Live Blogs / Ed Hawkins / 05 December 2010 /

Ed Hawkins was on his sofa taking you through the action until tea as Australia tried to hold off England's victory charge. Email him here and follow him on Twitter here

CLOSE Aus 238-4, trail by 137
A 104-run partnership by Michael Hussey and Michael Clarke frustrated England for the the hole of the final session - except the last ball. Kevin Pietersen, of all people, managed to remove Clarke and England are suddenly back in the hunt after looking likely to be denied. Everything now depends on the weather. England are [2.18] and the draw is [1.84]. It promises to be a thrilling final day and I'll be back on line to bring you the betting and the blogging.

TEA Aus 160-3, trail by 216
Only the weather can stop England now it would seem and no-one seems to be sure exactly what is going to come from the skies above Adelaide Oval. Some forecasts say day five is a washout, others suggest scattered showers. We are also still waiting for the rain to arrive today (we've been waiting all day). The last weather site we referenced said it should have started minutes 40 minutes ago. Unsurprisingly England have drifted these past few overs. They are [2.06] with the draw [1.93]. They could go out to about [2.60] if rain does turn up. No matter. I'll return with a wrap at the end of the day.

04.28 Aus 144-3
There a few threatening clouds above Adelaide at the moment. This weather forecast does not look encouraging but I seem to recall another weather site suggesting we should have had rain about three hours ago. It's tricky.

04.19 Aus 144-3
There is not a huge amount of liquidity in the Test match end market but for those of you who fancy an interest and are quick, the prices ranging from [8.00] to [10.50] for a finish in the final session today are reasonable. remember, Australia have fours No 11s from No 8 down so ENgland will feel confident of wrapping this game up. It could be a question of how long it takes them to take another three wickets, rather than another seven. There are 36 overs left today.

04.07 Aus 135-3, England lead by 240
A real bonus for England. Steven Finn gets in on the act to take some pressure of Swann. Only three more wickets required to get down to that magical sixth. Mike Hussey is in now. Can he really frustrate England again? Surely he has had used up all his luck in his first two innings. There might be one here with his name on. England [1.74] and the draw [2.34]. Happy with the way our wagers are progressing.

WICKET 04.04 Aus 134-3
S Watson c Strauss b Finn 57

04.00 Aus 127-2
England [2.24] and the draw [1.81]. Whatever you think about the pitch, the weather or the Australia top six, we have to remember that the home side's tail starts at No 8. Once England pick up the next four, it could all be over rather quickly. We might have a look at Test Match End market in a mo.

03.52 123-2
Michael Clarke has moved to 18. He has looked dreadful in the series up until this innings. It is possible that he has been hampered by his back injury. That is a shame because when he is fit he is a good player to watch. Not only that but he is often a reliable top-bat option. Had he been 100% I would have seriously considered a wager on him for top Aussies series runscorer.

03.30 Aus 111-2
Poo! Cricket so engrossing that I've burned my muffins on the grill. Swann continues to turn up the heat on Australia.

03.20 Aus 99-2
Good old Collingwood forever, as they in Oz. A wonderful sharp chance held at slip. Australia are in a world of trouble. And it's not just because Ponting has gone. It is the manner of the dismissal. Swann squared him up, almost turning the Aussie skipper inside out, as the ball gripped and spun. It was a fine piece of bowling. He has his rhythm now. England [1.86] and the draw [2.16].

WICKET 03.16 Aus 98-2
R Ponting c Collingwood b Swann 9

03.05 Aus 84-1
Swann bowling extremely well. His line, length and flight are superb. Ricky Ponting is not a great starter at the best of times but boy, does he look poor. Four maidens in a row. What's that stat about the increased likelihood of a wicket when four are bowled in a row?

02.56 Aus 84-1
And there's the market move we've been talking about. England into [2.56] and the draw [1.63]. We called the wicket nicely although it is going to be hard to get it so accurate next time. Ricky Ponting in on a king pair. One could bring two, although I still think Watson is the more likely. He's hugely vulnerable to Swann.

WICKET 02.54 Aus 84-1
S Katich c Prior b Swann 43

02.40 Aus 78-0
England hit [3.00] just before the start of the second session. One would think they are due a wicket. The batsmen must refocus and Swann was looking dangerous indeed. We have spoken about getting the timing right as far as a back or lay is concerned. If you are to do either respectively on England or the draw, now would be one of the best times. At other times as the day progresses it is more and more like guess work.

LUNCH 02.00 Aus 78-0
Hardly ideal for England. But they will not be disheartened. In the 20 minutes or so before lunch, Simon Katich and Shane Watson looked vulnerable. Indeed, just before the break, Katich edged wide of the slips off Steven Finn and Watson got lucky with a bat-pad chance which evaded Ian Bell. England [2.96] and the draw [1.51].

01.45 Aus 66-0
The wicket is helping England out a bit more at the moment. The impact of the heavy roller has worn off and we are now seeing a few balls keeping low and spin for Swann. Watson looks most vulnerable to the spinners. A little clueless in fact.

01.28 Aus 55-0
Below was Swann's last over ball-by-ball. Batsmen in trouble off three deliveries. Wicket could be coming soon for England so consider a wager at [2.58].

