THES ASHES FIRST TEST: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews the eagerly anticipated start of the Ashes with the first Test between AUSTRALIA v ENGLAND including a recommended BETDAQ bet.

MATCH OVERVIEW:

After a long wait and plenty of drama with travel restrictions and bio-bubbles, The Ashes is finally here. As is always the way before The Ashes really, we’ve had plenty of drama and debate in the build-up. Remember a couple of months ago when England were going to send a “second XI’ because of travel issues? They arrive with an excellent squad, but will it be good enough to match a fantastic Australia side comfortable in their own conditions? We should have an excellent series, and it should be great for trading on BETDAQ Betting Exchange..

Australia have lost their captain Tim Paine in the build-up to the series with a sexting scandal, and now Pat Cummins is captain with Steve Smith vice-captain. It’s a big boost for Steve Smith, who had to stand down as captain over ball tampering not so long ago. The Australian squad looks very well balanced nonetheless, and their attack is always good in their own conditions. You get the feeling that England need a very good start to the series otherwise Australia could steamroll them.

Both sides have had multiple issues with their batting in recent years. We’ve seen countless collapses from England, and Australia haven’t exactly been reliable either. The wicket is generally good at The Gabba, so we might not see any major collapses in the 1st Test. It’s very important for England to start fast – let the Aussie’s start to question the new captain and try to make their doubt their batting line-up. That is England’s best chance of winning the series. If they start poorly, Joe Root will be under pressure and England’s bowling attacking is also questionable – they need to attack with confidence and Stokes needs to lead the line. A fascinating series awaits.

WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:

As I said above, batting is generally good here at The Gabba. India visited to play a Test here in January and they won by three wickets. Australia scored 369 and 294, while India replied with 336 and 329/7. Prior to that, Australia had a crazy unbeaten run here in Tests that went back to 1988. We don’t see too many draws here despite the wicket being good for batting. This is a classic Test wicket in the sense that there’s something for everyone – the bowlers will enjoy bowling and perhaps 350 will be par. Runs and wickets come quicker than usual, so there’s always time in the game for a result. We will have some weather issues at some stage however, and that will keep the draw in-play for most of the Test.

RECOMMENDED BET:

As I said above, I really feel England need a good start to the series. The question is, will they get it? To be honest starting the tour in Brisbane really suits the Aussies, and their bowling attacking should really go well here. The jury is definitely out on the England attack, and a lot will depend on how Ben Stokes performs. We should have some bad weather at some point looking at the long-range forecast but I still feel we can get a result here. The draw will be in the game but it’s a little short for me at 3.05. Australia look the value call at 2.1 – they have the stronger batting and bowling coming into the series, while England tend to start slowly. Everything points to an Aussie win here in my view.

The Edge Says:
Three points win Australia to beat England at 2.1 with BETDAQ Exchange.

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IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:

The first in-running strategy here should be to focus on the weather forecast and keep an eye on those radars. There’s definitely some bad weather around, but it can be hit or miss with the high temperatures. That’s obviously going to have a big impact on the draw price, and as I said above, I would expect the draw to be hanging around for most of the Test unless we see a collapse in the first innings. The earlier the rain comes, the more time we can make up later in the Test, and I still feel we should get a result. The draw could easily become a cracking lay if the team batting first posts 350 and we get some rain. As we can see looking at old Tests here, a reasonably big first innings score doesn’t mean we have a drawn game here.

There’s a lot of angles player wise to keep track of this series, and I’m happy to keep stakes low in the first Test until I see how everyone is playing. I’ll be keen to get against the England openers against the Aussie bowlers with the new ball, and I’ll also be keen to take on the England bowlers at times. I feel Stokes has to have an excellent series with the ball for them to have a chance – on paper, the others could really struggle.