Australia v New Zealand predictions, tips & odds update, Sydney Test

The Australia v New Zealand Test cricket series moves to Sydney for the third and final match, with the Australians having sealed the series with a thumping victory in the second Test at the MCG.
New Zealand were again brave but ultimately outmatched in Melbourne, as they were in the opening day-night Test in Perth.
Our Australia v New Zealand betting preview includes the latest selection news, plus our best bets and tips for the Third Test.
The Kiwis head to Sydney looking to salvage something from a series they entered packed with confidence and at No.2 in the ICC Test rankings.
While New Zealand were badly beaten we managed to strike gold with our tips for the Boxing Day Test, with Neil Wagner leading the first-innings wicket-takers and Tom Latham reaching 50, even if only just!
Wicketkeeper Tom Blundell also made the most of his chance in Melbourne to post a wonderful second-innings ton after replacing Jeet Raval as Latham’s opening partner.

Spearhead Trent Boult ruled out

New Zealand will lose paceman Trent Boult for the final Test after he was struck on the hand by a Mitchell Starc thunderbolt and suffered a fracture.
They are likely to bring in paceman Matt Henry or Kyle Jamieson as his replacement, while former NSW Sheffield Shield player Will Somerville is tipped to come in as the spin option in place of Mitchell Santner, who was ineffective at the MCG.
Somerville is a 35-year-old off-spinner who has played seven Tests for the Kiwis.
Australia were dominant and are keen to press home the advantage. There is a big push for the inclusion of leg-spinner Mitch Swepson, with a tour to India looming.
Any of the pace bowlers would be unlucky to be omitted for Swepson, though there is a slight injury cloud over left-armer Starc. It may be prudent to rest the spearhead and test out Swepson on the big stage.
Continue on for our Australia v New Zealand predictions and odds update for the third Test of the three-Test series in Australia.

Australia v New Zealand odds

Head to head odds: Australia $1.25, draw $6, New Zealand $9.
Man of the match:
$7 Steven Smith (Aus)
$9 David Warner (Aus), Marnus Labuschagne (Aus)
$10 Mitchell Starc (Aus), Pat Cummins
$11 Kane Williamson (NZ)
$13 Joe Burns (Aus), Nathan Lyon (Aus)
$15 James Pattinson (Aus), Neil Wagner (NZ), Ross Taylor (NZ), Tom Latham (NZ)
Markets from Ladbrokes Australia

Australia v New Zealand betting tips

As always when we preview matches, we provide our best bets. Of course we can’t strike gold every time but we hope our reasoning can offer some insight into how things could unfold at the SCG.

Pat Cummins five or more wickets in first innings

Cummins is the No.1 Test bowler in the ICC rankings and loves playing at the SCG. He bowled well in Melbourne and loves playing at this ground. He could be the one to do all the damage here. He is a lion-hearted performer and may well be called on to bowl longer spells than usual. This aggressive option is priced around the $9 mark.

Nathan Lyon man of match at $13

As the match wears on, Lyon will come into his own. We picture the spinner as being the one to put NZ to the sword as the pitch deteriorates.

Tom Latham top 1st innings NZ run-scorer

Latham is a stoic character who delivered for us in Melbourne in the first innings as wickets tumbled around him. This option is around $4.50 and we think it’s a good one when you consider New Zealand’s star batsmen Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor look a little out of sorts,

Australia v New Zealand prediction

The Sydney Cricket Ground is not a good place for New Zealand to try to restore their credibility. It has long been a fortress for Australian teams and they have not lost there since the match against England in 2011. In fact, they have lost just two of their past 24 matches at the ground, while there have also been four draws. We think there is some value in the draw at $6 as we expect a much more batter-friendly wicket than the previous two in this series. Good punting.

How to bet on Australia v New Zealand

Australia v New Zealand betting is available at all leading online betting sites</a. If you're in New Zealand our recommended Kiwi betting sites will also have many betting options.

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