The Ashes. One of the most absorbing, brilliant sporting rivalry contests that there is anywhere. In any sport. It is the age-old duel between England and Australia for that famous little urn. It is Australia who have the Ashes at the moment, after totally destroying the English in the 2017/18 series. But will they be able to hold on to it as they Tour England this summer?
Attention now for England has to switch from the thrill of the explosive World Cup ODI format to the enduring Test match arena. There is no question that the England team hasn’t been as good in this format as in the ODI. But they have home soil advantage and have some revenge on their mind after a 4-0 whitewash in the last series.
England 3-2 Correct Score
England are the favourites to win the ashes outright. In each of their last three Ashes series wins, England have won exactly three games. There was a 3-1 success in 2010/11, a 3-0 in 2013 and then a 3-2 in 2015, the last time it was contested in England. It looks a reasonable assumption that Australia will get on the board as they are a solid looking outfit.
The Australians actually look as if they boast a much steadier, more reliable top order with the bat than the hosts do. So that will keep them in this contest. England are not on top of their game in the Test format and are ranked 4th in the world, with Australia 5th. It should be tight and a 3-2 series win in favour of the hosts can be taken at an industry-best 8/1 with Ladbrokes* (betting odds taken from Ladbrokes on July 26th, 2019 at 4:42 pm)
England to Regain the Ashes
Just once in the last nine editions of the Ashes has the team holding the Urn actually managed to retain it. That was England in 2013. So the trend there in recent history is for the Urn to be switching hands. England have also won the last four Ashes series on home soil too, so there is that to lend a little bit of extra weight to things. There are some good trends in the stats to suggest that the host nation are going to be celebrating at the end of this. England to Regain the Ashes is at 10/11 with Betfair* (betting odds taken from Betfair on July 26th, 2019 at 4:42 pm)
Joe Root v Steve Smith
Two of the key players in the entire Ashes series. England’s Joe Root has to come up big for his country. He is the steady hand, an exceptional player who reads the game exceptionally well. However, his test figures are in a bit of a decline and his batting wasn’t particularly great against Ireland recently. He is a class act but just missing a bit of current Test form. Root’s Test average is 49.03.
So because of that, there has to be a good look as Smith winning this Ashes duel. You stick Smith in at the crease and you expect him to be there for a long time, racking up the numbers. He is averaging 61.37 in Test cricket which smashes Roots number out of the park. He doesn’t have captaincy distractions either as Root does, because he’s banned from that. Smith is 17/20 to beat Joe Root in the Series* (betting odds taken from Unibet on July 26th, 2019 at 4:42 pm)
David Warner Top Batsman
We think that it is worth picking one of the Australians to top score with the bat in the Series. Part of the reason for that is that England aren’t quite assured of their own top order and they are more likely to be swapping and chopping things around than the tourists are. You know who is coming up for Australia, Steve Smith, David Warner, Usman Khawaja (if fit) and Cameron Bancroft. The latter two are just not quite as devastatingly good as either Smith or Warner.
Smith tops Warner in Test averages. However, Warner has changed his batting approach a little bit over the summer, something we saw in the World Cup. He has slowed down a bit, not with scoring, but his approach to shot selection. He seems to be seeing the ball well and has a much calmer presence at the crease about him. In two previous tours of England, he hasn’t gotten a century on the board yet. He’s due one. He is 11/2 to be the Top Batsman of the series* (betting odds taken from Skybet on July 26th, 2019 at 4:42 pm)
First Century Jason Roy
England’s Jason Roy is new to the international Test scene. However, he has scoring power in his arsenal like no other. He showed against Ireland in his second innings just what he is capable of doing. He only lasted 11 balls in the first innings before being caught. But then with England under pressure at the start of their second Innings, Roy came good. He rattled off 72 runs from 78 balls in two and a quarter hours at the crease, showing patience and control along with his supreme batting power.
The Australians really haven’t had a chance to get at him before. So because he’s so new to the setup, Australia’s bowlers have to try and figure him out. But just because of his rapid scoring and the year that he has had for his country, Roy doesn’t make a bad option to be the first one to record a century in this year’s Ashes. Roy is at 8/1 to be the first centurion of the series* (betting odds taken from William Hill on July 26th, 2019 at 4:42 pm)
