Australia vs England Tips, Odds and Bets – 1st Ashes Test 2021

The 2021 Ashes Series begins at the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday morning, and a potential five days of Test cricket are scheduled.

For a little while, it appeared as though the 2021 Ashes Series was in serious doubt, but thankfully the stars aligned, England managed to put together a tour squad and ultimately, we’ll be treated to a full summer of cricket.

There has been plenty happening off the field in both camps recently, but now is the time for action, and both Australia and England will be eager to draw first blood in Brisbane.

Australia

There has been plenty of moving and shaking in the Australian squad recently, both through injury and other factors, but Justin Langer has named an exciting team for the first Ashes test, which will also see paceman Pat Cummins captain his country for the first time.

Former captain Tim Paine’s absence will see South Australian Alex Carey make his eagerly awaited debut, and the talented gloveman looks to add a little more depth to the Australian batting line-up.

Marcus Harris and Travis Head reclaim their positions in the Australian XI and otherwise, it’s a list of the usual suspects.

England

England have named a squad that lacks debutants, but also the experience of their Australian opponents.

Captain Joe Root has been in fine form in 2021, and he leads a batting line-up featuring the likes of Zak Crawley, Rory Burns and Ollie Pope; names that aren’t particularly household down under.

Having played 12 tests already this year, but their recent form has left a lot to be desired, and has seen them lose six of their last nine, while winning just once.

An already daunting task became even tougher when veteran paceman James Anderson was ruled out of the first Ashes Test on Tuesday, and Stuart Broad will now need to shoulder even more weight.