Live Test Match Blogging / Andrew Hughes / 20 August 2011 /

With three days to go and rain threatening to spoil the party, can England get themselves into a winning position? Andrew Hughes will be on hand throughout the day to bring you latest betting news from the Oval.

CLOSE India 103-5
A shambolic effort, even by the low standards India have set themselves this summer. Join me tomorrow at 10:30 for what could well be the final day of this Test

WICKET Sharma c Cook b Swann 1
And now the nightwatchman goes. As expected, Swann is starting to cause damage as this pitch begins to deteriorate.

WICKET Raina st Prior b Swann 0
That was a painful 29 ball duck from Raina. India crumbling.

18:45 India 87-3
Eight overs to go tonight and Dravid is leading the defence, as usual. The draw is now available at [1.81] as short as it has been all match. But it still isn't attractive. I think India would need it to rain all day on Monday if they are going to escape here.

WICKET Tendulkar c Anderson b Swann 23
And there it is! Such an important wicket, a sharp catch from Anderson as Sachin mistimes the sweep shot. India look really shaky now, with Gambhir not 100% and a long tail.

18:10 India 59-2
This is tense cricket. Swann is into the attack early and getting a bit of turn. The price on the England win is going up again and is now around [2.7] so no need to go in again if you've already backed them at over [3.0]. Patience required for the fielding side, but if they can remove one of these two before the close, that leaves them two days to get 17 wickets, eminently possible.

17:50 India 40-2
Tendulkar's quest for the 100th century is underway, he's on 6 at the moment and with Dravid looking in typically solid form, this is India's best chance to restore some calm and stability. But they've got 20 overs to survive tonight

WICKET Laxman c Prior b Broad 2
Another one gone and India are once again struggling. Sloppy play from Laxman to a short ball. Those who took short prices about the draw may be getting a little nervous about now. England down to [2.28] and our recommendation of 'Any Other Batsman' at [4.6] in the top Indian First Innings Runscorer market is looking promising at this stage. But here comes Sachin

WICKET Sehwag lbw b Anderson 8
Another poor start for India, there were a couple of classic Sehwag shots in that over, but ended with him hit plumb in front.

16:40 England 591-6 dec
Good news, play will start at 16:50 and England have declared. No fifty for Ravi, but he did look good for his 44. And India could be further weakened as Gambhir is having a scan after he took a tumble in the field yesterday. England currently [3.75] and that could fall quickly if they make early inroads.

16:15 England 591-6
The umpires are not entirely happy and have called another inspection for 16:30. If play starts at 17:00, we could have at least a couple of hours play today. Imperative that England declare, I would say. Or will they let Bopara get the 6 runs he needs for his 50?

15:40 England 591-6
The rain has stopped and the mopping up begins. There will be an inspection at 16:10 but no news yet on the declaration. Should Strauss put the Indians in now? Have your say at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

15:30 England 591-6
We presume there'll be an early tea at the Oval, but not confirmed yet and slightly ominously the forecast for Monday now includes rain, which wasn't the case first thing this morning. Declare now and hopefully have a session bowling tonight would appear to be the plan. Or do you think England should just bat on and on and on. We haven't had a score of 1000 in a Test match yet. I'm sure Ravi Bopara would like to carry on batting

14:55 England 591-6
It's still chucking it down in South London, so we probably won't see much play before tea, but we can play till 7:30 tonight if necessary. In anticipation of the England declaration, it's worth looking at the market for top Indian first innings batsman. Sachin is the favourite but [3.05] looks a tad short and the value could be Any Other Batsman at [4.6] which includes Suresh Raina, but also M S Dhoni who has begun to find some form and should enjoy the true Oval surface.

14:20 England 591-6
It is looking pretty bleak at the moment, there may well be no play this afternoon and that would surely mean that Andrew Strauss will declare. The dampness could freshen up the pitch and England have a great chance of making early inroads in the evening session. If you still think England can force a win, now is your chance to get stuck in as they are currently [4.3] and rising

13:49 England 591-6
The rain has arrived as predicted and the covers are on. There's no sign of the weather improving at the moment, but the forecast for later in the afternoon is better. While we wait for the rain to abate, have your say at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk on the experimental team England have announced for the one day games against Ireland. Which of those players do you think we could be seeing in the Test team in the next couple of years?

LUNCH England 591-6
The first session ends with England on the brink of 600 and once again Andrew Strauss has a ticklish decision to make. Declare now or get another 50? We'll see which way he goes in 40 minutes

12:45 England 567-6
Bopara is batting well at the moment, but then he has to, with James Taylor breathing down his neck. Where would you put Ravi in the England pecking order? Should he be ahead of Taylor or should he be preferred to Morgan as England's sixth batsman? Let me know what you think at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

WICKET Bell lbw b Raina 235
Bell finally goes, trying a slog sweep. For England backers though this may not be a bad thing, it keeps the game moving along and may force Andrew Strauss's hand. Let's be honest, they could declare now and still win the game. And you can get [3.25] about an England win right now.

12:15 England 529-5
Bell is on 225 and needs another 40 to finish as top England batsman for the series, so it could be touch and go as to whether he gets them before the declaration, particularly with rain in the offing. Surprisingly England are still as high as [3.05] for the win

11:48 England 498-5
A double century for Ian Bell, his first in Tests. Just how good is he? Could he go on to be one of the greats? And if you had to rank England's batsman in order of ability, would you have him at the top? Get in touch at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

11:40 England 489-5
England's little stutter has boosted their odds back up to [2.98] which is well worth taking as their overall position remains good and they have enough batting left to pass 600

WICKET Morgan c Dhoni b Sreesanth 1
Another wide one and another loose shot. Morgan had just been named captain for England's forthcoming one day games in Ireland. Perhaps he thought he'd celebrate with a big drive. Now Ravi gets his chance

WICKET Anderson c Laxman b Sreesanth 13
A wide half volley edged to second slip. Thus ends the curious tale of the superfluous nightwatchman. Love the glare from Sreesanth. Has he seen the scoreboard?

11:00 England 457-3
Assuming that England are only going to be batting once in this match, Ian Bell needs another 84 runs to finish as top English runscorer for the series. Though he is now as short as [2.8] in that market, we highlighted his chances at [8.0] yesterday so fingers crossed for those of you who took that price.

10:55 England 457-3
Seems like we've spent the summer debating when Andrew Strauss should declare. What should be England's game plan today? Get to 600 by mid afternoon and then put the Indians in? Have your say at betfairliveblogger@hotmail.co.uk

10:40 England 457-3
Don't forget to check out Michael Vaughan's expert in-play analysis The former England captain thinks the home side can still win this and we have to agree. The draw has been far too short throughout the first two days and though the [3.5] that we highlighted as a good bet yesterday has gone, [2.88] about an England win is still very good value.

10:35 England 457-3
Morning, welcome to Saturday. It's sunny, kind of, at the Oval though the blot on the metereological landscape is the threat of heavy showers around lunchtime. But the forecast for the rest of the day is fine, as it is for Sunday and Monday, so plenty of time for England to force that fourth Test win.

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