2009 Ashes / Ed Hawkins / 02 August 2009 / Leave a comment " class="free-bet-btn" rel="external" onclick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/G4/inline-freebet');" target="_blank">Free Bet View Market

Yesterday was a frustrating day for all with no play due to rain but things look brighter today and England coach Andy Flower still believes England can win this Test. Reporting on all the action through mouthfuls of scones and egg sandwiches is Ed Hawkins ... Email him at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

19.32 Aus 88-2 CLOSE
That's your lot for day four. We'll be back tomorrow to see what unfolds. England are back out to [6.00], the draw is [1.20] and Australia, who are 25 runs behind, [100.00]. There are worries about the weather for the purists, although the Met Office now appear to be covering all bases with this forecast. See you bright and early.

19.09 Aus 85-2
A couple of markets to discuss, folks. For a kick-off, Michael Clarke is [4.50] to be top Australia runscorer in this second innings. That looks a decent price to me, especially after he produced a back-to-the-wall knock at Lord's. Watson TV has 32 admittedly but that is the main reason for Clarke's big odds. Even another 32 would hardly be insurmountable to a man of Clarke's ability and determination. Of course, it could all be irrelevant if they fail to get much play tomorrow with consistent rain forecast. To that end does anyone fancy a lay of Australia runs at 275 or more at [2.00]?

18.48 Aus 61-2
My ranting aside, Australia are in a terrible hole. Their best batsman has gone and they are desperately trying to bat time tonight so they can get off for bad light. What will tomorrow bring? They will hope for rain. And plenty of it. The forecast is for drizzle all day but if the forecasters have got it wrong (well, they don't actually make mistakes there is just a change in pressure) Australia will be batting to hold onto the urn. There is no way back for them if they lose here.

18.42 Aus 53-2
Ricky Ponting, gone for five, was booed to the crease by the Edgbaston crowd. Mike Atherton and Sirloin of Beef couldn't understand it. "Ridiculous," says Atherton. "What is all that about?" says Beef. I might be able to explain it. You see, when administrators encourage spectators to come dressed as Darth Vader, play the tiresome patriotic tub-thumping Jerusalem at any opportunity and hand out pieces of card to wave with '4' and '6' written on them, the end result is that you fill your stands with morons, utter morons. The sort who normally spend their summers throwing plastic chairs around European town squares.

WICKET 18.38 Aus 52-2
Ricky Ponting gone! Massive wicket. England's price is almost carved in half, just like Ponting was there by Graeme Swann, who bamboozled him to nip one between his defence. Pray for rain Australia, pray for rain.

WICKET 18.29 Aus 47-1
Told you Onions should have been on earlier. Simon Katich has shuffled across once to often and he's nicked one while on the move. England had drifted to [11.00] but they've come into [7.60] with that wicket.

18.25 Aus 47-0
I see Arsenal have won the meaningless Emirates Cup. Remember that won't you come January when Arse Wenger is moaning about tired players, too much football and the lack of a winter break. Back to the cricket, Simon Katich is in danger of getting bowled behind his legs by Graeme Swann. He's getting very far across.

18.14 Aus 40-0
Onions is on now, although from the opposite end to the one which he took all his wickets from. A bit odd. He has been welcomed by consecutive boundaries by Shane Watson TV, one off the glove down the legside and the other far more convincing through midwicket.

18.01 Aus 28-0
Here's an irrelevant piece of news: Andrew Caddick has announced his retirement. He was, of course, a second innings specialist, memorably in Syndey in 2003. he averaged a whopping 37 in the first dig of a Test but just 20 in the second.

17.52 Aus 10-0
Sacrilege I know but England should take off Andrew Flintoff and get on Graham Onions. There is a bit of bend for James Anderson so Strauss should pair again the destroyers in the first innings. Simon Katich looks the more vulnerable of Australia's openers. He has a tendency to shuffle across his stumps early on, something which swing could expose.

