England have added further depth to their squad ahead of this week’s pivotal meeting with Australia at Headingley, but anything less than a win will bring any hopes of lifting the urn to an end. See below for a handful of our Ashes third Test tips and predictions.
Ashes Third Test Tips – England vs Australia
- Steve Smith Top Australian Batsman 1st Innings @ 11/4
- Mark Wood Top Wicket Taker 1st Innings @ 3/1
- England to Win Third Test @ 6/4
Ashes Third Test Tip 1 – Steve Smith Top Australian Batsman in 1st Innings
Although quickly taken out of the frame in the opening Test at Edgbaston, Steve Smith cruised to three figures in typical fashion at Lord’s in the second, hitting 110 from 184 balls.
Cracks have appeared in Australia’s batting, with perceived pre-series big hitters Marnus Labuschagne and David Warner both failing to score above 30 in their second innings last time out.
Steve Smith has remained solid throughout however, and if there is anyone that can battle through a raucous Headingley home crowd, it is certainly him.
Steve Smith, who’ll play his 100th Test in Leeds, leads a list of legends #Ashes #ENGvAUS
👉https://t.co/I5TsKPxlFg pic.twitter.com/LZiM0JgbNS
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) July 4, 2023
He has failed to dip below a test average of 50 for nearly a decade, which is coupled with a staggering 32 centuries since 2013. Having slipped up four years ago, Smith will be eager to mark his 100th Test with an Ashes victory.
At 11/4 this market is good enough value for us to take a chance on given he is best equipped to deal with variable conditions and England’s expected bowler rotations, and his quiet patience should help to quell a hostile England crowd.
Ashes Third Test Tip 2 – Mark Wood England’s Top Wicket Taker 1st Innings
Jimmy Anderson has so far been frustrated by a succession of flat pitches and a niggling groin injury, which has given way to a change in bowling personnel for England ahead of day one on Thursday.
Mooen Ali, Mark Wood and Chris Woakes all return to the 11, with the former having recovered from a blistered off-spinning finger, while Mark Wood appears to have overcome the injury that forced Ben Stokes into a late change prior to the second Test.
Wood is England’s fastest bowler, consistently averaging speeds of 90mph or above, and he could be a particularly potent addition if both teams continue with the short-ball plan.
Josh Tongue was mightily effective against Australia’s opening order, so too Ollie Robinson who is bowling well having taken 10 wickets, but it is the former who makes way for the third Test which has left a faction of the England faithful unhappy.
Nevertheless, a more dynamic bowling attack headed up by England’s chief wicket taker this series, Stuart Broad, should give the opposition plenty to deal with from the off.
However, we are backing Wood to have a spectacular comeback in Leeds by taking the most wickets for England in the first innings. He has 90 wickets across 28 Test matches, and his return should spell danger for the Aussies.
Ashes Third Test Tip 3 – England to Win Third Test
Australia enter the contest as favourites, and rightly so having dug deep to find two victories against all the odds, even in the face of run-laden barrage from Ben Stoke’s ‘Ghost of Headingley’ in the second Test.
However, the Carey-Bairstow controversy has injected an extra layer of hostility ahead of the third Test at Headingley – the host of so many iconic Ashes moments – and a riled up northern crowd should pile the pressure on Australia from the off.
Of course, the Aussies being one of the best test sides in the world have so proven they can deal with an added sprinkling of spice, but England simply have to win if they are to mount a comeback in the series, no matter how improbable.
The home side must be more ruthless in their batting – for example, a 188-1 lead on day one at Lord’s is bleak reading at this stage considering the succession of wickets that followed. If they had eliminated costly mistakes in the crease and remained switched-on in the field, they too could have very easily found themselves two-up in the series.
Stokes’ valiant 155-run effort should be an ideal to strive towards for the rest of the team, and we are envisaging a memorable win to kickstart England back to life in this year’s Ashes.
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