England v Australia 1st T20I Prediction: Head to the Abbott for Rose Bowl showdown

England play their first white-ball match of the summer when they face Australia in the 1st T20I at the Rose Bowl in Southampton, start time 18:30 and broadcast live on Sky Sports Cricket.   

Fresh from showing an 11.7-point profit in the recent England v Sri Lanka Test Series, Jamie Pacheco turns his attention to the shortest format with 11/4 and 4/1 picks for top Aussie batsman and bowler in his England vs Australia 1st T20 Predictions...

*You can check out all of our Cricket Odds over at betfred.com

England 

The new era of England white-ball cricket under Brendon McCullum doesn't begin just yet, so it will be Marcus Trescothick, a man who knows a thing or two about the limited-overs game, in charge off the field.  

There's no Jos Buttler (injured) to lead on the field either, with his former vice-captain Moeen Ali first not selected and then announcing his retirement from international cricket just a few days later.  

So, it will be left to Phil Salt to add captaincy and wicket-keeping duties to his role as opener. The selectors will be hoping it's not too heavy a workload for the 28-year-old. 

Others to look out for: Jofra Archer, who has avoided injury this summer for the first time in years and will lead the attack, the exciting and daring batsman Jordan Cox who can keep wicket if they decide there's too much burden on Salt, and Dan Mousley and Jacob Bethell, who will both surely make their international debuts at some stage in this Series.  

Sam Curran will be the key all-rounder, Adil Rashid will be the main man in those middle overs with the ball, as usual. Josh Hull is in the squad, but it's highly unlikely he'll play after being on Test duty just two days earlier.       

Possible Lineup: Jacks, Salt, Cox, Bethell, Livingstone, Curran, Overton, Archer, Rashid, Mahmood, Topley.   

Australia  

As is usually the case with the Aussies, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc have been rested for a T20I bilateral Series as the selectors continue to (successfully) manage their workload; but Josh Hazlewood is in.  

There's no David Warner anymore with Jake Fraser-McGurk being given the opener's role alongside Travis Head, after impressing in the Big Bash and IPL last season.   

The Melbourne Stars' 'bromancers' Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa add plenty of experience to the side, Josh Inglis is now their set wicket-keeper, Tim David their finisher and Cameron Green their main all-rounder.   

Pacers Nathan Ellis and Spencer Johnson are injured. Mitch Marsh leads but is likely to just play as a batsman.  

Possible Lineup: Head, Fraser-McGurk, Marsh, Inglis, Green, Stoinis, David, Abbott, Bartlett, Zampa, Hazlewood.  

Pitch and conditions

England have lost three of their last four T20Is here, going down to India, Australia and South Africa in that time, but their record looks a lot better if you back all the way to 2005: six wins from 11.  

In the last T20I here (2022) South Africa posted a big 191 and before that, India got to 198, while in 2021, it was England's turn to get a chunky total, with 180 against Sri Lanka. 

So, there are certainly plenty of runs in this Rose Bowl wicket, also backed up by the fact that Hampshire posted 290 in the recent One-Day Cup quarter-final, only for Leicestershire to chase it with a ball to spare.   

England vs Australia 1st T20 Odds

The Aussies are famous for not over-complicating things when it comes to their cricket.  

So, let's take a leaf out of their book.  

• Bar Glenn Maxwell and the two pacers mentioned, this is their best XI while England have important absentees (Buttler, plus others who have been on Test duty) and will field inexperienced players at this level.  

• Australia are fresh from an impressive 3-0 win over Scotland; England haven't played this format since their World Cup exit.  

• The hosts have a poor recent record at the Rose Bowl with just one win from their last four.  

I was hoping for even-money on Australia but the market-makers are wise to the fact that they should be favourites. But 4/5 is still good enough, all things considered.  

Australia Top Batsman

There are some eye-catching prices here for top Australia batsman: Cameron Green hit 62 in the third T20I against Scotland batting at four and is 15/2 here, Josh Inglis is 9/2 after a brutal century in the second T20I last week, while Fraser-McGurk is 4/1, an attractive price on an opening batsman in any circumstances.  

But the slight problem with the first two is that we don't know what position they'll come in at, in what is a fluid batting line-up.  

So instead, I like Head, who was the star of the first T20I against the Scots with a ridiculous 80 off 25 balls, is averaging 39 in his last 10 T20Is and has done so at a monster strike rate of 172. We know he'll open and that he's the real deal and yes, I know he's the favourite. But as an Aussie cricketer might put it: sometimes it's not necessary to re-invent the wheel. And 11/4 is a perfectly good price.  

Australia Top Bowler

Sean Abbott is one of the more underrated Australian bowlers with proof of his ability and longevity being that he's the Big Bash's top wicket-taker ever by some distance, with 165. He's just been unlucky that other top Aussie bowlers have played at the same time as him or else he'd have plenty more T20I caps than his current total of 18.  

He was their joint-top wicket taker against Scotland with six and only Adam Zampa bowled more overs in that Series than his 10. Conditions should suit his line-and- length-style bowling and he should bowl his four overs here, while the all-rounders like Stoinis, Green and David are highly unlikely to. So he'll certainly give you a good run for your money at 4/1.  

Jamie Pacheco predominantly covers Cricket and European Football for us at Betfred Insights. You can check out his Cricket Betting Tips, along with those from the rest of the team, at our Cricket hub page...