by 
England vs Australia 1st T20 Prediction
-
Australia wins – 4/6 Bet365
-
Josh Inglis Australia’s top scorer – 19/5 William Hill
-
Jofra Archer to be England’s top wicket-taker – 16/5 Betfred
England, without injured captain Jos Buttler, begin their white-ball series against Australia on Wednesday with the first T20 taking place at the Rose Bowl (6.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event)
The absence of their captain did not seem to affect the Test team as they won the series against Sri Lanka despite the absence of Ben Stokes, so stand-in captain Phil Salt will be hoping he can have a similar impact to Ollie Pope.
England will also be under the watchful eye of Marcus Trescothick, who is taking over as interim manager following the departure of Matthew Mott earlier this summer.
Brendon McCullum has been appointed permanent head coach but will not take up the role until next year when he will combine the white-ball role with his job as Test team manager.
So it’s a slightly makeshift England team that prepares for a three-match T20 series, followed by five one-day internationals against Ashes rivals Australia, who are the overwhelming favourites on betting sites to win both the T20 series and Wednesday’s opener.
England v Australia betting preview: Tourists to prove too strong
England have named a young squad for the series as they begin a new era after losing their world T20 and ODI titles in the last 10 months.
Moeen Ali has retired while Jonny Bairstow has been dropped from the squad, which is also without Buttler’s performances, experience and leadership. Harry Brook and Ben Duckett are also missing after playing in the Test series against Sri Lanka.
Batsman Jordan Cox and 20-year-old batting all-rounder Jacob Bethell will make their England debuts on Wednesday, while Jamie Overton will play his first T20 for England, in addition to his only Test cap. Bowler Saqib Mahmood makes his first England appearance since March 2023 after overcoming a second stress fracture in his back.
While there are also some new faces in the Australian squad, it also features experienced players like Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa.
Although England have won six of their last eight T20 internationals against Australia, the visitors have prepared for the series with a three-match series against Scotland and most betting apps show them as being in a good position to win on Wednesday.
England have also lost three of their last four men’s T20Is at the Rose Bowl, a run that includes back-to-back defeats against South Africa and India. A third consecutive loss in this match would mark their longest losing run at this stadium in the history of the format.
That slice of unwanted history awaits this England team, but Australia’s experience should make the difference.
England vs Australia Tip 1: Australia Win – 4/6 Bet365
England vs Australia Prediction: Inglis to top scorer for Australia
The last time the two teams met was earlier this year in the T20 World Cup, and Australia won by 36 runs in Bridgetown. They had set England a target of 202 runs, but England failed, largely because of the bowling of man of the match Adam Zampa, who took the wickets of both opening batsmen Salt and Butler as they bowled.
Salt was the first wicket to fall for 73 and when Buttler fell England were 92/2.
England have progressed further than Australia in the competition but have not played since their World Cup semi-final defeat to India in June.
For the visitors, their warm-up matches against Scotland could prove vital. Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis was in fine form, setting an Australian record for the fastest T20 international century in just 43 balls. He broke the previous record of 47 balls set by Aaron Finch at the Rose Bowl in 2013.
This match will be Inglis’ first in England but he has an average of 31.57 and a strike rate of 161.72 in his 24 T20 internationals so far.
England vs Australia Tip 2: Josh Inglis top scorer for Australia – 19/5 William Hill
England vs Australia: Archer to shoot against Australia
Jofra Archer’s international appearances may be few and far between at the moment as his workload is managed following a serious elbow injury, but he is returning to his best.
The 29-year-old has been in excellent form since returning from the T20 World Cup, where he took 10 wickets, first in the Hundred and more recently in the T20 Blast.
He took 2-20 in his last match to help Sussex reach the semi-finals of the T20 Blast, and he has been wicketless only once in eight games for Southern Brave in this year’s Hundred.
Archer has faced Australia four times in the T20 format and three of those have come in Southampton, taking three wickets in three matches during the lockdown in 2020.
He also took Head’s wicket in the last encounter in June and his price on established and new betting sites perhaps underestimates the impact he could have in the series opener.
England vs Australia Tip 3: Jofra Archer to be England’s top wicket-taker – 16/5 Betfred
Responsible gaming
If you choose to bet on England v Australia in the T20 on Wednesday, or any other sporting event this week, it is important that you remember to gamble responsibly.
Gambling can be addictive and to help you monitor and stay in control of your betting, cricket betting sites provide tools such as deposit limits, profit and loss tracking tools, reality checks and self-exclusion options.
If you feel like you have a gambling problem, seek help immediately. Below you will find links to charities and organisations that can provide you with help or information about gambling addiction.
We may earn commission from some of the links in this article, but we never allow this to influence our content. This revenue helps fund journalism at The Independent.
