It would be fair to say that the Ashes
always captures everyone's attention and with England desperate to retain the
famous urn for yet another series, anticipation is already high for the next
event in 2013.
There is already a big emphasis on the
venues in the series, with both teams having their favoured ones. Bearing this
in mind, we'll now take a look at the five venues that have been selected for
the Ashes in 2013.
Trent
Bridge
This is the venue for the first test, with
Trent Bridge being the host between the 10th and 14th of July. Few people
realise the history that Trent Bridge is delved in, with the venue being the
third oldest ground in the world. Anyone that has visited it in the past will
appreciate its traditional appearance, although any England follower probably
won't have too many fond memories. Australia have made a habit of succeeding at
Trent Bridge, with the ground not only being a bad omen for England in the
Ashes but all other matches.
Lord's
There was plenty of controversy when it
came to this venue. Even though Lord's has been a renowned Ashes ground since
1882, there were murmurs that it could be replaced. While the venue is
smothered in history, such considerations probably aren't surprising when you
look at England's record there. They may have won the Ashes test in 2009, but
that was the first time since 1934 and it therefore has to be classed as a
bogey ground.
Old
Trafford
This is yet another old venue, with Old
Trafford ranked as the second oldest international venue around. Unfortunately,
it has to be said that design isn’t one of Old Trafford’s strong points and
while it has held some fantastic matches over the years, it architecture is
hardly appealing and ranks much further below others in the list in this
regard. It seems incredible to say that this is another ground where England
haven't tasted much recent success, with the hosts failing to win an Ashes
event in Manchester since 1989.
Riverside
Ground
While the majority of the venues for the
2013 series have long histories, this certainly cannot be said of the Riverside
Ground. Having only opened in 1995, it really hasn't had anything like as much
international cricket as the other grounds mentioned. With a capacity of
19,000, the Riverside can only be described as one of the modern cricket venues
out there and after missing out on the chance to hold the Ashes in 2009,
organisers are hopeful they can start a long era of hosting the event when it
comes to Durham for the first time next year.
The
Oval
Even though The Oval is another historic
ground in England, the fact it has had a facelift over the last decade means
that it boasts various modern features. Such improvements also resulted in the
capacity being increased to 23,000 and all of the above means that it is
regarded as one of the premier venues for international cricket in England. As
you would expect, there have been countless memorable Ashes events at this
ground in the past and it is one of the few where Australia have an inferior record.
The Aussies have won just twice since 1930 - meaning that it is the ideal
ground for betting to finish a test on
if the hosts are chasing a victory.
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