Australia vs England First Ashes Test betting tips and odds

England’s shocking record at The Gabba looks likely to continue when the 2021/22 Ashes gets underway this week

The 2021/22 Ashes series between Australia and England gets underway in Brisbane on Wednesday with the visitors looking to snap a shocking run of form on Australian soil.

England have not won any of the last ten Test matches played between these sides in Australian, losing nine of those, and a fragile top order could once again be the tourists undoing.

An under-performing batting line-up have only increased pressure on captain Joe Root who has scored almost three times as many Test runs in 2021 as the next best-scoring batsman, which has been Rory Burns. Root has never scored a century in Australia but it will be quite a surprise if that were still the case by the end of this series and Root is just 8/5 with Grosvenor Sport to fire in a century in the first Test.

The return of Ben Stokes and Dawid Malan, who was England’s top run-scorer in the 2017-18 tour, will help to take the pressure off Root but there are still concerns, not least what level Stokes is going to be able to perform to given he’s not played any cricket since July.

Australia have had problems of their own, not least the sexting scandal that led to the resignation of captain Tim Paine. The captaincy is now in the hands of fast bowler Pat Cummins who forms part of a settled Aussie attack alongside fellow quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, with Nathan Lyon providing the spin option.

The hosts haven’t played a Test match since January 19 so they go into this series with a severe lack of recent red-ball cricket under their belts but several members of the Test side were involved in the T20 World Cup squad and the settled nature, for the most part, of this side is likely going to negate any fears that they go into this series undercooked.

All eyes will be on former captain Steve Smith, England’s nemesis in 2019, who is just 7/4 to score a century in the first Test, which is easily the shortest price of a all the Australian batsmen.

First Ashes Test betting tip

England have a notoriously bad record at The Gabba, winning just two Test matches at the Brisbane ground since the Second World War, and the visitors are unsurprisingly outsiders once again to buck that trend.

India have proved a thorn in the Aussies side in recent years, winning back-to-back series in Australia, but the hosts have won 14 and drawn one of their last 15 home Tests against Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka and New Zealand, so they remain a formidable force on home soil.

With that in mind, an Australia win looks well worth an investment at 17/20 with Grosvenor Sport.

Recommended bet: Australia win – 17/20

Australia vs England 1st Test odds with Grosvenor Sport

Australia 17/20

Draw 21/10

England 17/4

*odds subject to change

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