Ashes 2023, England vs Australia 3rd Test: Headingley Pitch Report & Leeds Weather Forecast

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England will need to stop Australia from winning the urn when they clash in the third Test of the five-match series in Ashes 2023 at the Headingley in Leeds from Thursday (July 6) to Monday (July 10).

Ben Stokes' England is 0-2 down after losing the opening two Tests to Pat Cummins' Australia, who claimed a two-wicket victory in the series opener at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham and followed that with a 43-win victory in the second Test at Lord's in London.

The hosts were close to sealing a win in both the matches, but failed to cross the line. In the first Test they allowed Australia to chase down 282 with just two wickets in hand, while they failed in their run chase of 371 last week.

Stokes played one of the best knocks in a run chase at the Home of Cricket to keep England in the contest despite losing the top order early, but his innings of 155 was not enough in the end.

The result meant, the visitors are just one win away from retaining the urn and the first Ashes series win on enemy territory heading into the match at Headingley, where Stokes pulled off a miracle for England in 2019 Ashes in a 1-wicket win.

Now, the long-standing rivals will once again clash at the Headingley, a venue that has hosted 80 Tests, including 25 England vs Australia Ashes Test matches. England has won 8 encounters against Australia, who have beaten their rivals 9 times with 8 matches ending in a draw.

Headingley Pitch Report

The wickets at the Headingley have always been competitive with good amount of bounce. Also, the glimpse of the surface for the match shows a green top, meaning a paradise for the quick bowlers.

But the same was the case at Lord's before the grass was trimmed and hardly had much help for the bowlers. So, the wicket can be judged only on the morning of the match and the weather also could have a say on the captain's decision at the toss.

The pacers are expected to play a big part on the wicket. Looking at the pitch, the swing bowlers can cause a good amount of damage here. The short ball ploy will again be used just like the last game by both sides. However, the last Test played at this venue saw a spinner dominate.

Jack Leach took 10 wickets in the last match at the venue when England hosted New Zealand in 2022. So, the slower bowlers may have a role to play on the final two days.

The average first-innings and second innings scores here have been close to 300 runs, while the scoring decreases to 240 runs in the third and 165 runs in the fourth innings. So, batting first will be an ideal choice for the captain even if the start of play is in overcast conditions.

The first Ashes 2023 Test witnessed interruptions due to weather, while the second not much. Although, it's the start of the English summer, the country has seen showers since last month. So, will rain play spoilsport in the England vs Australia 3rd Ashes 2023 Test?

Headingley, Leeds Weather Forecast from July 6 to July 10

There is chance of rain during the third Ashes 2023 Test at Headingley as BBC predicts showers on the first, third fourth and fifth day of the match. The max temperature is expected to fluctuate from 21o C to 26o C on the match days. Here is a look at the five day weather forecast:

ENG vs AUS 3rd Test Day 1 Weather Forecast: The prediction for Thursday, July 6 in Leeds is there is 32% chance of showers at the start of play from 11 AM Local Time to 1 PM Local Time. But the rest of the day is expected to be cloudy with max temperature of 21o C.

ENG vs AUS 3rd Test Day 2 Weather Forecast: The prediction for Friday, July 7 in Leeds is a sunny day with max temperature of 26o C. Although there will be periods of cloudy conditions, there is no chance of rain throughout the day.

ENG vs AUS 3rd Test Day 3 Weather Forecast: The prediction for Saturday, July 8 in Leeds is there is 70% chance of showers for most part of the day and is expected to remain partly cloudy when not raining with max temperature of 24o C.

ENG vs AUS 3rd Test Day 4 Weather Forecast: The prediction for Sunday, July 9 in Leeds is, there is 24% chance of light showers during the noon local time and increase to 41% heading into the night with max temperature of 22o C.

ENG vs AUS 3rd Test Day 5 Weather Forecast: The prediction for Monday, July 10 in Leeds is another rainy day with max temperature of 21o C. There is at least 25% chance of light showers during the playing hours right from before the scheduled start of play.