17.33 Aus 0-0
It is no secret that Edgbaston is England's most successful home ground. There is nothing tangible that punters can cling to as to a reason why England are so good in Birmingham. There is nothing in the pitch which particularly suits them, or anything which doesn't suit the opposition. So what is it? Well, rather uncomfortably for cold-blooded bettors, the players reckon it is the crowd. The roar of the crowd inspires them to greater heights, they say. Now if I told you to back any sporting team because of people shouting for them from the stands, you would think I was bonkers. 'That's no basis for a bet, some emotional claptrap'. You would be right. But just listen to the support for England's bowlers as they charge in. How would that you feel if you were Anderson, Onions or Flintoff? Conversely, how would you feel if you were Watson TV or Simon Katich?

WICKET 17.25 Eng 376
England into [6.20] and the draw at [1.20] as Stuart Broad chips a return catch to Peter Siddle. They lead by 113 runs and Australia have an unenviable task on their hands tonight.

17.20 Eng 371-9
Not quite sure what England are playing at. As an irate teacher might say to unruly class members "the only time you're wasting is your own!" England lead by 104 runs but Stuart Broad and Graham Onions are only succeeding in taking time out of the game. That suits Australia just fine. A 50 for Stuart Broad. I am pleased about that because I got long of his runs on the batsman series runs line.

WICKET 17.04 Eng 355-9
James Anderson has gone for one to protect his record as the longest run without a duck in Tests. England drifted to [6.40] from [6.00] on the fall of the wicket. They should be getting shorter if you ask me because the closer they get to sticking in Australia again the closer they get to an unlikely win. England lead by 96. More than enough.

WICKET 16.53 Eng 344-7
Swann is on his way after 24 runs in 19 balls. he fell to Mitchell Johnson by tamely chipping a catch to cover. It matters not a jot, though for Australia. They look certain to have to bat for uncomfortable spell tonight. We could see carnage on the match odds as a result. The Edgbaston crowd is roaring on this England side and it must surely be having an impact on the mindset of both teams.

16.43 Eng 332-7
If we could predict when England will declare, we could take a few clicks of profit. But it's a tricky one. There are 41 overs left. If they bat for 20 are they just wasting time? How relevant are runs? Is there any point in declaring if Australia will look to get off for bad light? No doubt there will be a reaction on the match odds market if a declaration comes tonight. England are [7.00]. If the runs continue to flow that will only shorten. And the price will dip by at least one-and-a-half points when Strauss calls them in.

16.30 Eng 316-7
Loads of cricket left today. And plenty could happen, particularly with Australia now taking the new ball. Mitchell Johnson has it. So far in this series he has wasted the rock but he has looked in decent nick today.

16.12 Eng 316-7 TEA
England take the session with a lead of 53 runs. There are still 43 overs left tonight. England would want to bat for all of those if they can. Flintoff was the catalyst for England's charge but they are still no shorter than [7.80] for the win because of that wet weather forecast.

WICKET 16.00 Eng 309-7
Andrew Flintoff is out. A bizarre dismissal. He shaped to leave one from Nathan Hauritz but the ball turned and spat, taking his glove and travelling to slip. A cracker of an innings, though. Fred's 74 came off just 78 balls. Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad are paired together.

15.50 Eng 298-6
This onslaught from Flintoff is hardly sore news for followers of the punting advice on this blog. I do believe that we told you on day two that backing Any Other Batsman on the top England runscorer market was the way to go. Don't believe me? I've got evidence here at 15.21. Flintoff has just passed Strauss' 69 to take honours lead.

15.34 Eng 274-6
Andrew Flintoff has 57 and England lead by 11 runs. They are [7.40] to win this game. There are 52 overs left today. But I repeat, the weather forecast is not good for tomorrow. Still, that will not stop Flintoff cutting loose. He looks in ominous touch. "You can just sense something is about to happen with Fred," says Shane Warne.

