Ashes First Test Betting Preview - Australia vs England Player Predictions and Tips

Ryan Tucker

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Fact Checked by Jeremy Darke

Last updated: Tue 18 Nov 2025 10:53

Ryan Tucker 18 Nov 2025

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Australia slightly favored; England's strong prep record.
Key players: Nathan Lyon, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Starc.
Betting tips highlight top performances.

Steve Smith, Australian Captain for first test vs England in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)

Ashes First Test Betting Preview - Australia vs England Player Predictions and Tips

The first ball of the 2025/26 Ashes Series in Australia will be bowled on Friday 21st November at Optus Stadium in Perth.

Ashes First Test Betting Preview - Australia vs England Player Predictions and Tips
Ashes Multi
Top Picks for the First Test
England to score a 4 in their first over
Nathan Lyon 5+ Wickets
Marnus Labuschagne Over 65.5 Total Match Runs
Mitchell Starc 5+ Wickets

The Aussies are the slight favourites leading into the game despite key injuries to their bowling attack and question marks around their batting lineup. The English team have been lauded for their preparation but are coming into the series 5-0 in first tests during the McCullum/Stokes era.

Check out the full match preview for Australia vs England First Test

The staff at Bets.com.au have dug deep into the archives to bring you the best player performance props for the first test so you can sit back, relax and enjoy the show without scouring the four corners of the web for stats and trends.

Trail the picks by clicking on the buttons below.

Ashes Multi

Nathan Lyon 4+ Wickets
Joe Root under 76.5 Runs
Steve Smith to score a 1st Innings 50

Lyon, Root & Smith $5.50First Test MultiBet Here

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Top Picks for the First Test

England to score a 4 in their first over

Bazball has landed in Australia, the aggressive and fearless style of Test Cricket adopted by England under Brendon McCullum. In their most recent Test series against India in July, England scored a 4 in the first over in 3 of their 5 matches. Zak Crawley the scorer on each occasion. They have also scored a 4 in the previous two first tests prior to the India series.

Score a 4 in the 1st Over $2.20England - First TestBet Here

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Nathan Lyon 5+ Wickets

Nathan Lyon has taken an average of 6.4 wickets in the 1st test of the last 5 series vs England. (8, 4, 9, 5, 6). He also averages a tick over 2 wickets per innings against England and similar numbers in 133 innings played on home soil.

Nathan Lyon 5+ $1.72Wickets in MatchBet Here

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Marnus Labuschagne Over 65.5 Total Match Runs

If pure batting form is to go by then Marnus Labuschagne is the hottest in the Aussie squad, playing his way back into the side after falling out of favour after a poor performance in the West Indies.

The Queensland Bulls captain has five centuries in his last 8 appearances for his state and you can add a 50-run performance at the W.A.C.A to that list as well.

Labuschagne also holds the record for most ever test runs in a single innings at Perth Stadium, scoring 204 against the West Indies, followed by 104 not out, back in 2022. The Australian number 3’s last 2 matches at Perth Stadium haven’t been great, however his first 4 innings at the ground were phenomenal, scoring no less than 50 runs and averaging 125.25 runs per innings.

M Labuschagne over 65.5 $1.83Total Match RunsBet Here

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Mitchell Starc 5+ Wickets

The pace attack will be on the shoulders of Mitchell Starc with both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood out of the lineup. A big performance in the first test is predicted with Starc going up against his most favoured opponent England.

Starc has taken more wickets against the Poms than any other nation and has tallied 5 or more wickets in each of his last 4 matches against England. The Perth wicket is also kind to the Aussie quick, averaging 5.2 wickets in his 5 matches played at the venue.