When it comes to Test cricket, there is one series that stands out above the rest when it comes to rivalry and entertainment, and this is The Ashes. This is a five-match Test series that sees England take on Australia, and it has been taking place since 1882. India versus Pakistan would probably rival it when it comes down to spiciness and Box Office entertainment, but these two sides no longer play each other outside of big tournaments such as the T20 World Cup. The Ashes 2021 is fast approaching, and here we are going to take a closer look at what to expect.
The History of the Ashes
One cannot speak about The Ashes without first talking about how this marvelous contest first came into being. It all started in 1882, when an Australian cricket team traveled to England to play one Test match at the Oval in London. The wicket was difficult to play on, and Australia were bowled out for just 63 in their first innings. England scored 101, to give themselves a lead of 38 going into the second innings.
In their second innings, the Aussies managed 122, meaning that England needed just 85 runs to win the match. However, Fred Spofforth bowled a devastating spell and helped to bundle England out eight runs short of victory. The Oval crowd were silent, not quite sure how England managed to lose on home soil. There would have been a few cricket betting fans that lost money because of this shock result.
This momentous loss was recorded in British newspapers, and Reginald Shirley Brooks, who wrote for The Sporting Times, wrote a mock obituary for English cricket. In this obituary, he wrote that the body of English cricket will be cremated, and its ashes taken back to Australia.
England went on a tour Down Under later that same year and their captain, Ivo Bligh, promised that he would recover the Ashes, and this is how the series came into being. England went on to win that three-match tour 2-1., and The Ashes has become extremely popular ever since.
Past Recent Ashes Results
Whenever you are thinking about doing a spot of Ashes betting on the team that you think will go on to claim the little urn, you should take a look at the results of recent Ashes series as this information can be very useful when it comes to selecting the team that you are going to put your money on at Ashes betting sites. You would not back a horse that has lost its last five races in a row, so why would you back a cricket team that has been playing poorly in a particular competition?
Below we have listed the results of the last five Ashes series:
Australia in England (2013): England won 3-0
England in Australia (2013/14): Australia won 5-0
Australia in England (2015): England won 3-2
England in Australia (2017/18): Australia won 4-0
Australia in England (2019): Series was drawn 2-2
So, by looking at the last five series, there are a number of patterns that you should be able to see right away. For instance, you will see that the away team usually loses. England had a much better Test team back in 2017/18, but they still lost the series Down Under 4-0. In fact, they have a pretty terrible record in Australia.
So, if you are thinking about placing a bet on the outright winner, this is something that you should definitely take into account. There really is not a huge difference in quality between the two teams, but Australia will have the advantage due to the fact that they are playing at home.
Betting Odds for the 2021 Ashes
Online cricket betting fans love to bet on anything cricket related, so you can bet your bottom dollar that there will be plenty of bettors who will be considering putting some money down on the winner of the 2021/22 Ashes series. So, who are the favourites in the eyes of the bookmakers?
Well, Betway, who just so happen to be one of the best sports betting sites in the world, have Australia at odds of 1/3 to win, while England are at odds of 3.00 to regain the urn. Other top-quality sportsbooks such as Bet365 and BetVictor have the same odds at Betway when it comes to betting on the Ashes.
So, if you were to place a $10 bet on Australia to win, you would land a profit of $3.30 if they did. While, on the other hand, if you were bet $10 on England winning the urn, you would make a profit of $20 if they went on to do so. The fact that you can make a profit if England win that is nearly seven times higher than the profit made if Australia win goes to show that not many are giving England much of a chance of flying home with the prized urn.
In fact, the odds that are on offer suggest that Australia have a 75% chance of winning the urn, while England’s chances stand at a mere 25%.
The 2021/22 Ashes Fixtures
An Ashes series is made up of five Test matches, and below is the full schedule:
Test 1: December 8-12 at The Gabba, Brisbane
Test 2: December 16-20 at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
Test 3: December 26-30 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Test 4: January 5-9 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Test 5: January 14-18 at the Optus Stadium, Perth
Before you go ahead and bet on any of these Test matches, you should do your research on each venue. For example, a quick search of Australia’s record at The Gabba will tell you that the Aussies rarely lose at this venue. In 55 matches at this venue, they have won 33 matches, drawn 13, lost 9 and tied 1. When India beat Australia at The Gabba at the start of 2021, they became the first team to beat Australia here in 32 years. So, with this stat in mind, it is probably not wise to bet on England to get their Ashes campaign off to a flier.
Players to Look Out For
We are now going to take a look at three players from each team that you should keep an eye on during the 2021/22 Ashes series. If you are into your fantasy sports, then this information could be very useful for you when it comes to picking your team. It is also great information to keep in mind should you decide to bet on markets such as the leading run scorer in the series or the top wicket taker in the series.
Joe Root: The England captain has been in stunning form in 2021, scoring 1398 runs in 21 innings at an average of 69.90. This includes six centuries, which equals the record for an England batsman in a calendar year. If he manages to score 390 more runs in the three matches that are left to play this year, he will beat Mohammad Yousef’s record of 1,788 runs score in a single year. In the last series against India, Root scored 564 runs in 7 innings at an average of 94.00. He is without a doubt England’s best batsman and the player the Aussies will want to see the back of quickly.
James Anderson: The England fast-bowler might be coming up to 40 years old, but there is no doubt that he is still a very talented bowler, as he showed in the recent Test Series against India. When it comes to bowling with the new ball, there is nobody else in world cricket that Root would chuck the ball to so there was no surprise that he was included when they named their squad. In the 166 Test matches that he has played, he has picked up 632 wickets at an average of 26.62 – only two other bowlers have taken more wickets than him, and those are both spinners. Anderson’s record in Australia is not the best, he has taken 60 wickets in 18 Tests at an average of 35.43, so in his last tour of the country, he will be desperate to improve his figures, and there are no reasons why he cannot.
Ollie Robinson: He has only played in five Test matches, but in his short Test career he has already shown that he has the quality to cause some of the best players in the world plenty of trouble. In these five matches, he has picked up 28 wickets at an average of 19.60. He has superb control and pinpoint accuracy, which makes him dangerous in conditions that have swing and seam movement. He is a bit like Josh Hazelwood, and he has had plenty of success bowling in Australian conditions, so we expect Robinson to cause plenty of issues too.
Marnus Labuschagne: The South-African-born Australian has only played 18 Tests, but he has already scored 1,885 runs at an average of 60.80. This includes 5 centuries and ten half-centuries. When he gets going, it is extremely difficult to remove him from the crease as can be seen from his very good average. In 2019, after becoming the first player to be a concussion substitute, he scored 975 runs to finish the year as the top scorer in Test cricket. So, while he is definitely a player that cricket fans should keep an eye on, the England bowlers will be hoping that they do not have to watch him bat for too long.
Steve Smith: Not many people in the cricketing world like Steve Smith because he is a confirmed cheat, but there is no doubt that he is an extremely talented cricketer. He has played 77 Tests for his country and has scored 7,540 runs at an average of 61.80. This includes 27 centuries and 31 half-centuries. Alongside the likes of Joe Root, Virat Kohli, and Kane Williamson, he is regarded as one of the best batsmen in the world. If England do not get him out early, then he will cause plenty of damage, that is for sure.
Pat Cummins: When it comes to success against English batsmen, there are not many with better stats than Pat Cummins. In the 19 innings that he has played against England, he has picked up 52 wickets at an average of 21.84. His skill and pace will make him a very tricky bowler for the English batsmen, and we would definitely not be that surprised if he ended up being the leading Aussie wicket taker come the end of the five Tests.