AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND: The Edge previews the 1st Ashes Test on Thursday evening with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Australia v England
1st Test 21st Nov
MATCH OVERVIEW:
Crickets oldest and biggest rivalry arrives on Betdaq Betting Exchange as the Ashes kicks off in the early hours of Friday. Obviously there has been a lot of back-and-forth between the sides in the build-up to the series – there always is before an Ashes series – but we have a cracking few months ahead. Cricket is always better with a bit of needle, so you can forgive the Aussie media egging it on. Much has been made about how long it’s been since England won an Ashes series in Australia but it has been just as long – indeed longer – since Australia won in England. Home advantage has become massive.
England face a massive task, and it will be fascinating to see how they get on with Bazball. You get the feeling that they need a very positive start – if they start throwing away their wickets here and lose heavily, it could be a long winter once Australia get momentum. Australia have been dealt a blow in the build-up with Josh Hazelwood injured – Brenda Doggett is likely to make his debut, and obviously that is massive pressure. Jake Weatherald is also likely to make a debut at the top of the batting order; England will surely be aiming to pile pressure on the two of them.
You could argue that this is the “weakest” Australia side for many years given their list of players missing. They are still a fantastic side though, and obviously England have that massive task of being the away side. This England side are exceptionally entertaining to watch, and on balance they have a brilliant chance of winning the series – the best since the days of 2010/11 when that side was close to its peak. This 1st Test feels so important for both sides though; for England, they need a fast start. Australia’s new players need that confidence of a good start too. As always, it’s going to be a cracker.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
We begin the Ashes at Perth Stadium – gone are the days of the WACA which is a great shame. They only started playing Test cricket here in 2018, and we’ve had five Tests – no Ashes Test yet. We’ve had a result in every Test with Australia winning four out of the five. England had a terrible record at the WACA; so they won’t mind. So far, it seems batting first is the thing to do here – the side batting first has won all five Tests. However, India were bowled out for 150 in the last Test here; they did the damage in the third innings with 487/6 though. I don’t think you want to be batting last here.
RECOMMENDED BET:
Given the players Australia a missing – no Pat Cummins – we’re going to have some fascinating market moves. We’ve seen Cummins, Hazelwood and Starc do some serious damage over the last few years – now it all rests on Starc’s shoulders. However, we’re likely to get fast conditions here and he could be lethal to face. England’s bowling has gone through a lot of chances too now without Broad and Anderson. Australia are the favourites at 1.83 with England 2.54 and the draw is out with the washing at 14.5. It’s hard to see a draw given the way England play – I know England tend to start away series’ slowly but they do make appeal here at 2.54. Australia’s bowling could easily be their weak link here – I’m happy with a small position on England; let’s see how the teams face up in the 1st Test and we can have some confident selections later in the series.
The Edge Says:
One point win England to beat Australia at 2.54 with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/1stAshes
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
With a very unlikely, I feel it’s going to be a straight shoot-out trading between Australia and England. I do feel we’re going to have plenty of swings – I wouldn’t be quick to get married to a position early on here. Both sides have collapses in their locker; you can pick holes in the bowling attacks too. I do feel batting first will offer an edge long-term in the sense that you don’t want to be batting last chasing a score. There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before we get there though – as we saw with the way India won the last Test here. The best trade might be backing the side who bats third, and then supporting them while bowling in the last innings too.
