Brisbane ground profile

For those of you who like to bet on some of the more obscure markets or on the run totals, it is always worth looking back at the past Test history of the respective grounds to be used in a series.

The Ashes is no different and Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney all have their own characteristics. Some are great batting tracks; some have plenty of pace and bounce and others are good for the spinners.

As it usually does in Australian series, the first Test takes place in Brisbane. By and large, the Gabba is a decent batting pitch that offers a bit of everything to the bowlers. The hot and humid conditions are conducive to swing early on - remember Nasser Hussain's decision to bowl first four years ago - but as a whole it is a good one to bat on.

Only once in the past decade has a team batting first there failed to make 300 or more in a Test (West Indies, bowled out for 82 in 2000).

However, batting first is not necessarily the key to obtaining victory. While there has been a result in 15 of the past 20 Tests there, the team batting first has only won seven of them, while the team batting second has won eight times.

In fact, the average first-innings score for the team batting second is slightly higher, 35.5 compared with 34.6. That may be because the early swing on day one, with the new ball, gets rid of a few top-order batsmen, while on days two and three, the batsmen have the advantage.

That said, Shane Warne has a good record at Brisbane down the years, so the pitch should yield some spin as the match goes on. Warne is perhaps not the best barometer of a pitch, given his ability to get turn on almost any surface, but the principle is there.

We'll have previews of each ground going into each Test match, so please check back for updates.

P W1 W2 T D %R Ave Ave1 Ave2 Ave3 Ave4 runs/6 balls
20 7 8 0 5 75% 33.24 34.6 35.5 30.9 28.2 3.03