The most anticipated series of all time kicks off on Friday, as Australia looks to continue their decade long reign in the Ashes, when England travels to Perth. Cricket’s greatest rivalry takes place for the 74th time, and it’s set to be an enthralling series.
Jack Tobin brings you his full preview and betting tips for the 1st Test of the Ashes below, with odds thanks to Neds!
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Australia vs England 1st Test Preview & Betting Tips
Perth Stadium, Friday 21st November, 1:20pm AEDT
Australia
Squad: Steve Smith, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
Australia have had to deal with some chaos on the injury front leading into the first Test, with Pat Cummins out with a back injury and Josh Hazlewood out with a hamstring strain. Scott Boland will get an opportunity to continue his remarkable Test career, while Brendan Doggett is now in line for a Test debut after Hazlewood’s injury. It looks likely that Jake Weatherald will also earn a debut at the top of the order, with Marnus Labuschagne set to reclaim his number three position and Cameron Green moving to number six.
Although there has been plenty of talk about how Australia are aging and have a struggling top three, you simply can’t deny how good this team has been. Australia are the number one ranked Test team in the world, have won 14 of their last 18 Tests, and are unbeaten in their last seven series. Australia have only lost 2 of their last 18 Test series, with both defeats coming against India.
Although conditions have become more difficult for batting in Australia over the last five years, the Aussies batting unit has an excellent record at home. Khawaja averages 48 in Australia, Labuschagne 55, Smith 59 and Head 51. The experience in these conditions over the past few years will be crucial against an English side that has very little experience in Australia.
England
Squad: Ben Stokes, Harry Brook, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Mark Wood
Here it is, the series this entire BazBall entity has been building for, an Ashes series in Australia. England have built their style and their squad purely for this series since Brendon McCullum took over the reins as head coach in 2022. There’s been some wonderful highs, but also some deep lows in the time period, and this looms as a defining series.
England have got rid of the traditional seamers they’ve had over the years and looked for out and out pace. Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson can provide plenty of air speed, but all have major questions around them. Atkinson and Tongue have never played a Test in Australia, while Jofra Archer has played just 15 Tests in 6 years, and Mark Wood hasn’t played a Test since August 2024. Given how bowler friendly the pitches have been in Australia over the last five years, pure pace may not be the best approach to taking 20 wickets.
England’s top seven is likely to be Duckett, Crawley, Pope, Root, Brook, Stokes and Smith. In Australia, Crawley averages 27, Pope averages 11, Root averages 35 and Stokes 28. Duckett and Brook are yet to play a Test in Australia and although they’ve scored plenty of runs in the past few years, could be exposed by the longer square boundaries in Australia. For all of the hype around the batting unit, there are more questions about England than Australia.
Match Prediction
This will be the most competitive Ashes series since 2010/11, however you can’t ignore the facts. England have not won a Test match in Australia since 2011 and haven’t won an Ashes series since 2015. No player in the English squad has ever won a Test match in Australia. Although England have made big improvements under the BazBall regime, they are yet to beat Australia or India in a series. They’ve feasted on lesser sides, but their inconsistency is yet to stand up against the best teams in the world.
The injuries to Cummins and Hazlewood bring the gap between the two teams close together, however Scott Boland has taken 62 wickets at an average of just 16 in Test cricket. The last time Boland faced England in Australia, Boland took 18 wickets at 9 in three Tests. Brendon Doggett comes into his debut in hot form, taking 48 wickets in 10 first-class matches in 2025. Ironically the last time Australia played a Test match without Cummins and Hazlewood was in that same series, where Australia defeated England by 275 runs.
England have had very little match preparation coming into the series, which is common these days given the scheduling, but it certainly doesn’t help their case heading into Perth Stadium on Friday. Australia’s experience in these conditions will be crucial, and they’ll get off to a winning start in the west.
Australia to Win
$1.70 (1.5 Units)
The Ashes 1st Test Player Prop Bet
After a couple of lean years by his lofty standards, Steve Smith has gotten back to his best over the last 12 months. Since December 2024, Smith has scored 773 runs at an average of 55, with four centuries and three half centuries. Smith always rises to the occasion in Ashes cricket, having scored 3417 runs in Ashes Tests, the third most in the history of the Ashes, at a healthy average of 56. Smith will captain Australia in Pat Cummins absence, and the superstar always lifts when he is in charge. Smith has scored 4139 runs at an average of 68.98 as captain in Test cricket.
Steve Smith: Top Australian Run Scorer (1st Innings)
$4.00
