If it feels likes its been an eternity since the last Ashes series, that’s because it has. Rather than the standard year and a half in between contests, we’ve had to wait over two years to see the Australian Cricket Team in action against the English, but the time has finally arrived, and the Aussies will get the chance to reclaim the urn in a five match Test series starting this Thursday.
After a dominant period for the Aussies in the 90’s which saw them win eight series in a row, the English have won five of the last seven Ashes series, four of them on home soil. The upcoming series will be played in Australia and Steve Smith’s men have started as hot favourites to re-take the urn.
England make the trip under a cloud of some serious off field problems with star all-rounder Ben Stokes under investigation for causing actual bodily harm since late September after an early morning brawl in Bristol. Rumors are, however, that Stokes will be cleared any wrongdoing and could take part in the Ashes series.
The possible Stokes inclusion will liven up the series and give the tourists a massive chance to defend the urn on foreign soil. The 26 year old is currently ranked as the best non-spinning all-rounder in the world and should be a welcome addition into an already stacked bowling attack.
The charge will be spearheaded, once again, by James Anderson who, while he hasn’t faired extremely well on Australian pitches in the past, is currently ranked as the No.1 Test bowler in the world after dominant series against South Africa and the West Indies earlier this year. Backing him up will be Aussie nemesis Stuart Broad, who thrives on playing in tough conditions away from home.
TIP: James Anderson most series wickets (England) - $2.75 at Ladbrokes
Moeen Ali will take the duties as spinner but also provides a lot of lower order depth with the bat while the final pace spot will be reserved for Chris Woakes, who had arguably the best lead up of any English bowler.
The English batting lineup looks to be their weakness going into the series. The possible inclusion of Stokes will be massive, but even still, the lineup is pretty thin after the likes of world No.2 ranked batsman Joe Root and Alistair Cook. Johnny Bairstow, Gary Ballance and Mark Stoneman will likely join them in the lineup, all of whom are unproven on Australian soil.
The Australian selection panel made some bold moves heading into the first Test at the GABBA on Thursday, the biggest of which was bringing in Tasmanian wicket-keeper Tim Paine in favour of both Peter Neville and Matthew Wade. It sends a strong message to Aussie fans that scoring ability with the bat is a priority at the number seven position, as Tim Paine hasn’t even kept for his state in first class cricket all season.
Out of form opener Matt Renshaw was also dumped from the squad for West Australian Cameron Bancroft, who leads all run scorers in the Sheffield Shield with 442 runs at an average of 110.5. Glenn Maxwell also makes way in the middle order for the man with unlimited chances, Shaun Marsh. Marsh has scored 236 runs through three Shield matches this year and will surely see his last opportunity to impress in a Baggy Green this Summer.
Mainstays in Steven Smith, David Warner, Pater Handscomb and Usman Khawaja will make up the bulk of the batting lineup, the latter of whom has had a dominant Shield series so far.
The 2017-18 series will mark the first time that Australia’s three premier fast bowling options will suit up in the same Test match as Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins all look fit and raring to go. Jackson Bird and Chadd Sayers were also picked in the squad but only injury should see them bowl in the series. Nathan Lyon, who has now taken 269 wickets at an average of 31 in 69 Tests, will serve as the Aussies frontline spinner, while it’s still unclear who the selectors might opt for if they choose to take two spinners into the Sydney Test. While the Australian pitches will likely play more into the hands of the quicks, Lyon will get plenty of opportunity and is probably the only player that is guanrateed to play all five Tests given the injury problems of the other three frontline bowlers. At $5 we think he is great value to claim the most English scalps.
TIP: Nathan Lyon most series wickets (Australia) - $5 at Sportsbet
With so many of the English batsmen coming into the series completely unproven on Australian soil, it’s hard to get a gauge on how they will fair. So much weight rests on Joe Root's shoulders to have a massive Summer and carry his team with the bat here, much more than that of World No.1 ranked Test batsman Steve Smith. While the Aussie middle-lower order might struggle away from home, in Australia they rarely fail. It’s hard to bet against the Aussies here, especially with Stokes still in some doubt to line up.
TIP: Australia to win the series - $1.40 at Ladbrokes
There’s only one option, in our opinion, to lead the tourists in runs for the Summer and that is their skipper, Joe Root. Currently the No.2 ranked Test batsman in the world, at just 26, Root has already plundered over 5,000 runs at an average of 53.76 and rarely fails with the bat. He has scored over 75 combined runs in 11 of his last 12 Test matches.
TIP: Joe Root most series runs (England) - $2.63 at Sportsbet
We think it’s a much more open race with the bat for the Aussies. Warner and Smith are obviously the red hot favourites to top the list but there are some other players in scintillating Sheffield Shield form who could make a run at it, particularly Cameron Bancroft. It’s a bold move to take a debutant to top the run scoring list but his stats in the Shield are undeniable. 442 runs at an average of 110.5 should see him remain in the squad for the duration of the series and will get plenty of opportunity at the top of the order.
TIP: Cameron Bancroft most series runs (Australia) - $9 at Ladbrokes
There have been some big scores so far in the Sheffield Shield and wickets around Australia are generally pretty accommodating to batsman if they can get set. One market we love for the series is the ‘lowest team score (completed innings)’. There will be some likely be some fourth innings uncompleted innings lower than 128.5 but we like the over here.
TIP: Lowest team score (completed innings) OVER 128.5 - $1.83 at Ladbrokes
