The Ashes: Third Test predictions, team news, betting tips and odds

Third Ashes Test date, start time & TV info 

Date Tuesday, December 16 to Saturday, December 20
Starts 11.30pm GMT
Venue Adelaide Oval
Competition The Ashes
TV TNT Sports 1

Australia take on England in the third Ashes Test in Adelaide and victory for the Aussies would give them an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

The Test starts on Tuesday night and Ben Stokes's England are likely to face a home team bolstered by the returns of skipper Pat Cummins and ace spinner Nathan Lyon.

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Australia vs England third Test betting tips & predictions

Best bets

Pat Cummins to be Australia top first-innings wicket-taker
2pts 11-4 Paddy Power

Harry Brook to score over 58.5 match runs
4pts 5-6 bet365

Cameron Green to score a first-innings fifty
2pts 5-2 bet365

Australia vs England third Test preview 

Ben Stokes wants England to "show a bit of dog" in the third Ashes Test but there was more bark than bite from his team in chastening defeats in Perth and Brisbane. 

Australia's victories in the first two Tests mean England are 20-1 to win the five-match series going into Tuesday night's game at the Adelaide Oval.

Stokes's men are 9-4 to keep alive their Ashes dream with victory in South Australia, where temperatures could hit 38C, although history does not offer the tourists much hope.

Australia have won their last six Adelaide Tests by margins of ten wickets, ten wickets, 419 runs, 275 runs (against England in December 2021), eight wickets and an innings and 48 runs.

England's batting unit struggled in the first two matches and Australia should welcome back captain Pat Cummins and spinner Nathan Lyon, the leading wicket-taker in Adelaide Tests.

Cummins missed the first two games as he continued his rehabilitation for a stress fracture in his back, although he was bowling at full tilt in the build-up to the Gabba day-nighter which started on December 4.

That suggests he should be in tip-top shape for his return to action and he can ease the burden on left-armer Mitchell Starc, who has claimed 18 wickets in the series.

Cummins ripped through South Africa in the first innings of June's World Test Championship final at Lord's, picking up 6-28, and his pace and accuracy will test the discipline of England's batters.

He had match figures of 7-69 and 7-98 in the Adelaide Tests against India in 2020 and 2024 and may not take long to make an impact on this series.

Back Brook to cut out errors and rack up runs 

Harry Brook's liking for the unorthodox has got him into trouble in Perth and BrisbaneCredit: Getty Images

Harry Brook admits that a couple of "shocking shots" cost him his wicket in Perth and Brisbane so the England vice-captain is promising a more measured approach in Adelaide.

Sceptical punters may believe it when they see it but if Brook is able to knuckle down then he should clear a modest match runs line of 58.5.

He started the series with 52 out of England's total of 172 before scores of 31 and 15 at the Gabba and batting should be significantly easier in Adelaide.

Travis Head (79.25) and Marnus Labuschagne (70.88) have handsome Test averages at the venue and Brook scored 78, 54, 78, 61 and 92 runs in five home matches against Australia in 2023.

Usman Khawaja's return to fitness has cast some doubt over Australia's batting order but Cameron Green is an eye-catching price to score a first-innings fifty.

Green made 94 in his last Sheffield Shield match before the Ashes, batted nicely for 24 in Perth and 45 in Brisbane, and could cash in on a good pitch.

Key stats for Australia vs England third Test

♦ Australia have won 11 of their last 12 Test matches in Adelaide
♦ Travis Head averages 79.25 after seven Test appearances at the Adelaide Oval
♦ England have lost a wicket in the first over of three of their first four innings in this series
♦ The tourists have lost 15 of their last 17 Test matches in Australia

Australia vs England third Test team news and predicted line-ups 

Australia

Fit-again captain Pat Cummins will make his first appearance of the series and spinner Nathan Lyon has also been recalled. Seamers Brendan Doggett and Michael Neser drop out. 

Travis Head will again open the batting after the hosts opted against recalling Usman Khawaja, who has been hampered by a back injury and missed the second Test in Brisbane.

Line-up: 1 Jake Weatherald, 2 Travis Head, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Steve Smith, 5 Cameron Green, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Josh Inglis, 8 Pat Cummins (c), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Scott Boland

England

The tourists have made one change from Brisbane, with fast bowler Josh Tongue replacing Gus Atkinson. All-rounder Will Jacks has again been preferred to spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Line-up: 1 ⁠Zak Crawley, 2⁠ ⁠Ben Duckett, 3⁠ ⁠Ollie Pope, 4⁠ ⁠Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6⁠ ⁠Ben Stokes (c), 7 ⁠Jamie Smith (wk), 8 ⁠Will Jacks, 9 Brydon Carse, 10 ⁠Jofra Archer, 11 ⁠Josh Tongue

Australia vs England third Test betting odds

Sign up with bet365 to bet on Australia vs England in the third Test. Here are the latest odds.

Odds correct at time of publishing

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FAQs

When is Australia vs England in the third Test?

The third Ashes Test starts at 11.30pm GMT on Tuesday, December 16.

Where is Australia vs England being played?

The third Test is taking place at the Adelaide Oval in Adelaide, Australia.

Where can I watch the Ashes

All five Tests of England's Ashes tour of Australia are being shown exclusively live on TNT Sports 1.

What is the match betting for Australia vs England?

Australia are 1-2 to beat 9-4 shots England and the draw is an 11-1 chance.

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