England vs Australia T20 predictions: Australia can justify favouritism for series-opener

England, minus injured captain Jos Buttler, get their white ball series against Australia underway on Wednesday with the first T20 taking place at the Rose Bowl (6.30pm, Sky Sports Main Event)

Missing their skipper didn’t seem to affect the Test team as they secured the series win over Sri Lanka despite the absence of Ben Stokes, so stand-in captain Phil Salt will be hoping he can have a similar impact as Ollie Pope.

England will also be under the watchful eye of Marcus Trescothick, who is acting as interim coach, following the departure of Matthew Mott earlier this summer.

Brendon McCullum has been appointed permanent head coach, but won’t take charge until next year, when he will combine the white-ball role with his job in charge of the Test side.

So it’s a slightly makeshift England side gearing up for a three-match T20 series, be followed by five one-day internationals against their Ashes rivals Australia, who are warm favourites on betting sites to win both the T20 series and Wednesday’s first match.

England have named a young squad for the series as they begin a new era after losing both their T20 and ODI world titles in the last 10 months.

Moeen Ali has retired, while Jonny Bairstow has been dropped from the squad, which is also without the runs, experience and leadership of Buttler. Harry Brook and Ben Duckett also miss out after playing in the Test Series against Sri Lanka.

Batter 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, adding to his one 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 new faces in the Australia squad, it’s mixed with plenty of experience in the likes of Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa.

Despite England winning six of their last eight completed T20 internationals against Australia, the visitors warmed up for the series with a three-match series whitewash over Scotland and most betting apps show them as odds-on to win on Wednesday.

England have also lost three of their last four men’s T20Is at The Rose Bowl, a run which includes back-to-back defeats to South Africa and India. A third consecutive loss in this match would mark their longest losing run at the venue in the history of the format.

That slice of unwanted history beckons for this England side though with Australia’s experience likely to make the difference.

England vs Australia Tip 1: Australia to win - 4/6 Bet365

The last time the two sides met was earlier this year at the T20 World Cup and Australia won by 36 runs in Bridgetown. They set England a target of 202, but England fell short, largely down to the bowling of man of the match Adam Zampa, who took the wickets of the two opening batsmen Salt and Butler as they were motoring.

Salt was the first wicket to fall for 73 and when Buttler fell England were 92/2.

England did go further than Australia in the competition, but they haven’t played since their World Cup semi-final loss to India in June.

For the visitors, their warm-up matches against Scotland could prove vital. Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis was in electric form, setting an Australian record for the fastest T20 international century off just 43 balls. He broke the previous 47-ball record set by Aaron Finch at the Rose Bowl in 2013.

The match with be Inglis’ first in England but he has an average of 31.57 and a strike rate of 161.72 from his 24 T20 internationals so far.

England vs Australia Tip 2: Josh Inglis to top score for Australia - 19/5 William Hill

Jofra Archer’s international appearances might be few and far between at the moment as his workload is managed following a serious elbow injury but he is getting back 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 the T20 Blast.

He took 2-20 in his last match to help Sussex reach the T20 Blast semi-finals, and he only went wicketless once in eight matches for Southern Brave in this year’s Hundred.

Archer has faced Australia four times in the T20 format and three of those came in Southampton, taking three wickets in three matches during lockdown back in 2020.

He also took the wicket of Head during the last meeting in June and his price on established and new betting sites may be underestimating 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

If you choose to have a bet on England vs Australia in the T20 on Wednesday, or any other sporting event this week, it’s important 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 trackers, reality checks and self exclusion options.

If you ever feel like your gambling is getting out of control, seek help immediately. Below are links to charities and orginisations that can provide you with help or information on 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 to fund journalism across The Independent.