Katich clip off legs for one through Cook's hands at short leg - inside edge coming forward by Watson for one - cosily defended by Katich - expansive drive for no run by Katich - bad miscue off edge by Katich just wide of Strauss at cover - Bat-pad chance by Watson goes over the head of silly mid off.

01.11 Aus 50-0
Drinks. Not much doing for Swann so far. He has looked more dangerous against Watson TV, using the footholes caused by Doug The Rug to trouble the right-hander. He is hoping the ball will spit and leap. England [2.56], the draw [1.63].

00.58 Aus 44-0
As expected, England drifting. So we need to try to work out when a wicket is coming. Can't say it looks that likely at the mo with Australia scoring at almost five an over. Perhaps Andrew Strauss might be tempted to give Swann a bowl. Oh look, here he comes...

00.43 Aus 30-0
Ricky Ponting will be the man everyone wants to get with in this innings. Thanks to the solid start made by the Australia openers, his price is drifting all the time. He's around the [4.00] mark but there's not a great deal of cash in the market. Ponting has form in these situations. Against England at Old Trafford in 2005 he batted for 411 minutes to make 156 and save the Test. There are decent funds at [1.96] for Ponting to get a 50. That would make a nice interest.

00.35 Aus 17-0
I'm just nipping off for a wee. Will try to come up with some top Aussie bat thoughts when I return.

00.32 Aus 17-0
These type of match situations are often fraught affairs. And already we are seeing panic. England have drifted to [2.12]. Crazy really. But it's good for bettors and it should be relatively easy to go 'all green' (winning on all results) in such a situation because the fluctuations will be manic. Going against the tide when batsmen/bowlers are dominant is the key.

00.28 Aus 11-0
Chris Dennis has been in touch to put me right. "They [England] used up 9 overs plus 2 for the change over which wouldn't have happened if they had declared overnight." He is spot on.

00.25 Aus 6-0
Poor old Simon Katich is hobbling badly with an Achilles injury. He could hobble out of the international game here because he may not make it for the Perth Test. Katich and partner Watson TV are big lbw candidates. Katich walks (limps in this case) across his crease and TV plays around his front pad. Anderson will relish bowling to them.

00.18 Aus 0-0
England have used nine overs this morning. They have scored 69 runs. It will be interesting to see what will prove to be more damaging/useful. Of course it could all be irrelevant. England could skittle them out by tea, Australia could bat like demi gods or it could chuck it down. We'll see. What we do know is that if England pick up wickets regularly their price will go low and stay there. That is when a lot of punters will lay off bets on the tourists. We are on at [2.00] and [1.78].

00.11 Eng 620-5dec
About time. The match odds market decided about 20 minutes ago that a declaration was imminent and the prices have barely budged. England [1.80] and Australia [2.26]. England lead by 375.

00.07 Eng 610-5
Ponting lived up to his reputation as the only international captain who has a good handle on when to declare in the first Ashes Test at Cardiff in 2009. It was a good positive declaration which was received warmly by draw layers. Still, didn't win the game did he?

00.03 Eng 596-5
The only time your wasting is your own. The problem in these situations is that the gambler (you and I) get frustrated with the non-gambler (Strauss). If you and I were skippering England in a harmonious job share (NO! I'm standing at F****** slip!) we would have declared overnight. Strauss doesn't think like you and I, though. He is Mr Safety First. Like a lot of international captains, accept, ironically, Ricky 'Punter' Ponting who knows about odds, they bat on and on in these situations.

23.56 Eng 578-3
Matt Prior makes the most irrelevant referral of all time for a lbw decision. He survives. And he makes the most of it by taking a solitary single from the over. England lead by 333.

23.50 Eng 577-5
To continue The Apprentice theme, this is the part of the show where one team gets complacent, sits around mulling over strategy, making notes and writing doen 'buzz' words on a whiteboard only to find out later in the boardroom from Lord Sugar, with a brow like a pleated skirt, that they should have 'bloody well got on with it'.

WICKET 23.46
K Pietersen c Katich b Doherty 227

23.38 Eng 561-4
There is a detailed weather forecast here. It doesn't look great for England. However, I'm a pessimist when it comes to such predictions. I've blogged on many days such as this and I've seen many erroneous forecasts.

23.30 Eng 551-4
England haven't declared. That's their second mistake. Their first was made yesterday when they scored too slowly after lunch. With the weather forecast not too hot and the wicket still pretty good for batting, they need all the time they can get. The longer they go here, the bigger England's price will get. On the move already - up to [1.90]

23.26
If this blog could come with music it would be that tune from the opening credits of The Apprentice. Da-da-da-da-da-da da-da- duh-duh du-h-dum, Da-da-da-da-da-da da-da- duh-duh du-h-dum. Da-da-da-da-da-da da-da- duh-duh du-h-dum and so on. Yes, it's D-Day. Do for England and, er, dig in for Australia. Here are some considered thoughts on what lies ahead of us (written first thing this morning). And here are the prices: [1.84] England, [2.18] the draw and, snigger, [230.00] Australia.

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