2017-18 Ashes: 2nd Test Betting Tips
Australia won the first Test at the ‘Gabba in the 2017-18 Magellan Ashes to take a 1-0 lead. Although the winning margin of ten-wickets looks comfortable in the end, it was a Test match of very fine margins. That makes the second Test at Adelaide starting from December 2nd, a historic first-ever Ashes day-night Test, very crucial.
Will Australia keep pressing hard?
Australia played catch-up for a good part of three days as England executed their plans well. It was only when Steve Smith combined forces with Pat Cummins that Australia got back into the ascendancy. Smith played what is now regarded as one of the best innings of all-time in Ashes.
And then with the ball, it was the pace battery of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins which suffocated the visitors with a barrage of short-pitch stuff. In between, the superlative performance of Nathan Lyon put Australia in the driving seat and won them the match.
Will Australia continue that at Adelaide? The pink ball and day-night conditions may favour the swing of England, but this pitch is one of the fastest in Australia giving an edge to the pace trio of the hosts.
England need to flush out the loss quickly
England’s best chance lies in how quickly they can come out of the loss by focusing on the positives. Ashes rookies Mark Stoneman and James Vince led their batting with impressive performances and Joe Root will expect his experienced batters to join them.
To be fair to England, they bowled according to plan till Smith took away the match from them. Of course, questions persist over the effectiveness of their third and fourth seamers and the finger injury to Moeen Ali.
Off-the-field issues continue to threaten their campaign as Ben Stokes’ arrival in New Zealand raised questions of an Ashes comeback while the head-butt incident involving Jonny Bairstow is a pesky nuisance. Can England find a way out of these issues to come back into the series?
Key battles and stats
Australia’s record at Adelaide reads W39, D19, L17. Over the last 13 matches played here, they have lost only once (W9, D3) and that loss was way back in 2010, to England.
Picks
Australia are still favourites in the betting market, but Adelaide is probably the best chance for England to win a Test match in this series. Back the visitors to win at odds of $3.75 (William Hill).
TIP: England to win – $3.75 at William Hill
The near-England like conditions should suit James Anderson who struggled for impact at the ‘Gabba. Back the most successful England bowler to pick up over 2.5 wickets in the first innings at odds of $2.62 (Ladbrokes).
TIP: James Anderson OVER 2.5 wickets (1st Innings) – $2.62 at Ladbrokes
