England vs Australia: The Ashes Preview, Betting odds and Prediction
Who will win the first T20 match.
The T20 series between England and Australia will commence on September 11, 2024, at The Utilita Bowl in Southampton. Subsequent matches are scheduled for September 13 in Cardiff and September 15 at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester. This series serves as a prelude to a five-match ODI series between the two teams, which will run from September 19 to 29. Together, the Test matches between these teams are famously known as The Ashes. In this article you will find some information about the teams, their current condition, betting options and our prediction for the first match.
Between them, the opponents have won two of the last three World Cups. However, in the tournament held this June, neither team reached the final. England were knocked out in the semi-finals by the eventual champions, India, while Australia failed to make it past the Super 8 stage.
Who will win
England
Before the matches against Australia, England won the series against Sri Lanka 2-1 but missed out on a second clean sweep of the international summer, having defeated the West Indies 3-0 in July.
The Three Lions are not heading into the Australia series in optimal shape. For starters, the team is currently led by interim coach Marcus Trescothick, with a permanent head coach, Brendon McCullum, set to take over in January 2025.
The most significant loss on the field is their captain, Jos Buttler, who has been sidelined due to a right calf injury. He also missed The Hundred tournament and remains doubtful for the ODI series. In his absence, the captaincy will pass to Phil Salt, who is a leading contender for the title of the team's top batter in the upcoming match.
Allrounder Jamie Overton, who made his Test debut in 2022, has been called up to replace Buttler in the T20 squad. The team will also feature its key stars, such as Sam Curran, who was named the Player of the Tournament at the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 after taking 13 wickets in 6 matches. Additionally, Adil Rashid, England’s most successful limited-overs spinner, boasts impressive averages of 24.30 wickets per match in T20 format.
Australia
Before their clash with England, Australia secured a 3-0 series whitewash over Scotland, with Travis Head and Mitch Marsh setting the highest-ever Powerplay score (113) in a men's T20 international. Cameron Green also contributed significantly, shining with both bat and ball, taking three wickets for 35 runs in the final game and being named the Player of the Match.
However, Australia has also faced some setbacks in their squad ahead of the trip to England. They lost Nathan Ellis to a hamstring injury on the eve of the Scotland series, and Riley Meredith is under observation due to soreness. Left-arm pacer Spencer Johnson is ruled out with a side strain, with Sean Abbott stepping in to fill his spot. Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Glenn Maxwell are also absent, but this has opened up opportunities for promising players, including the aforementioned Cameron Green.
Ready to take the field are the top-ranked player in the Men’s T20I Batting Rankings, Travis Head (rating of 844), and the legendary Adam Zampa with
3/1
odds to become Australia top wicket taker. Along with rising talents like Jake Fraser-McGurk and Tim David.
England Vs Australia Prediction
Australia are favored to win the series (but not the match) by all bookmakers. Historically, they have been very successful in The Ashes, winning four of the last five series, consecutively. It seems unlikely that England will break their streak of failures that began back in 2017.
However, matches between these two teams are often unpredictable. This isn’t just about unexpected events, such as last year when eco-activists ran onto the field mid-game — one of whom was carried off by England's wicket keeper Jonny Bairstow, and among those detained was a 69-year-old woman. The T20 format is fast, aggressive, and dynamic, making it far less predictable. Anything can happen in a single match.
Although the media has been praising the versatility of Cameron Green, who is considered Australia’s main weapon against England, he is still relatively inexperienced, having just had a successful series debut. Moreover, Australia's injury list is longer than England’s, who have already proven themselves against a much stronger opponent, Sri Lanka, compared to Scotland. Therefore, the first match may likely favor Rashid, Curran, and company, with a potential bet on first Over runs under 6.5 with odds of
13/20
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