First Ashes Test betting boosts: Ben Stokes to score a ton, Pat Cummins to take 10 wickets
- Jonhenry Wilson
- 14 June 2023
Planet Sport Bet has boosted four markets for the first Ashes Test between England and Australia which starts at Edgbaston on Friday.
If you are looking for extra value during this week's Ashes series opener in Birmingham, these Planet Boosts could make your bankroll go further.
England to win and Joe Root to score most England first innings runs at 7/1 (was 6/1)
Root's Test average against Australia is almost a full nine runs lower than his career aggregate. But he is the man for the big occasion and primed to lead Ollie Pope, Harry Brook and others by example.
Root is effectively the conservative odd man out in terms of England's
Bazball approach, but runs are runs no matter how they come. A big knock - the biggest - from the former captain could break England's run of Test defeats to Australia and set a tidy precedent for the remainder of the series.
Australia to win and David Warner to score most Australian first innings runs at 14/1 (was 12/1)
For Warner to score the most runs in Australia's first innings, he'd likely have to bat through a full day and then some.
Whether he could do that alongside or instead of Steven Smith, Travis Head or Marnus Labuschagne remains in the balance. If Warner is Australia's top-scorer in the first innings, though, they'd be well set for an early series lead.
Ben Stokes to score a century at 6/1 (was 5/1)
Seven of Stokes' 12 Test centuries have come in England - and two of those during the Ashes series. Stokes looks a good bet in this market, especially if the openers and middle order don't put enough on the board for their captain's liking.
In that scenario, circumstances would be ripe for a counter-attacking,
Baz-balling century from the talismanic left-hander.
Pat Cummins to take 10 or more wickets at 22/1 (was 16/1)
Cummins has one 10-wicket match haul to show for his impressive Test career. That was against Sri Lanka. The best he has managed in an Ashes Test is eight.
Conditions at Edgbaston could align with Cummins' pursuit of a maiden Ashes series 10-for, especially if the Australian captain wins the toss and opts to bowl first under cloudy skies.
