The Ashes - Australia v England Betting Preview

The Ashes are back, and this winter we will see Australia host England down under in the five match series that will determine who gets the urn. Australia are the currently holders, winning 4-0 at home back in 2017/18 and then retaining them in England in 2019 with a 2-2 series draw.

You have to go back to 2010/11 to find the last time England won a series in Australia, and since then they have lost 5-0 and 4-0, so the home team have certainly had the upper hand.

The Ashes 2021/22 Schedule

Dec 8-12 (0001 GMT, Dec 8) - First Ashes Test, Brisbane
Dec 16-20 (0400 GMT, Dec 16) - Second Ashes Test, Adelaide
Dec 26-30 (2330 GMT, Dec 25) - Third Ashes Test, Melbourne
Jan 5-9 (2330 GMT, Jan 4) - Fourth Ashes Test, Sydney
Jan 14-18 (0230 GMT, Jan 14) - Fifth Ashes Test, Perth

Team News

Two major changes have happened in recent weeks, one for each team.

For England, it is good news as Ben Stokes has declared himself fit and available to play, after taking time away from the game. England are better with both the bat and ball when Stokes is in the line up, and he is the ideal type of person to go to Australia and play well.

Australia have lost their captain, with Tim Paine quitting and taking time away from the game due to personal problems. Pat Cummins will take over as captain, while Alex Carey has been brought in to take over as wicketkeeper.

First Test Preview

In the last two years, Australia have played just four Test matches due to travel issues, compared to 18 that England have played. If there is a chance for England to get anything, they may need to win early, before Australia find their rhythm.

Five of Australia’s starting eleven for the first Test, including three bowlers, have not played red ball cricket since February, so it will be interesting to see how quickly the Aussies start.

England can hang in during this first match and would love to win the game. However, Australia can also dig deep, and given the fact we have showers forecast for part of the game, the best option may be to open up with a bet on the draw.

Series Preview

If England want to take the urn home with them, they will need to start fast, as Australia are only going to get better as the series goes on and players find their rhythm in Test cricket.

Even with Ben Stokes in the line up, this looks an incredibly tough task for England, who don’t seem to have the right type of pace attack for Australia and have question marks over various players in their batting line up.

We fancy an Australia series win, and our correct score pick for the series is 3-1 to the Aussies.

The Ashes Betting Tips

• First Test – Draw @ 7/4
• Series – Australia win 3-1 @ 4/1

All prices quoted are available with Coral

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