Scott Boland is the standout value bet in the Top Series Wicket Taker market at 6.0.

Mitchell Starc is the rightful favourite but is too short to get involved at 4.0. Nathan Lyon is 7th, soon to be 6th, on the list of all-time wicket takers in Test cricket, so the market are showing him respect at 5.50 as second favourite, but the most likely bowler to play all five tests of this series is Boland.

Conditions have changed in Australia in recent years to the benefit of a more accurate bowler like Boland. The seam on the Kookaburra ball has become more pronounced, aiding movement, and the more accurate, typically fast medium bowlers, are likely to take the most wickets. Australia's best two seamers in, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, are out of the First Test with injury, giving Boland the platform to step up.

The 36-year-old averages a ridiculous 12.63 with the ball in Test matches in Australia. And 16.53 in Test cricket all-round, which is the joint-2nd best average of all time for an Australian.

England tucked into Boland in the 2023 Ashes, he only played two games, but with greater seniority in the attack, he could shine over the next five tests.

Ben Stokes’ injury record does mean there is an element of risk attached to this bet. That said, we'd likely still get a good runner if the England captain only plays four of the five tests. England's best bowler in the summer of 2025 is fourth-favourite to be their leading wicket taker in this Ashes series, priced at 6.0.

Carrying on with the stance that slightly slower and skilful seam bowlers will be towards the top of the leading wicket takers in this series, lands us on Stokes. The 34-year-old was in the form of his life with the ball against India in the summer. He had the best average of anyone in the series and only Josh Tongue, in terms of England, took more wickets than he did - Tongue is very unlikely to play more than two or three matches in the Ashes.

The tag 'big game player' is an understatement when it comes to Stokes, having played the starring role in two separate World Cup final wins for England. At this stage of his career, he's likely to contribute more with the ball than the bat, which bodes well for this bet.

Stokes missed the final test of the India series this summer with a torn bicep, but has rehabbed in plenty of time for the Ashes. He got through 20 overs in a friendly against the Lions last week, taking six wickets, and is by far England's most experienced bowler in test matches in Australia.

Like it or not, Australia are 1.57 to win the series - a suggested probability of 63.7%. Therefore, Aussies are more worth considering in the Player of the Series market.

Alex Carey is unlikely to be the Top Series Runscorer as he'll bat at no. 7 for the Aussies, but he could certainly provide match-winning contributions from that position. There's a lot of narrative around Carey given his controversial stumping of Jonny Bairstow in the 2023 Ashes, the stories will write themselves if he does come up with the goods this time around.

Australia’s middle and lower order looks stronger than their top three, and the market isn't showing Carey enough respect at 25/1. Carey was the 2nd-highest run scorer in Australia's most recent test series (a 3-0 win in the West Indies). In an Australian series win, which'll likely be required for a player from their ranks to win Player of the Series, Carey would arrive at the crease, after the fifth wicket falls, in good situations where he can play freely and take on a tiring English bowling attack.

Carey is Australia's 2nd-highest run getter in 2025 Test matches, averaging 47.60 in the calendar year. A continuation of that form would see him into the conversation for this award at a big price.