WICKET 15.23 Eng 257-6
Australia needed that wicket. Matt Prior (41) has gone bringing an end to partnership which was worth 89 and was seriously beginning to worry the great minds beneath those Baggy Greens. Peter Siddle got the wicket with Prior mistiming a pull. Prior was looking good to surpass Andrew Strauss' 69 to take top bat honours. Andrew Flintoff has 41, though.

15.12 Eng 249-5
Shane Watson TV? A horror show that's what. TV has just proved our point about him being a couple of balls short of an over by sending down full tosses and half-volleys in a three-over spell which cost 23 runs. As a result, Nathan Hauritz has replaced him and Matt Prior and Andrew Flintoff are 19 runs from a century partnership. England's price has come down to [8.00].

15.01 Eng 224-5
There is an hour-by-hour forecast for tomorrow here. It makes for more depressing reading than a Barbara Cartland novel. Not that her books were particularly dark you understand but to be reading one you must be ina very murky place indeed, emotionally and intellectually. I felt the need to remind you of the weather in case Sir Ian Botham's tub thumping (or Sirloin of Beef) got you excited about England's chances and therefore their price at [12.00]. There are 59 overs left today and Flintoff and Prior are going great guns but it would be most unprofessional if we started advising a wager on the hosts. Sorry.

14.47 Eng 208-5
Shane Watson TV has finally come on for a bowl, just the 64 overs into the innings. Watson, of course, top scored for Australia earlier. He has also caught the eye - in this household at least - for commenting that his first-ball-of-the-day dismissal on Friday "wasn't part of the plan". He wins the Stating The Bleeding Obvious award for this Test. One gets the impression that TV is something of a blank screen, the inner workings of his mind resmbling that black and white fuzz you get on the box when you press AV, or something. Remember on the last Ashes tour when he got spooked by a ghost at Durham castle?

14.37 Eng 201-5
Mitchell Johnson has been replaced by Peter Siddle. Johnson, who belatedly got the wicket of Ian Bell, has been much better in this Test. His pitch groupings (where the ball has landed) have been much tighter than at Cardiff and Lord's. It is important for Australia that he gets somewhere close to his best in time for Headingley on Friday. Brett Lee could join him in the attack for that Test according to the man himself.

14.14 Eng 177-5
These are not the sort of conditions in which Andrew Flintoff thrives with the bat. The ball is swinging, iut's muggy and the sun is hiding behind clouds. Fred tends to go hard at the ball outside off stump at times like this. he is desperate to be positive because that is the only way he know. So he overdoes it. The result is dismissals like Cardiff (second innings) and Lord's (first-innings) when he lunges at the ball and edges to slip.

WICKET 14.02 Eng 168-5
Ian Bell (53) is out. No prizes for guessing how ... yep, leg before to Mitch Johnson. He planted the front foot, tried to play around it and fell away slightly. Finally, and most importantly, Ump Rudi raised his left arm which many had previously feared had been severed in some sort of horror super sopper accident. Andrew Flintoff strides to the crease, much to delight of the Edgbaston faithful. He has a great record there, averaging 47 in first-class and Tests. And there is the small matter of the bashing he gave the Aussies on the ground four years ago, too.

13.55 Eng 166-4
If England were to bat all day (there are 73 overs remaining) and their innings rate of a smidge above three an over, they would have about 380-odd. That would be a big enough lead for them to declare and have hopes of bowling Australia out, weather permitting of course. The point of this bit of mathematics is not to 'big up' England's chances but to get you thinking about potential wagers on the England first-innings runs market. I wonder if we could 400 or more laid at about [3.50]?

13.43 Eng 164-4
England trail by 99 runs as play resumes after lunch. Ian Bell has a 50 and it has to be one of the shakiest seen at this venue. He could have been out three times as Australia have looked to expose his weakness of playing around his front pad.

