Live Blog: England v India Fourth Test

Live Test Match Blogging / Andrew Hughes / 18 August 2011 / Leave a Comment

Time for Sehwag to show his mettle

Battered and bruised, India have one last chance to salvage something from their shipwrecked tour. Andrew Hughes will be on hand to highlight the best betting opportunities throughout the first day of the summer's final Test.

17:05 England 75-0
That's it. Play is abandoned for the day and it isn't that surprising. Let's just pretend today never happened and join me at 10:30 tomorrow for some Test cricket. I'd bring an umbrella though, just in case.

16:50 England 75-0
And now it's raining again. I am having Cardiff flashbacks. The forecast did suggest it was coming. In fact the BCC weather forecast for this evening in London includes the words 'heavy' and 'rain' in uncomfortably close proximity. That said, it doesn't look to be too heavy at the moment.

16:40 England 75-0
Good news folks, there's an inspection at 17:10 and we might be underway at 17:30, assuming no more rain, which is a dangerous assumption, given the forecast. But either way, there is still enough time left for the home side to force a win so the smart play is still to oppose the draw and either lay it at [1.48] or back the England win at [3.55]

16:15 England 75-0
The light has improved, but it's still raining in South London and if this goes on too much longer I'm not sure we'll get any more play today.

15:50 England 75-0
Still no action out there. The draw is now down to [1.47] and England out to [3.5] and no-one is particularly interested in the Indian win which is now [27.0]

15:20 England 75-0
The super sopper is out there but there is plenty of rain on the surface so we can expect a lengthy delay. Back to the question of India's fast bowlers: is it simply that the Indian pitches are not helpful to quicks? In which case how do you explain the emergence of so many Pakistani pace men and even the likes of Malinga in Sri Lanka? Get in touch at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk and let me know what you think

14:50 England 75-0
Still no play at the Oval, though the rain may have stopped, there are pools of water all over the covers and the skies are grey. The draw is now [1.52] but though there is a bit of rain forecast for Sunday morning, there is still plenty of time for England to put together a big score and bowl the Indians out twice and they are a good bet at [3.2]

14:22 England 75-0
What with England's untroubled progress this morning and now this rain interval, it doesn't feel like the game has started yet. And it's still raining. While we wait for the weather to clear up, check out Michael Vaughan's expert analysis of England''s rise to the top.

13:55 England 75-0
Drizzle has delayed the start of the afternoon session. While we wait for play to resume, get in touch at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk and answer today's burning question: Why don't India produce fast bowlers?

LUNCH England 75-0
That session had all the thrills and spills of a couple of hours in your local library. Curiously, this unblemished English start seems to have convinced punters that the draw is a good thing and it is now down to [1.58] Surely the correct conclusion to draw is that the Indian bowling is toothless. Incredibly, England are now slightly higher than they were a few overs ago, at [3.05] and eminently backable.

12:45 England 61-0
This is as one-sided a session of play as we've seen this series. India have offered absolutely nothing with the ball and England are strolling along happily towards a big first innings total.

12:30 England 57-0
No threat at all from the Indian bowlers, apart from Sreesanth threatening to hurl the ball at Andrew Strauss. Has there been a less dangerous Indian bowling attack than this? Well, yes, there have been several, but this is the weakest since they became number one.

12:15 England 48-0
The draw is still overrated, at [1.67] The way England are setting about things here, they could rack up 600. India, low on confidence, will have to bat when the pitch is at its worst. Backing England at [2.88] is the sensible play

12:05 England 43-0
It is looking ominous for India. There isn't much swing out there and England are getting first use of a pitch that looks pretty dry and will deteriorate later on.

11:45 England 23-0
One curious thing about the Indian team selection is what has happened to Munaf Patel? RP Singh has come into the squad and gone straight into the team. Should India have gone with the man they chose in the first place? Have your say at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

11:30 England 20-0
A test of patience at the moment, but England are well equipped to win that. It would be nice to see a bit of an Indian revival, from an entertainment point of view, but no signs of it yet. Who'd have thought that by the morning of the Fourth Test we'd be looking at odds of [15.5] for an Indian win? And that we wouldn't be remotely interested in backing them at that price?

11:10 England 2-0
Steady start for RP Singh. Looking at the England Top First Innings Batsman market, Kevin Pietersen stands out at [5.7] on what is, technically, his home pitch. The ball comes onto the bat nicely here and that should suit him perfectly.

10:55 England have won the toss and will bat, so India could be in a for another gruelling experience in the field. As Ed Hawkins points out, the market is over-estimating the draw, which is currently available at [1.83] Indian batsmen do seem to like it at the Oval. Over the years, they've lost 50% of their Tests in England, but only 20% at the Oval. The question is, what state they are in mentally. Are they looking at this as a chance to restore some pride? Or do they just want to get the series over? Let me know how you think India will perform, at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

10:43 More bad news for India. Their player of the series, Praveen Kumar is not fit and RP Singh will take his place. Although I think RP should have been on the tour to start with.

10:40 Before you even think about having a bet on this game, you must read the thoughts of betting guru Ed Hawkins, who has some interesting things to say about the Oval pitch in his preview

10:30 Good morning. Things are a little gloomy at the Oval and there will be rain about today but the forecast is for two clear days after that. Good news for England fans is that James Anderson is fit and will play, but there is no news from the Indian camp about Praveen Kumar yet. As ever, have your say at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk throughout the day