England and Australia meet in the 1st Test of the 2023 Ashes series this week, and it promises to be a cracker of a series. Australia is the slight favorite, and as the holders of the Ashes Urn, they will be looking for a fast start. Here we tell you if we think they will win in our latest cricket betting picks.
- What; The Ashes 1st Test match
- Who; England vs Australia
- Where; The County Ground Edgbaston, Birmingham, England
- When; June 16th-20th, 2023
The County Ground in Edgbaston, Birmingham is the venue for this week’s 1st Test between England and Australia. This is the first of a five-match Test series, with the winners getting their hands on the Urn, and cricketing mortality as an Ashes winner.
As the defending champions, a drawn series is all that is required for Australia to retain the Urn. The Aussies have held the Urn since they won the 2017/18 series 4-0 in Australia. In the following series, 2019 in England, the scoreline was 2-2, meaning Australia retained the Urn. Then in the 2021/22 series in Australia, the hosts won the series convincingly 4-0.
CUMMINS FINISHES IT FOR AUSTRALIA!
AUSTRALIA WIN THE #ASHES 4-0! pic.twitter.com/6ivF8WhBie
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 16, 2022
All this means, for England to reclaim the Urn they last won in 2015, they have to win the upcoming series outright. So, let’s take a look at what the bookmakers think.
Betting to win the 2023 Ashes
In the betting to win the 2023 Ashes series, Australia is the favorite. The best cricket betting online sites have the Aussies priced up at -120. England is +150, and a drawn series is +600.
The odds of Australia winning the series have shortened on the back of England spinner Jack Leach being ruled out of the whole series with an injury. And also after Australia’s impressive win over India in the 2023 World Test Championship final last week.
Congratulations, Australia! 🇦🇺
A roaring victory in the ICC World Test Championship 2023 Final 🎉#WTC23 | #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/VE01bWheMQ
— ICC (@ICC) June 11, 2023
As well as looking good with the bat in their win over India, the Australians also looked sharp in the field. And what was probably the most impressive thing of all, was the Australian bowling attack. They showed again why they are arguably the best bowling attack in the world when they bowled India out cheaply on the 5th morning to seal a convincing 209-run win.
Betting to win the 1st Test
It’s a similar story in the betting to win the 1st Test. Australia is the favorite, but again, only just. The best online betting sites have Australia at +135, and England at +145. A draw is +350.
More cricket betting odds can be found on our Ashes betting table below. The odds are taken from the best betting sites for cricket betting, which you can read more about on our sportsbook reviews page.
| England vs Australia 1st Test Betting |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | +145 | +145 | +145 |
| Australia | +135 | +135 | +135 |
| Draw | +350 | +350 | +350 |
| Draw No Bet | |||
| England | +100 | +100 | +100 |
| Australia | -125 | -125 | -125 |
Bazball vs Travball
The (English) media has given England’s style of play under new coach Brendon McCullum, the nickname Bazball.
Cricket's oldest rivalry 🤝 England's Bazball approach 🔥
The fresh @EnglandCricket squad will go all in and look to redeem The Ashes trophy which has been away from them since 2015 💪🙌
Watch #TheAshes2023 from June 16, only on the #SonySportsNetwork 📺#ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/lVXngi8SaY
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) June 11, 2023
The Aussies are unimpressed, and they would argue they have been playing this attacking style of cricket for years before McCullum took over England.
The Aussies have a point. They have been playing attacking cricket for years. But not to the extent that England now is.
But never ones to take a backward step, the Aussies have risen to the challenge. Or it could be argued they have taken the bait.
Their middle-order batter, Travis Head, is just as attacking as England’s batters are. This was perfectly highlighted in the World Test Championship win over India, where Head scored 163 from 174 balls in Australia’s 1st innings.
Even before this plundering attack from Head, the Aussies had been using the phrase Travball. And after that innings, everybody in England could see exactly why.
Our Picks
This is a difficult series to call. The truth is, no one knows what’s going to happen until the action gets underway. We feel that it will ultimately be decided by how England’s batters get on against Australia’s pace attack.
The English batters will take the Aussies on, that’s for sure. But under Baz McCullum, England’s batters haven’t faced an attack this good. But at the same time, Australia’s bowlers will never have had a batting lineup come at them like England will.
If nothing else, it promises to be intriguing.
In normal circumstances, we would rule out the draw. But the weather in Birmingham doesn’t look great on days 3, 4, and 5. We’re not going to get a draw because of slow batting, that’s for sure. But if a lot of play is lost on the final three days of the match, we may well do.
But the way these two teams approach the game, it could be nearly complete by the time any rain arrives. The draw is the best odds, but based on the attitude of the two teams, it’s not necessarily the best value.
For us, we’re going to go for a win for the visitors. They looked in the groove against India, and England’s batters may well need a good look at the Australian’s bowling before they can get the measure of it. And by the time they've managed that, it may already be too late for them in the 1st Test match.
Australia to win the 1st Test is the pick.
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