The Ashes are nearly upon us, with Michael Clarke leading his men into battle with Alastair Cook’s England.

In this first part of our Ashes preview we will focus on the visitors, the current holders of the urn and strong favourites to beat England in England for the first time since 2001. The Aussies are currently 2/5 to win the series, and with a drawn series enough for them to retain the urn they can be backed at 2/11 to remain Ashes holders. Spreadex also offer Australia at 2/9 to win the series draw no bet. A full range of correct score prices are available, with Australia 5-0 priced at 10/1 and a 4-0 Aussie victory on offer at 7/1.



On the spreads Australia’s series index is quoted at 75-79, with 25 pts per Test won and 10 per draw. Australia Test wins are pitched at 2.45-2.65, with Australia’s series supremacy over England quoted at 11-14 (based on 10 pts for winning the series and 5 pts bonus per Test won by). Other team markets available include Australia total series runs, pitched at 3025-3125, and Australian team Ton Ups, quoted at 270-285.

Let’s take a look at the key men behind Australia’s challenge. As ever with Test cricket it is important to look at the captain, the leader of the team on and off the field. Michael Clarke is a vastly experienced captain, a veteran of both bitter Ashes defeats and glorious Ashes victories. Although his best days with the bat may well be behind him, his series runs quote of 395-415 shows how highly he is regarded by Spreadex traders, and how prized a wicket he will be for the English attack. Clarke’s Ton Ups are quoted at 49-57, and with 3 double centuries and a triple century on his record this quote may well be of interest. Of course Clarke’s batting will only be half the story, with his captaincy and rotation of his battery of bowlers equally important in Australia’s bid for a series win.



The Aussies surge to the top of the ICC Test rankings has been in no small part down to the emergence of Steve Smith as a genuinely world class batsman. Once derided in the English media as an overweight, mediocre leg-spinner Smith returns to England the current number one test batsman in the world. With 7 Test centuries since the start of 2014 it is no surprise to see Smith’s series runs quote the highest of all players in this series, pitched at 450-470. For those expecting Smith to continue his rush of centuries his series Ton Ups are quoted at 78-86, once again the highest of all batsmen in the series. On the fixed odds side Smith is 9/4 favourite to be the top Australian run scorer, and 3/1 favourite to be the top overall run scorer in the series on either side.

Loudmouth opener David Warner will also be a huge wicket targeted by the English this series. After his infamous bust-up with Joe Root in 2013 and his constant inane sledging it is fair to say the diminutive left-hander is not on many of the England players’ Christmas card list. Nevertheless he is an outstanding batsman, capable of taking a Test away form an opposition with his rapid scoring rate. His series runs are 435-455, the highest of the opening batsmen in this Ashes series. His series Ton Ups are pitched at 72-80, and he can be backed at 11/4 to be the Aussies top series run scorer. Those who fancy him to be the highest run scorer in the series are offered a tempting 4/1.

Despite the strong batting line-up listed above, it is perhaps with the ball that Australia are at their strongest. They arrive in England with their strongest bowling attack since the days of Warne and McGrath, with a feared battery of pacemen. Given his demolition of the English batting in the 2013/14 series in Australia it is only logical to start with mustachioed left-arm quick Mitchell Johnson. Once mocked by the English fans for his erratic spells of bowling, Johnson has become the most feared bowler in the world game, with an unparalleled combination of fearsome pace and bounce. With many of the England batsmen still carrying the mental scars of the previous series, Johnson’s series bowler performance quote of 240-250 may generate plenty of interest.



Sadly for England’s batsmen Australia boast not one but two left-arm quicks named Mitchell. If Johnson isn’t firing Michael Clarke has Mitchell Starc to call upon, another serious threat to the hosts’ batting line-up. Starc has already made a massive impact in the white ball formats, and will be hoping to transfer that to the red ball game this Summer. Spreadex have every faith in him to do just that, pitching his series bowler performance at exactly the same as Mitchell Johnson, 240-250. Both Starc and Johnson are strong candidates to take the first 5-fer of the series, with Spreadex quoting the number of wickets to fall before a 5-fer is taken at 35-38.

Behind the stumps for Australia will be veteran Brad Haddin. Haddin has a very strong record against the English, with the hostile atmosphere of the Ashes bringing the best out of him. Haddin series runs are quoted at 240-260 with his series Ton Ups at just 8-12. Australia Series Wicketkeeper performance, which barring injury will almost certainly be Haddin for all 5 tests, is pitched at 460-480, with 1 pt per run, 10 pts per catch and 25 pts per stumping. With Nathan Lyon’s off spin and the potential for some occasional additional spin from any of Smith, Clarke, Warner or even Fawad Ahmed this price could see plenty of interest ahead of the first Test.