The Ashes betting tips and analysis from inside the bookmaker's trading room

Richard Mann: Peter, ahead of the biggest series in cricket, how does it look from inside the betting industry? What would be Sky Bet's biggest fear and liability over the next few weeks?

Peter Adams: The biggest liability we are sitting on currently is 5-0 either way in the series betting. No alarm bells here just yet, as it looks as if the weather will play a significant part in the first Test with the draw in the opener shortening significantly.

That being said, if Australia were to sneak a win and go 1-0 up, we would expect to see plenty of money on the whitewash and bookmakers ducking for cover.

RM: And what about in the submarkets? Steve Smith would appear to be the obvious choice for top Australia series batsman, but Marnus Labuschagne has been a prolific runscorer for a while now – are that pair hard to split?

PM: We all saw in the last Ashes series in 2019 what an in-form Steve Smith can do with the bat, but with hardly any red ball cricket under his belt recently and a pretty uneventful white-ball stint, I’m happy to take him on at 6/4 – but only with the next two in the market.

Marnus Labuschagne remains in really good form and has been playing solid red-ball cricket in the last few months. He looks a great price around the 5/2 mark, though David Warner at 11/4 is tempting me. Warner will be bang up for this series, can be as destructive as they come at the top of the order and let’s not forget that he’s got the confidence of being Player of the Tournament at the recent T20 World Cup under his belt.

I will also be keeping an eye out for Alex Carey’s price in-running during the matches should Australia get off to a bad start in an innings. Carey is an awesome hitter and could well lead a very strong counter-attack from the lower order.

RM: And for England, is Joe Root just impossible to oppose given his incredible form over the last 12 months?

PM: There isn't much I can say that hasn’t been said about how good Joe Root is. We are standout 11/10 here but he is odds-on almost everywhere – I'll pass on that in an Ashes series.

From the betting it's obvious this is wide-open after Root, six players between 5/1 and 7/1 is proof of that. But I'm going further down the list with Zak Crawley. I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him open instead of Haseeb Hameed in the first Test.

His game suits Australian conditions and he has a big point to prove after his performances this year. He is priced anywhere and everywhere from 10/1 to 33/1 (Paddy Power and Betfair) to again highlight the differing opinions on him. He is definitely worth a small play at the prices.

If he plays you’ve probably got the value bet of the series. Keep a close eye on any whispers coming out of the camp over the next few days with any news surrounding him. Sky Bet are perched on the fence at 16/1.

RM: I like that angle – I wondered if Crawley might yet inch out Dawid Malan for the number three spot but, either way, I think England would like to fit him in. And finally, Peter, what about a tip for our readers from behind enemy lines?

PM: Again, with so much uncertainty around the weather and selection dilemmas, I would be very surprised to see a one-sided affair this time around. Both teams aren’t perfect by any means, but have the firepower to win key sessions, days and Test matches, making this one for the most intriguing series for sometime.

Personally, I cannot see England returning home with anything from the series, but it will be close. 1/3 Australia for the series is short enough to put me off that, hence why I'm going for the series draw in the -1 Series Handicap at 9/2 – in essence, Australia winning by exactly one Test (1-0, 2-1, 3-2).

Australia come into this on the back of a losing series against India and though home advantage should see them over the line, it might not be easy.

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• Ashes diary: Australia back in the gutter
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• The Ashes: Your complete guide
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• Cricket...Only Bettor podcast