Australia and England begin The Ashes on Wednesday when The Gabba in Brisbane stages the first Test of five as is tradition down in that part of the world. Both teams have had indifferent lead ups to the series but the time for talking is done and cricket can determine the outcome.
This series counts towards the World Test Championship but this rivalry is much greater than to worry about points for that competition. One thing we know when these two sides take to the cricket field is that we are guaranteed plenty of competitive action.
Australia
The pressure is on Australia going into this series. The last time they played Test cricket they were beaten on home soil by India and it will not go down well if they lose another series on their own patch. There are mitigating circumstances around the series such as Covid restrictions and the late change in captaincy but I can’t see that carrying much weight with the Australian public so the home side know they have to come out of this series on top and a win here would certainly help with that.
We are used to Australia going into Ashes series of past with a settled unit but that isn’t the case here. They are under a new captain while they will have a wicket keeper making his debut and a number six who is still a little unproven at this level. Even their bowling attack has one or two question marks over it, although they might be answered pretty quickly it has to be said. Whatever the questions, Australia need a good showing here.
England
In the circumstances they face, if this was any other series this opening Test match would be a free hit for England but you don’t get any of them in an Ashes series. What England can play with is a little less pressure on their shoulders given that not many outside their bubble expect them to win but this is often a match which sets the tone for the series so at the very least they will want to give a good account of themselves.
The big thing England have to do both in this match and throughout the series is bowl well. Taking 20 wickets won’t be easy but conditions certainly look like they are going to help them in that quest. They will know that two batsmen in particular are key to Australia so if England can magnify the pressure on them it will do their chances no harm. England will also need to bat well but these might not be the fast, bouncy pitches you often get down under which will suit them.
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Team News
Australia named their team for the opening match a couple of days ago and new captain Pat Cummins confirmed it would be Alex Carey who replaces the former captain Tim Paine behind the stumps. Travis Head got the nod over Usman Khawaja for the number five position.
England have announced a squad of 12 for this match and will leave it until the morning of the Test match before confirming their XI. We know that James Anderson will not be included. He is being saved for the day/night Test next week. Ben Stokes will return to the side.
Betting
I’m not convinced this is going to be the Australia rout people expect it to be. The weather certainly looks like it is going to have a part to play in proceedings which brings about a lottery effect so it might be that the match market is better attacked once the weather has cleared. I’ll go with a couple of bets before the off, the first of which is the performance of Alex Carey which looks very low at 75.5pts. He is the keeper for this match and whether the grass that was on the pitch a day or two before the Test match is there or not the moisture from all the rain will ensure the outside edge is always in danger so he should pick up plenty of points with the gloves. That will only really need him to have an average showing with the bat. Although this is his red ball international debut he has played against England in the limited overs stuff and has played for Sussex over in England so he’ll know what is coming at him and should be prepared accordingly. I think he covers this unless the rain completely disrupts the game.
If I think back to the Test at The Gabba last year, Australia really struggled against the India players who counterattacked with the bat. In the first innings it was Washington Sundar and Shardul Thakur and in the second innings it was Rishabh Pant and I wonder if Jos Buttler can follow their lead. He should in theory be coming in when it is good to bat and will be called upon throughout this series to show his temperament and his experience and help England get up to big totals. He shouldn’t have a confidence issue after a brilliant T20 World Cup and while that was the white ball and not the red one, runs are runs. If England are shoved into bat under leaden skies on a damp pitch it could go wrong at the top of the order so the 10/1 on Buttler top scoring for the tourists in the first innings looks a little big to me.
Tips
Back A.Carey’s Performance – Over 75.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back J.Buttler Top England 1st Innings Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 11.00 with BetVictor
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