
England vs. Australia Betting Tips: Best bets for first Ashes Test

The wait is nearly over. The most highly-anticipated Ashes series since 2005 is upon us as the World Test Champions Australia face off against the fearless Bazballers at Edgbaston.
Matt Banks has previewed the action and provided his top three bets for the action.
The first test and the series on the whole is incredibly tough to call, which is reflected in the odds.
Australia are slight favourites to win the first test at 5/4, with England a touch bigger at 6/4.
Australia will probably feel a bit better prepared than England, having been dominant in victory against India in the World Test Championship final last week at The Oval, while England faced less stiff competition in the shape of Ireland, who they dispatched with ease.
England’s record at Edgbaston is historically extremely good, and the famous Hollies stand will be loud and rowdy for all five days, giving the Australian side a hard time.
England have announced their starting XI for the game, it is:
Ben Duckett, Zak Crawley, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jonny Bairstow (wk), Moeen Ali, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, Jimmy Anderson
England won’t change the way they’ve been playing the last 12 months just because it’s Australia, and we haven’t seen how Pat Cummins’ side deal with things when the pressure is put on them by a hyper-aggressive side.
We’re backing England to take the first test. The thinking here is England’s long batting line-up will keep coming at Australia and the visitors getting startled, and as England seize control, the fierce Edgbaston crowd getting behind the hosts in the field.
England vs Australia Tips
There is an eye-watering amount of talent on both teams and picking a man-of-the-match candidate is tough, but we’re going for the outside bet of Ollie Robinson to be England’s star man in a win at 14/1.
Ben Stokes has asked for fast and flat wickets and we should see some big batting performances, and it’ll come down to the team taking 20 wickets.
Robinson has had a blistering start to his test career, and has become arguably England’s most important bowler in a short time.
With the weather set fair and the pitch set to be good for batting on, Robinson’s extra bounce, relentless line and length and propensity to get the ball reversing late on in an innings should mean he is properly amongst the wickets in both innings.
England’s newest starboy, Harry Brook, has got off to an amazing start to his Test Career, averaging nearly 90 with the bat.
In Pakistan and New Zealand the young Yorkshireman was a dangerous mix of looking very hard to get out and destructive.
He has only played one Test in England but this should be a real coming out party for him.
We’re backing him to stroll out and announce himself properly in his biggest Test to date and get (at least) 50 to his name at 5/2.
Since his introduction to the Australia side in 2021, Scott Boland has been making Test cricket look easy.
His unforgettable 6/7 on debut against England was some introduction, and he’s barely slowed down since, averaging 14.57 with the ball in Test cricket.
As he proved in the World Test Championship final, Boland is absolutely perfect for English conditions - he bowls an extremely consistent line and length, nibbles it off the seam just enough, and rarely bowls loose balls.
Bowlers like him always do well in England and he could be a real nuisance to this England batting line-up this summer. We’re backing him to enjoy conditions at Edgbaston and to spearhead the Australian attack; taking the 7/2 to be their top bowler in the first inning.

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