Ashes top runscorer & wicket-taker predictions and cricket betting tips

Free cricket specials tips, best bets and analysis for the 2021-22 Ashes series between Australia and England.

Best bets

Marnus Labuschagne top series runscorer
3pts 7-2 general

Marnus Labuschagne to be Player of the Series
2pts 8-1 bet365

Ollie Robinson top England wicket-taker
1pt 11-2Betfair, Paddy Power

Josh Hazlewood top Australia wicket-taker
2pts 3-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Series preview

Mental duels are part and parcel of an Ashes series but with both camps enduring so much disruption in the build-up to the 2021-22 tussle, it seems the battle of the brains could be more important than usual.

Australia have not played a Test since January and were rocked by Tim Paine's resignation of the captaincy less than three weeks ago, but despite that disruption England seem the ones dangerously unsure of their best team and their warm-up matches against the England Lions in Brisbane were hampered by rain.

As a result, consistent players who are a fixture in their side make the most appeal in the series player markets. And few fit that description more than Marnus Labuschagne.

Despite having played only 18 Tests, the batting all-rounder has cemented his place as Australia's number three and first rose to prominence in the 2019 series when he replaced Steve Smith as Test cricket's first concussion substitute.

Labuschagne was immediately hit on the grille by a Jofra Archer bouncer but showed terrific resilience to dust himself down and hit 59 in his first Ashes innings.

He scored a further 294 runs in that series and has since been a model of consistency with an exceptional Test average of over 60.

Labuschagne has also been dangerous on home soil, making at least a half-century in ten of his last 15 Test innings in Australia.

For punters considering Labuschagne to be Australia's leading runscorer in the series, backing him to be the top series runscorer could be a better approach.

Fellow Aussie Steve Smith is the only player shorter than the Queenslander in the betting and England captain Joe Root looks the only tourist capable of topping the charts on current form.

And at 8-1 he could also be a cracking selection to be named player of the series.

Each of the last three Compton–Miller Medals have gone to batsmen with Smith the recipient of the award in both 2017-18 and 2019.

England have look devoid of any answer to Smith's metronomic runscoring in recent series but, while that could be the case again, Labuschagne is more than double Smith's price in the player-of-the-series betting.

Nemesis of both Labuschagne and Smith in 2019, England paceman Archer is out of the series with an elbow injury, leaving the tourists with a deficiency of pace beyond Mark Wood.

Stuart Broad has taken more Ashes wickets than any other player preparing for the series but it remains to be seen how well the 35-year-old has recovered from a calf injury sustained in August.

England will also have to be mindful of James Anderson's workload - England's all-time leading wicket-taker turned 39 in July - while spin has been used sparingly by the team in 2021.

And captain Root will also be conscious of spreading star all-rounder Ben Stokes too thin after the Hero of Headingley's hiatus and his focus will be on scoring runs.

With all of that considered, Ollie Robinson looks a good pick to lead the tourists' charge with the ball.

In his five Test appearances for England - all of which have come this year - Robinson has taken 28 wickets and has looked at home on the international stage.

Replicating that potency abroad is no mean feat, but the Sussex man bowls a nagging line and length and should be helped by the pace and bounce afforded to bowlers in Australia.

As for Australia, their bowling unit looks more settled, albeit with one member now carrying the extra responsibility of captaincy.

Pat Cummins is set to become the first fast bowler to captain his country since 1956 and that added pressure could well stunt his success with the ball.

Primary Aussie spinner Nathan Lyon, meanwhile, had a disappointing series against India earlier this year, and there have been calls for Mitchell Starc to be replaced by Jhye Richardson, so the metronomic Josh Hazlewood looks primed to be Australia's top series wicket-taker.

Hazlewood took 17 wickets in the series loss to India and could be set for another productive series.

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