The Ashes 2023 kickstarted with the first England vs Australia Test at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham, starting on Friday, June 16.
Widely regarded as the biggest Test rivalry in cricket, the upcoming Ashes series will witness some of world’s top batters produce scintillating knocks to help their respective sides post a big total on the board.
England talisman Joe Root, Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Harry Brook, captain Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper-batter Jonny Bairstow will play a key role in the batting department for the hosts during the five-match Test series.
Former captain Joe Root was the leading run-scorer for England in the Ashes 2021-22 series. The right-handed batter amassed 322 runs in five Tests at an average of 32.20.
Between 2013 and 2022, Root has scored more than 2,000 runs in Ashes Tests with four hundreds and 16 fifties to his name.
England cricket team skipper Ben Stokes has also accumulated 1,373 runs in 21 Ashes Tests since making his debut in cricket’s longest format in 2013.
Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope head into Ashes 2023 high on confidence after slamming big hundreds against Ireland in the recently-concluded one-off Test. While Duckett scored 182, Pope hammered a double hundred (205) to help England register a dominating 10-wicket win.
On the other hand, batters Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Travis Head, David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey will play a pivotal role for Australia in Ashes 2023.
Steve Smith has a sensational batting record in Ashes history. The Australian talisman has already amassed more than 3,000 runs in 34 Ashes Tests at an impressive average of 58-plus. He has hit 12 centuries and 11 fifties so far.
Another Australian top-order batter Marnus Labuschagne will look to impress in the Ashes series.
In Ashes 2021-22, Labuschagne scored 335 runs in five Tests at an average of 41.88.
Meanwhile, left-handed batter Travis Head finished with the most runs in the previous edition of the Ashes. He scored 357 runs in four Tests in the 2021-22 series.
Australia cricket team’s David Warner also holds a splendid record in Ashes history. The southpaw has accumulated over 2,000 runs in 30 Ashes Tests with three hundreds and 15 half-centuries to his name.
Here’s a look at the leading run-scorers in Ashes 2023.
Most runs in Ashes 2023
| Player | Team | Matches | Runs |
| Usman Khawaja | Australia | 5 | 496 |
| Zak Crawley | England | 5 | 480 |
| Joe Root | England | 5 | 412 |
| Ben Stokes | England | 5 | 405 |
| Steve Smith | Australia | 5 | 373 |
| Harry Brook | England | 5 | 363 |
| Travis Head | Australia | 5 | 362 |
| Marnus Labuschagne | Australia | 5 | 328 |
| Jonny Bairstow | England | 5 | 322 |
| Ben Duckett | England | 5 | 321 |
Photo credit: Alamy
