Ashes Series 2025 preview: Best odds and betting tips for England v Australia

Pop on that protective equipment or stand at the end of your run-up for an in-depth look at the Ashes betting markets, where I’ll try to find the best Ashes odds across a range of bookmakers.

As we know, winning in Australia is very tough at any time and that’s just a Test match, let alone a series.

In almost 55 years since Raymond Illingworth was hoisted high by his teammates following a 2-0 series win Down Under in 1970-71, England have won just three series there and one of those was against an Aussie team weakened by Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket.

So the facts of recent history don’t augur well for head coach Brendon McCullum and his captain Ben Stokes.

England have not won a Test in Australia since their 3-1 series win under Sir Andrew Strauss in 2010-11. They’ve lost the last three series 5-0, 4-0 and 4-0. That’s not what I call competitive cricket.

There have been personnel changes in both squads since the hosts won the fifth and final Test of the last Australia-based Ashes at Hobart. David Warner is no more and Marnus Labuschagne has had his troubles, to name two key batters.

There’ll also be enforced changes this time, with captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood both having to sit out some of the series due to injury.

While Nathan Lyon remains a major factor for the green-and-golds, I don’t care how good your replacements are (Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett look the likely new ball bowlers), if you’re missing one of the best opening partnerships in the world since Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie were tearing it up, you’re not as strong as you could be.

Of the England line-up from that 146-run Hobart defeat, Zak Crawley, Joe Root, Stokes, Ollie Pope and Mark Wood are all that remain in the current set-up.

With Sam Konstas dropped for Perth, after just five Test matches, England will see an opportunity to capitalise on the selection of uncapped 31-year-old Jake Weatherald and will aim to deny him an easy passage into elite level cricket.

Despite being much more experienced, the Aussies will want to apply plenty of pressure to messrs Crawley and Pope, who are both vulnerable.

Crawley made just one half century in three Tests on that previous tour, though he did better in the more recent drawn home series, making his highest Test score (189) at Old Trafford, plus two other half centuries, having played in all five matches.

His only Test hundred in 37 subsequent innings came against Zimbabwe in May. England continue to back him and he really will need to deliver if they are to set games up to have any chance of winning.

Partner Ben Duckett makes his first Ashes tour and is the more established, having hit four centuries since the end of the 2023 series in England, in which his highest score was 98 at Lord’s.

Pope looks likely to stay at number three after his late season and warm-up exploits, which is another risk, so if things don’t drop right, they could find themselves two or three wickets down cheaply, ramping up the pressure on their undoubted star batters Joe Root and Harry Brook.

With the ball, Shoaib Bashir has a tough like for like match-up with Lyon as the off spinner, while otherwise England have gone with the extreme pace of Wood, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse, with skipper Stokes adding much needed balance and Jamie Smith also giving them an excellent batting option as wicketkeeper.

They have the talent to make an impression and certainly not to come away having been ‘nilled’ for a fourth Ashes tour in succession but I can’t help thinking they’re undercooked, after so little red ball preparation for this week’s opening Test in Perth.

The Aussies have been getting loose in the highly competitive Sheffield Shield, they have a significant advantage, while conditions are second nature to them and, unless Cummins and Hazlewood miss more matches than they are letting on, they are my idea of series winners.

I know that’s not going to be popular but head must rule heart and the hosts are not exactly going through a crisis at the moment. However, I do think England are capable of winning at least one Test and nothing would give me greater pleasure than Ben Stokes and the boys proving me wrong.

What I do know is that with the way England approach Test cricket, there are unlikely to be any dull moments between now and the end of the Sydney Test in January. I’m going for a 3-2 win for the hosts and I think a saver on another 2-2 draw, as we saw in England in 2023, is not entirely ill-judged with good value to be found on betting sites.

Ashes Betting Prediction 1: Ashes Series winner: Australia – 4pts win @ 8/13 (Bet365)

Ashes Betting Prediction 2: Series Correct Score: Australia 3 England 2 – 0.5pts win @ 7/1 (Betway)

As for Ashes betting markets for top batters and top bowlers, I think Travis Head, who is proven against England, looks a huge player for Australia on his home turf.

He’s set to play in all five Tests and could rack up some big scores quickly. If he ends up as top batter, I think at 7/1 he’s great value to be the Aussies’ player of the series.

Readers will know that I’m a huge fan of Harry Brook, who hasn’t yet conquered Australia in the fullest sense of the word because he’s not been on an Ashes tour.

He did really well without posting a ton over here against them two years ago and if anyone can go there with no baggage and be an England sensation, he’s the man for me.

11/4 is a reasonable price to be England’s top batter and if he shines in the middle order, the Yorkshireman will certainly be a strong contender to be the tourists’ player of the series.

Odds of 11/2 are available with cricket betting sites for Brook to secure the award on his first Ashes tour Down Under.

Ashes Betting Prediction 3: Australia Player of the Series: Travis Head – 1pt win @ 7/1 (BetVictor)

Ashes Betting Prediction 4: Australia Top Batter: Travis Head – 1pt win @ 7/2 (Betfred)

Ashes Betting Prediction 5: England Player of the Series: Harry Brook – 1pt win @ 11/2 (BetVictor)

Ashes Betting Prediction 6: England Top Batter: Harry Brook – 1pt win @ 11/4 (BetVictor)

I think it’s harder to be dogmatic about the potential top bowler for both sides.

Mitchell Starc looks a worthy favourite for Australia, given the injuries to two of his colleagues but Nathan Lyon will be around for the entire series and so a small play on him, at a slightly better price, may prove prudent.

Similarly, for England, it’s going to be a matter of getting the pacemen through the series in a kind of patchwork quilt of selection. So, with some of them likely to miss a couple of matches, it could clear the way for Ben Stokes to be the tourists’ top series bowler.

He could keep chipping away with contributions when some of his teammates are resting and we know how wholehearted he is and how much responsibility he takes, so I think 5/1 on betting apps about him is worth a small stakes wager.

Ashes Betting Prediction 7 : Australia Top Bowler: Nathan Lyon – 0.5pts win @ 3/1 (BoyleSports)

Ashes Betting Prediction 8: England Top Bowler: Ben Stokes – 0.5pts win @ 5/1 (BetMGM)

New customers can secure £30 in free bets by signing up for Ladbrokes and betting on the Ashes.

To qualify for the betting offer, new users must use the link below before signing up for Ladbrokes. After that, customers must deposit £5 and bet £5 on any Ashes betting market with odds of 1/2 or greater.

Once your qualifying wager has settled, you’ll receive £30 in free bets paid out in 6 x £5 installments. Free bets are active for seven days.

If you’re having a bet on the Ashes, it’s vital to practice responsible gambling.

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Gambling sites offer punters tools, like deposit limits, profit and loss trackers and self-exclusion options, to help you stay in control.

Try not to get carried away by free bet offers or casino bonuses, which are widely available on gambling apps.

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