Ashes 4th Test cricket picks & betting preview – July 19, 2023

England v Australia – Fourth Test predictions

Ashes 2023 Fourth Test match preview

The 2023 Ashes series continues on Wednesday as the fourth Test kicks off at Old Trafford in Manchester.

The third Test at Headingley produced much more favourable conditions for bowling and, as a result, the team scores were much lower than in the previous Tests. With each innings score within the 200s, the only ton scored came from Australian all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who came in for the injured Cameron Green.

Throughout the match, late runs were particularly important. Australia’s Travis Head and England’s Ben Stokes batted well with the tail throughout the middle innings, while Harry Brook batting alongside bowlers Chris Woakes and Mark Wood was the match-winning knock to keep the hosts alive in the series on a tense final day.

Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Wood all took seven wickets in the match, making the most of the bowler friendly conditions. With the England win, the series now sits at 2-1 in Australia’s favour with two Tests to go.

With over a week between matches, this is the longest break during this Ashes series. However, as has happened for each side so far, expect rotation for the fast bowlers. With Josh Hazlewood missing the last match, look for him to come back into the Aussie side, with Scott Boland the most likely to make way. For the English, expect veteran James Anderson to return in place of one of their four quicks.

Australia also face selection dilemmas in other areas of the side. With the strong batting performance and a couple of handy wickets, Marsh leaves the selectors with a tough decision of keeping him in or returning to Green, who held the No.6 spot before going down with a minor injury.

There are also questions surrounding the impact of spinner Todd Murphy, who only bowled 9.3 overs across the third Test. With Nathan Lyon injured and no other spinner in the Australian squad, Murphy is expected to hold his spot in the side.

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Ashes Fourth Test betting predictions

The last time these two sides met at Old Trafford, it was a comfortable 185-run win for the Aussies. It was all about Steve Smith in that Test, scoring 211 in the first innings and a rapid-fire 82 in the second to carry his side to victory. Following a forgettable 100th Test at Headingley, look for Smith to bounce back in Manchester and top score in the first innings for Australia at +260 with the top cricket betting sites.

The Aussies have enjoyed bowling at Old Trafford in the past, with Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins both averaging under 15 at the venue. Following his six-wicket haul in the first innings at Headingley, it is hard to look past Cummins to take the most first-innings wickets for the Aussies in this one at +250 with Bovada.

The Aussies have major concerns surrounding both David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne in the top order, so the pressure is on for both of them to score some runs. Both Cummins and Starc have been in excellent form with the ball, and the short-pitched bowling tactics have proven successful – albeit somewhat expensive – against the English batting order. At +150, this is the first time this series that the Aussies have come in as underdogs, so the value is hard to ignore.

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