England vs Australia betting predictions, The Oval, 5th Ashes Test

AFTER successfully predicting Australia would retain the Ashes at Old Trafford, the World Gambling List believes the visiting team can defeat England at The Oval and record a 3-1 victory in the best-of-five-matches series.

While the series is poised at 2-1 the Aussies’ way, England’s chances of regaining the Ashes urn were blown away by another majestic batting performance from Steve Smith, who made 211 when the match was evenly balanced in the opening innings of the match, before backing it up with a blistering 82 in the second innings, as his teammates fell down around him.

The brilliance of Smith has sent the comparisons to the greatest ever, Sir Donald Bradman, into overdrive, with the former Aussie skipper bashing 671 runs at 134.2 in just three Tests, having missed one with concussion, putting himself into a position to challenge Bradman’s 974 runs made during the 1930 Ashes. Remarkable really.

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Backing up Smith’s heroics with the bat has been Patrick Cummins’s performance with the ball, with the ironman star having played all four Tests and claimed 24 wickets at 17.41, to justify his top rating in the red ball game.

England will enter the match with the sole purpose of denying the Aussies a series win on English soil, but they look to have their work cut out with a shoulder injury potentially robbing them of the bowling of Ben Stokes (although he will still play as a batsman) and growing fears Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad were beginning to look fatigued in the fourth Test.

While England may change the captaincy and fabric of the outfit after this series, they have named an unchanged squad for the fifth Test, with Jason Roy set to be given more time to cement a position in the middle-order.

Read on for our England vs Australia predictions, free tips and odds analysis ahead of the 5th Ashes Test starting at The Oval on Thursday.

England v Australia 5th Test odds

Head to head odds: England $2.50, Draw $6.80, Australia $1.95

For the first time this series the Aussies will head into a Test as favourites with local and international bookies installing them $1.95 favourites to win at The Oval. We think the odds on offer are about right for these two teams, with Australia’s greater bowling depth telling throughout the series.

Tireless paceman Stuart Broad is a $3.50 favourite to top the wickets the first time England bowl, with the emerging Archer in the market at $3.75, while spinner Jack Leach is paying $6.00.

Cummins is the bookies’ favourite to top the wickets in England’s first innings at $2.75, while the ever reliable Josh Hazlewood ($3.00) is also rated a strong chance of being the leading wicket-taker.

Smith is the unbackable favourite at $2.00 to top the Aussies’ runs in their 1st innings, quite a remarkable price considering he is a cog in a team of 11, and given the unpredictable nature of Test cricket. Marnus Labuschagne ($5.00) and Usman Khawaja ($5.50), who may not even play, round out the top three in betting.

Under-fire England skipper Joe Root ($4.00), unfashionable opener Rory Burns ($5.00) and Ben Stokes ($5.50) round out the favourites in betting to top the England batsmen.

England vs Australia best bets & Tips

As always the World Gambling List cricket tipsters have scoured the markets ahead of the 5th Ashes Test and provided our best bets and match preview. You can read more sports betting previews here.

Steve Smith for man of the match

The best since Bradman, so they say. We’re not sure about that, but how can you bet against Smith at the moment? While the double ton in the first innings at Old Trafford was not without a few scares, Smith was still breathtaking in a way rarely seen in Test cricket. He is a man at the top of his game. We think Smith will be licking his lips at the prospect of a tiring England bowling attack and can seriously push Bradman’s record run count in an Ashes series. Smith is paying $5.00 for man of the match with William Hill or BetEasy in Australia.

Mitchell Starc to top the Aussies’ wickets in first innings

Writing this article on Monday, days out from the fifth Test, we’re not 100% convinced the Aussies will play Cummins at The Oval given his heavy workload and injury history. This could open the door for a bowler such as Mitchell Starc or James Pattinson to strike, with both speedsters paying $4.50 to take the most wickets in England’s first innings. The super consistent Josh Hazlewood has taken 18 wickets in three Test matches this series and must be considered, but we’re willing to put a line through Nathan Lyon’s prospects after a below-average few matches. We narrowly missed with our Starc tip at Old Trafford, but we’re willing to back in the left-armer again, believing he will be better for the run. Place a bet at William Hill.

Ashes 4th Test predictions – England v Australia

Australia have been the better team throughout the Ashes, despite England having their moments in the sun, including the heroic last-gasp victory at Headingley. But we’re predicting Australia to claim the series 3-1 after a convincing win in the fifth Test. Why, you might ask? Well we just think the cumulative workload on England’s bowlers, Archer and Broad in particular, is greater than on the Aussies who have implemented a rotation policy — that so far doesn’t involve resting Cummins. Also we’re just not sure how England will get Smith out when he’s not trying to hit them out of the park. We’re predicting Australia to win with confidence in this one.

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