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Australia vs England 1st Test Preview & Tips - Smith backed for runs in first Test against England

Ralph Staniforth

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Last updated: 06 Dec 2021

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Ralph Staniforth 06 Dec 2021

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Australia vs England predictions for Wednesday 1st Ashes Test match
Fixture will be played at the Gabba in Brisbane at 00:00 GMT
Steven Smith averaged over 100 runs per innings in the last Ashes series
Preview, tips, stats & team news

Expired

Steven Smith has a superb record in The Ashes (Getty Images)

Australia vs England Preview & Tips

The 1st Ashes Test will be an intriguing affair as both teams get the feel of Test cricket again. The hosts are favourites but the value is in the run scoring markets with Steven Smith and Joe Root in superb form.

Australia vs England Preview & Tips
Head to Head
History at The Gabba
Australia Form
Australia Team News
England Form
England Team News
Australia vs England FAQ

My best bet is for Steven Smith to score 50+ runs in Australia’s first innings.

Australia’s Steven Smith averaged 110.57 in the last Ashes series.
Australia’s Steven Smith has scored 50+ runs in 3 of his last 4 Test innings’.
Australia’s Steven Smith has scored 100+ runs in the 1st innings of 3 of his last 6 matches in Brisbane.
England’s Joe Root has scored 100+ runs in 3 of his last 7 Test innings’.
England’s Joe Root has scored 50+ runs in 4 of his last 7 Test innings’.
England’s Joe Root averages 66.13 in his last 12 Test matches.

Head to Head

The last Ashes series ended 2-2 with England winning the final match by 135 runs to level the series. It was not enough to stop to Aussies from holding onto the Urn.

History at The Gabba

Since 1982 England have played Australia 10 times at the Gabba. On only one occasion (in 1986) the visitors managed to win.

Australia have won six and drawn two since that England win in Brisbane. In their last meeting at the ground the Aussies won by 10 wickets with Steven Smith scoring 141 runs in the first innings.

Australia Form

Prior to COVID-19 wrecking havoc on the international cricketing front, Australia were in reasonably good form. They had retained the Ashes with a drawn series in England, before convincingly beating Pakistan and New Zealand on home soil.

Since cricket returned Australia have only played one series and they lost that 2-1 to India at home. It was a very disappointing result considering that the hosts won the first match before India bounced back to win the second.

The third Test ended in a draw which meant the final Test was a decider. India had a number of injuries so Australia were playing a severely weakened side, but still lost by three wickets in Brisbane.

Australia Team News

The Pat Cummins captaincy era begins after Tim Paine stood down. He along with the selectors have a few tough calls to make in the batting department.

The biggest conundrum seems to be between Travis Head and Usman Khawaja. They have both shown some good form of late but who gets the nod we’ll only know on the morning of the game.

England Form

England’s Test form has been inconsistent of late. They lost a series 3-1 in India before returning home to lose a two-match series 1-0 to New Zealand.

That was followed by India’s tour of the UK for a five match series. The first Test ended in a draw before India won the second, England leveled in the third but the visitors regained the lead in the fourth match at The Oval.

The fifth and final Test didn’t take place due to COVID infections within the Indian squad. They will return next year to complete the series with England 2-1 down.

England Team News

England’s batting remains their biggest problem. Joe Root has batted at his best at four and five but many believe he should move up to three for the series.

Another question is where does Zak Crawley, Haseeb Hameed and Dawid Malan fit in. The return of Ben Stokes to the side is a huge boost and should give the side plenty of balance.

Australia vs England FAQ

Where can I watch Australia vs England live stream?

Our live streaming guide shows you where to watch a Australia vs England live stream.

Verdict

Australia v England - 1st Test

Steven Smith has a superb record in the Ashes and is backed to score 50+ runs in the first innings. He is also tipped to top score in Australia's first innings and win the man of the match award.

Joe Root has been brilliant since the beginning of 2021. I am looking at him in the best first innings batsman market.

Smith Over 50+ Runs

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