LUNCH 13.05 Eng 159-4
England's aspirations of victory before play today now look lofty indeed. Two wickets for Australia has firmly pigeon-holed that ambition in the slot marked 'Delusions of Grandeur'. Jeez, England may be in charge of the series but they have not suddenly morphed into irrepresible world beaters. With Australia chipping away, the draw price has plummeted to [1.10].

WICKET 13.04 Eng 159-4
Australia pinch the session. Ben Hilfenhaus has removed Paul Collingwood for 13. Collingwood was tentative outside off and just nicked off to Ricky Ponting at slip. Australia come into [34.00]. Although they started it at [32.00] we award them the spoils this 'morning' because their price drifted the least. England are out to [14.00] from [10.50].

12.46 Aus 143-3
Stats and facts can be confusing. For example, Ian Bell averages 40+ in Test cricket but only 25 against Australia. And that latter mark came against an Aussie team which included such luminaries as Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. He should score runs? He shouldn't score runs? So far he has 42. Just to confuse you a bit more, no Warwickshire batsman has scored a Test century on this ground for England. And guess what? He's just survived another hug lbw appeal. This time from Johnson. Rudi didn't give it, though.

WICKET 12.32 Eng 142-3
Andrew Strauss has gone. He attempted to cut one from Ben Hilfenhaus which was too close to him. It looked a bit like when you're in a crowded lift and you try to lift your arm to look at your watch. Or something. Graham Manou took the catch for a wicket Australia desperately needed to prevent England from building a strong position. The wicket was coming because the ball has swung this morning. Paul Collingwood is the new man. The last time he batted at this venue in a Test for England was against South Africa last summer. He scored one of the most tortuous centuries ever witnessed. I still have nightmares about it. Australia into [32.00] from high 40s.

12.17 Eng 121-2
Shane Warne has said that Rudi is "having a shocker". To be fair, Rudi did get that one right. According to Hawkeye, it was going over the top and that is good enough for me.

12.14 Eng 120-2
We can play until 19.30 tonight with 91 overs available. If that brings cheer to those people who have laid the draw, wipe that smile off your face. The weather forecast for tomorrow is for rain. Meanwhile, Hilfenhaus and Siddle are getting some shape onto the ball. A decent start from Australia this. Ooomph! Ian Bell has just survived a huge leg before appeal from Siddle. It looked dead again. Has umpire Koertzen had his left arm amputated? He will not raise it. Bell survives again. Remember he was plumb against Johnson on day two.

12.00 Eng 116-2
Australia have to swing the ball in this first session. There is moisture under the surface and there are a few clouds around. Decent bowling conditions. They are [32.00]. It's a big unit and one which would reduce sharply with a couple of quick wickets. Do feel free to have a nibble on it just in case Ben Hilfenhaus and Peter Siddle do the bizz first up.

11.57 Eng 116-2
Bread or no bread, we are about to get underway. Andrew Strauss and Ian Bell will be starting their innings as if they are two completely new batsmen at the crease, despite their not out scores of 64 and 26 respectively. Strauss has a poor record when not out 'overnight' while Bell can be a dodgy starter indeed. He will feel a bit like I do about my eggs that he has to start from scratch. He is [1.95] to be the first man to go.

11.48
If Flower's words are the definition of optimism, this is the definition of disappointment: to produce a couple of nicely poached eggs only to discover the bread is growing mould. I've got nothing to go with them now, aside from a strawberry yoghurt and I just don't think that will go.

11.22 PLAY TO START at 12.00
Andy Flower, the England coach, has produced a definition of optimism at the start of day four of this Test. He reckons England can still win with two days to go. Normally on this blog we don't mind a bit of forward thinking so let's just try to go with it for a bit. If England bat well and quickly for the whole of today. If they declare in good time. If Australia are bowled out cheaply. If the weather forecasters ae wrong. Four big 'ifs'. Big enough to suggest that the [10.50] about the hosts is the opposite. Too small.