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England and Australia lock horns in the opening T20 of their three-match series at the Rose Bowl on Wednesday. The series marks the start of a new era of white ball cricket for the Three Lions after the sacking of Matt Mott. But starting against a well-rounded Australian side won’t be easy. In our latest cricket betting picks we look ahead to the first match and tell you who to put your money on to win.
- What: 1st T20
- Who: England vs. Australia
- Where: Rose Bowl, Southampton, England
- When: Wednesday September 11th, 2024
- Time: 1.30 p.m ET
England vs. Australia 1st T20 betting
The best cricket betting sites favor the visitors to win the first T20 match of the series.
On the money line, Australia is -120, with England at +100.
| Teams |  |  |  |
| England | +100 | +100 | +100 |
| Australia | -120 | -120 | -120 |
In the batting, Phil Salt and Will Jacks are the +300 joint-favorites to be the top run scorer for England.
The prolific Travis Head leads the betting for Australia at +250, with skipper Mitchell Marsh the second favorite at +333.
Adil Rashid and Jofra Archer are the joint favorites to be the top-performing English bowler. Both can’t be separated at +333.
Adam Zampa leads the way for Australia at +300 to be the top bowler. Zampa’s closest betting rivals are Riley Meredith at +333 and Xavier Bartlett at +350.
England vs. Australia: Betting to win the series
To win the series, Australia are also the favorites at -138. England is +110.
To win 3-0, Australia is +400. To win 2-1, the visitors are +162. We can see the Aussies winning comfortably and wouldn’t be against a small wager on a 3-0 scoreline at +400.
All change for England
A new era of English white-ball cricket begins on Wednesday. Matt Mott has departed as head coach.
He was sacked after England relinquished their 50-over and T20 world titles in successive years.
Into Mott’s place comes Brendon McCullum, who was appointed last week. Brendon McCullum is already the head coach of the England Test team.
Introducing our new England Men's white-ball head coach! 🏏 ⚪
Our England Men's Test head coach! 🔴
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) September 3, 2024
Officially, McCullum won’t take up the role until January 2025. Marcus Trescothick will serve as the interim head coach during this time, meaning he will be the man in charge against the Australians.
England will also be without their captain and talisman Jos Buttler for the T20 series. Buttler hasn’t played since England’s T20 World Cup semi-final thrashing by India due to injury. Phil Salt will be his replacement as skipper.
It’s not an ideal situation for Salt. He will be in charge of a very young and inexperienced squad of players while leading the team for the first time.
It will be a learning curve for Salt and he will be given a thorough examination by a ruthless Aussie team.
Australia looking to get back on track after disappointing World Cup
For their part, the Australians have no such issues. They are the current 50-over world champions, although they will be hurt by their tame exit at the Super Eight stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The series against England represents a good chance for them to get back on track. And although they are slightly understrength without Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, the Aussie side is by and large a settled team.
They often use series like this to experiment with backup bowlers. And this is the case again in 2024.
However, exciting quick bowler Spencer Johnson has been ruled out of the series.
The Australian hierarchy was keen to let Johnson be the lead strike bowler in the absence of Mitchell Starc. He has been robbed of his chance by a side strain.
Johnson’s place in the T20 squad will be taken by the experienced Sean Abbott. The 32-year-old might not have the same express pace as Johnson, but he is a more than capable cricketer who certainly won’t weaken the Australian team.
England vs. Australia Picks and Predictions
Onto our cricket picks, and although many T20 matches can be decided by who wins the toss, we have to go for Australia to win the opening match.
The England team is young and experimental. There are a lot of players who are being offered the chance to put their hands up and show the England selectors they can do a job. Whether they are up to the job we are about to see.
We would expect a more experienced Aussie team to have too much for such a young and inexperienced team. And don’t forget, England also has an inexperienced captain leading them.
A win for Australia in the 1st T20 is our betting pick.
Jacob Bethell: Top English batter +800
To be the top batter for England, we are going for Jacob Bethell at +800. The Birmingham Bears all-rounder has had an impressive season in English domestic cricket and looks to have a big-game temperament.
There is also no standout candidate in the top order of the England batting lineup who is in great form at the moment.
Adam Zampa: Top Australia bowler +300
Elsewhere, we are going for Adam Zampa to be the top Australian bowler.
The leg spinner is a proven performer in Australian colors. Zampa has just taken 19 wickets for the Oval Invincibles in the recently held The Hundred competition.
Adam Zampa (+300) to be the top Australian bowler is our final betting pick.
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