Brace yourselves, cricket fans. No matter what country you come from or where your cricketing allegiances lie, England and Australia are about to serve up a feast of red-ball action over the next six weeks. The past year has seen England set the sport alight with an ultra-aggressive brand of Test cricket that has led to 11/13 wins. It’s this English side that will vie for the coveted Ashes, taking on arch-rivals Australia, who just last week defeated world No.1 India to win the WTC final 2023.
A little under 18 months ago, England were sent packing from Australia with their tails between their legs. Having put up about as much resistance as a soggy pancake, the English Test team were only able to manage one solitary draw from five matches, crashing to a 4-0 defeat in the 2021-22 Ashes series. Now, under the new leadership of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum, this thorough trouncing feels like a lifetime ago.
With Ashes glory on the line, the newly crowned World Test Champions head into the Bazball lion’s den. Who will win in this battle of Test cricket giants? Will it be a glorious redemption arch for England or a time for a reality check from Australia? We look at the 2023 Ashes odds and give our expert Ashes 2023 predictions to answer these questions.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | 2023 Ashes Series, Australia tour of England 2023, Five Test Cricket Matches |
| 🏟️ Venues: | Stadiums across England |
| 🗓️ Dates: | Friday 16 June to Monday 31 July |
Before going any further, here are England vs Australia cricket odds from the top online cricket bookmakers ahead of the first Ashes Test:
Despite England playing at home and having won 11 of their last 13 matches, they are still the underdogs heading into this series. The 2023 Ashes series betting odds have them at 2.50 (6/4) to win overall, while Australia sit at 1.91 (10/11). A drawn series is offering relatively long odds at 7.00 (6/1).
The betting odds for England vs Australia 2023 cricket ahead of the 1st Test are similar to the overall odds. England are at 2.60 (8/5) to win, while Australia are still favorites but with slightly longer odds to win at 2.20 (6/5). A draw pays less for the 1st Test, at 4.50 (7/2).
How does one explain the Ashes? The contest is almost as old as cricket itself, having been played since 1882 between Australia and England. Occurring roughly every two years in alternate countries, the Ashes typically consists of a five-Test series. The winner receives a tiny urn reputed to hold the Ashes of a cricket bail – though the meaning is symbolic, with the Ashes being all about pride and cricketing prowess.
Here’s a look at how the past five Ashes have unfolded:
With Australia having dominated the Ashes in recent years, can England apply their new approach to Test cricket here and bounce back strong against their old rivals? It will be the sternest Test of this new-look England team, so read on for our 2023 Ashes betting tips.
This may not be the Cricket World Cup, but you can be certain Australia and England will be taking this Ashes just as seriously. We’ve analyzed England vs Australia cricket odds and come up with the following predictions for 2023 ENG vs AUS Test cricket matchup:
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In every series for the past 12 months, England have been underestimated. Their past wins have been explained away. First, their series win over New Zealand was attributed to a weakened visiting team. Then, victories over India and South Africa were only because of home conditions. In Pakistan, it was road-like pitches, and over in New Zealand, again an injury-hit opponent.
Now, the bookies are saying that England will lose the Ashes because they are finally coming up against a credible opponent in Australia. And we say they’re yet again underestimating England, who have exactly the right brand of cricket to defeat Australia. Rather than allowing themselves to be batted into the ground and restricted by their pace attack, England will place attacking fields, leverage their home advantage to take wickets, then go out guns-blazing to disrupt the Australian bowlers.
Back England to win overall for 2.50 (6/4), or pick them to win 3-1 for a higher return of 9.00 (8/1).
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With 487 Test wickets and 23 five-wicket hauls, Nathan Lyon is nicknamed ‘the GOAT’ for good reason. Against any team, in any circumstance, Lyon is a strong bet to take the first five-wicket haul. However, we believe that this Ashes, in particular, is prime territory for Lyon to strike first.
England will be looking to force the issue one way or another at some stage, and this will more than likely come through some big hitting in the tail. The speed of runs is valued more than wickets in hand by England, meaning that there will be plenty of opportunities for Lyon to come on and pick up cheap wickets later in the innings. This, plus the fact that Pat Cummings will likely look to use Lyon as an economical option which England will seek to counter, makes Lyon a great bet for the first five-wicket bag for Australia.
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Two years ago, Moeen Ali looked to be retired from red-ball cricket. Yet, with the revolution inspired by Stokes and McCullum, the big-hitting spinner has been coaxed back into the side and given a free pass to play his natural game. Ali proved it during the T20 WC 2022, scoring well even in the final game against Pakistan and helping to clinch a trophy.
Here’s the thing: Across all five Tests, the chances of Moeen Ali being a consistent scorer are slim to none. He’s simply not of the caliber of the top five batsmen in either team. However, given a potential 10 chances, is it likely that in one of these innings, an Ali with a license to swing will go on a tear and get a big score? Yes—very likely, we say, and it’s worth a bet at 12.00 (11/1).
Moeen has always been a talented batter, and often circumstance or pressure has held him back. In this new-look English team, we could well see the true batsman come out.
Six weeks of pure Test cricket heaven await us as World Test Championship winners take on an in-form English team. On the line is the most coveted prize in cricket – the Ashes. We’ve looked at the 2023 Ashes odds and made our 2023 Australian tour of England betting tips, saying that England will yet again surprise the bookies and the critics by winning this one 3-1. Expect Moeen Ali to have a big innings and Nathan Lyon to capitalize on some loose English batting as well, adding to the overall entertainment of this highly anticipated clash.
