to England, and travel to Lord’s for Thursday's second stanza.

England will now seek to build on their early lead, and judging by the entertainment produced at Trent Bridge, the second Test will prove as much of a must-watch event as its precursor.

Date: Thursday, July 18 – Monday, July 22 2013

When: 6 a.m. ET/11 a.m. BST

Where: Lord’s Cricket Ground, London

Who: England vs. Australia, 2013 Ashes Series, Second Test

Broadcasters: Sky Sports (UK), GEM/Fox Sports (AUS), Willow Cricket (USA)

Preview

Although the difference in pitches won’t be anywhere near the same as when England travel to Australia, Lord’s will test bowlers’ ability to adapt to new surroundings.

Jimmy Anderson and Ashton Agar’s bowling successes were some of the biggest stories to emerge from the first Test, but will the pair produce the same results at a new location?

Thanks to the late efforts of Brad Haddin, Australia’s second innings almost saw a perfect comeback for the visitors at Trent Bridge. Alas, it was not meant to be.

That being said, the Aussies’ batting could continue to improve, as was supported in a recent Telegraph article discussing Darren Lehmann’s tactics heading into the Second Test.

The likes of Shane Watson, Ed Cowan and Michael Clarke failed to produce the necessary performances in the opener.

In fact, without the miraculous 98 from test debutant Ashton Agar, the defeat would have been a far more demoralising one for the visitors.]

As reported by the Telegraph, Lehmann commented:

"

Our tail has done really well over a period of time now, but it's time for the batters to make sure they're making the runs. I think we only batted for 64 overs in the first innings and 110 in the second.

We've got to be reversing that about, batting for 120 overs plus in the first innings of a game and making our runs there.

"

But England had their fair share of players failing to step up to the plate, however, and have just as much chance of improving should those men produce as expected this time around.

Ian Bell stood out as the premier batsmen in the first Test, but could easily be outdone should Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott or even Joe Root come to the fore.

Prediction—Australia Win Second Test, Series 1-1

In terms of talent, there isn’t much separating these two sides, as has been the case for a number of Ashes series now.

Should Australia’s top order find form at Lord’s, the 1-0 lead England currently treasure so much could be gone before they know it.

With the result on a knifes’ edge, prediction on this occasion acts as a pseudonym for “result the neutral will hope unfolds” in order to make for the most exciting series.