Australia has been backed to complete an Ashes whitewash, with a 5-0 result the most popular scenario with TAB punters before the series begins in Brisbane on Wednesday.
While the hosts are $1.30 to win the Ashes compared to England’s $5, approximately 30 percent of TAB’s Correct Score market is on the clean sweep with a 3-0 series result to Australia the next best backed at 17 percent.
Australia are $2 favourites for the first Test at the Gabba having been as short at $1.60 at one stage. England has drifted to $4.50 with a draw moving into $3.
In other points of note with TAB:
- Local knowledge is tipped to help Marnus Labuschagne ($4), who is best backed as Australia’s first innings top run scorer with 35 percent of the High Bat market ahead of David Warner ($4.25) with 25 percent and favourite Steve Smith ($3.50) with 21 percent. Dawid Malan heads Ben Stokes and Joe Root in betting as England’s best in their first knock.
- Labuschagne ($4.00) is also the most popular in the Series Most Runs market with 25 percent of the support, from Smith ($3.25), Warner ($5.50) and Marcus Harris ($15) who all hover around the 18 percent mark. Warner has shortened from $7 in to $5 over the past month and Harris from $21 into $15. England skipper Joe Root is $4.50.
- New Australian captain Pat Cummins ($3.40) dominates the first innings Most Wickets market for Australia with 50 percent of the first Test hold from Mitchell Starc ($4.50) at 20 percent. However Josh Hazlewood ($5) is the best backed bowler to take the Most Series Wickets with 58 percent, well clear of Cummins ($4.50) at 23 percent.
Ashes – First Test
$2.00 Australia
$4.50 England
$3.00 Draw
Highest Batter (1st innings)
Australia
$3.50 S.Smith
$4.00 M.Labuschagne
$4.25 D.Warner
$6.50 M.Harris
$9.00 T.Head
$12 C.Green
$15 A.Carey
$51+ Others quoted
England
$2.60 J.Root
$5.00 D.Malan
B.Stokes
$5.50 R.Burns
J.Bairstow
$6.00 O.Pope
$6.50+ Others quoted
Most Wickets (1st innings)
Australia
$3.40 P.Cummins
$4.20 J.Hazlewood
$4.50 M.Starc
$5.00 N.Lyon
$8.50 C.Green
$21+ Others quoted
England
$3.30 J.Anderson
$4.00 S.Broad
M.Wood
$4.20 O.Robinson
$5.00 C.Woakes
$5.50 B.Stokes
$6.00+ Others quoted
TAB Odds
Ashes Series
$1.30 Australia
$5.00 England
$8.50 Draw
Series Correct Score
Australia
$6.50 5-0
$6.50 4-0
$6.00 4-1
$17 3-0
$5.50 3-1
$7.00 3-2
$67 2-0
$15 2-1
$201 1-0
$9.00 2-2
$51 1-1
$501 0-0
England
$151 5-0
$100 4-0
$41 4-1
$101 3-0
$21 3-1
$11 3-2
$251 2-0
$34 2-1
$251 1-0
$51 1-1
$501 0-0
Series Most Runs
$3.25 S.Smith
$4.00 M.Labuschagne
$4.50 J.Root
$5.50 D.Warner
$15 M.Harris
B.Stokes
$21 R.Burns
$26 T.Head
H.Hameed
U.Khawaja
$34 Others quoted
Series Most Wickets
$4.50 P.Cummins
$5.00 J.Hazlewood
$5.50 N.Lyon
$7.00 M.Starc
$11 J.Anderson
$13 M.Wood
S.Broad
$15 O.Robinson
$21 J.Leach
$26 C.Woakes
J.Richardson
$34 Others quoted