The fifth Test of the 2025/26 Ashes series begins on January 4. Can England salvage pride in Sydney?
Who will score the most runs?
The fifth Test begins tomorrow, with the series done and dusted, with only the scoreline remaining to be sorted. Our partners at Spreadex have a number enticing options available in their Ashes spread betting markets.
The pick of the batters on show is Australia's Steve Smith, who will be playing on his home ground. His Runs Performance spread is available to trade at 81-88. Smith's teammate Travis Head has the second-highest spread, at 78-85.
England's batters are not valued nearly as highly. Joe Root has the highest spread of 74-81, but Harry Brook is the only other player with a spread of over 60, at 64-71. The more daring fans might be tempted to bet on the higher end of a couple of the other English batters.
Which bowler will shine across the five days?
Spreadexassigns points for Bowler Performance as follows: 10 points per wicket, and a 25 point bonus for a five-wicket haul. In their Bowler Performance market you can trade the Mitchell Starc spread at 61-66.
Of course, Starc has had an excellent series with the bat as well and in the Player Performance market, which awards one point per run, ten points per catch, 20 points per wicket and 25 points per stumping, you can buy or sell his line at 136-148.
Only Ben Stokes (138-150) has a higher spread for the match in Sydney. Josh Tongue is also a solid bet at a spread of 88-96.
How does spread betting work?
Spread betting involves betting on whether a particular outcome will be above or below a bookmaker’s prediction, known as the spread. For example, a spread might be set on the number of runs Joe Root will score in an innings—say, 60–70. If you believe he will score more than 70, you “buy” the spread. If you think he will score fewer than 60, you “sell” it.
Your profit or loss is determined by how far the actual result deviates from the spread. So, if you bought at 70 and Root scores 90, you win 20 times your stake. But if he only scores 40, you lose 30 times your stake.
The same principle is applied to a variety of other markets that revolve around individual scores or a match result, with a wide range of markets and cricket spread betting options covered.
Read more about the risks and rewards of spread betting here.
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