It's squeaky bum time for England with nothing less than a win acceptable if they are to retain the Ashes. Ed Hawkins is on hand to lead us through the action and spot the betting opportunities. Email him at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

18.32 Eng 307-8 CLOSE
Peter Siddle has picked up Graeme Swann for 18 to bring the day to a close. To the uneducated, a glance at the scoreboard from day one would suggest that Australia have smeared their hands with superglue to fix their grip on the little urn. Not so. The Oval pitch has defied historic reputations and is a dusty crumbler which is going to get harder and harder to bat on. England, trading at [3.35], will be happy with 320 one suspects. It means that we are going to have a thriller of a Test match, one befitting the hype that has surrounded it. A draw, priced at [4.60], seems almost an impossibility. Before this game England had to win to regain the Ashes. After 85.3 overs, Australia have to win, too. They are [2.04] to do so.

18.20 Eng 295-7
Australia have taken the new ball. Three overs to late Ricky Ponting.

18.18 Eng 295-7
Right, I have no idea why Shane Watson is bowling. Australia have a new ball, they ahven't taken it and they're bowling this twonk. His five overs have cost 26 runs! Crazy in the context of the pitch. That could cost them the Ashes.

18.13 Eng 289-7
The new ball is available but Australia are yet to take it. Ricky Ponting has persisted with Marcus North. Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann have put on 21 potentially priceless runs. There are only 15 minutes of play left tonight.

17.58 Eng 278-7
By the way, I'm not entirely sure what WOOT! WOOT! means. But it does make me chuckle. I tell you what, we've got an absolute belter of a Test on here. With every ball puffs of dust are exploding from the surface and Marcus North, part-time spinner, suddenly looks a genious. I would imagine England's target for this first dig is coming down all the time. They may even be happy with 320. I repeat, Australia are going to have to bat last on this.

WICKET 17.45 Eng 268-7
I've had a bit of England at [3.50] as Trott survives a leg before shout which Hawkeye says was out ... WOOT! WOOT! He's out now! Brilliant piece of work from Simon Katich at short leg. Trott played it off his legs straight to Katich who thrw down the stumps as the right-hander looked to set off for a single. That was class. Australia on top as my timing is off.

17.34 Eng 253-6
Australia are odds on then at [1.96]. England are [3.95]. There has been much talk about the pitch, which is breaking up, although none of the wickets that have fallen today can be attributed to it. As the match goes on it will be harder and harder to score runs so another 100 for England here could still be match-winning. Australia, with a new ball in eight overs, will harbour hopes of bowling the hosts out for under 300. Either way, we're going to get a result. And that has to be pretty exciting given the 1-1 scoreline.

WICKET 17.26 Eng 247-6
Andrew Flintoff (7) has got carried away with the fairytale ending stuff. As a result he has produced a shot that a fairy would be proud. Rooted to the crease he just wafted at a wide one from Mitchell Johnson and was caught behind. To be fair, Johnson had worked him over a touch. he whacked him on the head and fired in a few more short ones so he was reluctant to get oin the front foot. ENgland are making a mess of things, rather.

17.11 Eng 241-5
England expects. This is Andrew Flintoff's final Test before retirement and he could not have picked a more important game. Just the way he likes it. Half an hour of Fred being positive and England will be on course for the 350 or more that they need to put Australia under pressure. His first three Tests at the Oval produced innings of 95, 72 and 72, but in his fourth against SA last year he could only manage nine and 11 not out. Ian Bell, who is currently top scoring with 72, is [2.90] to lay on the highest England runscorer market. Jonathan Trott has 30 and is [3.00]. Andrew Flintoff, under the auspice of Any Other Batsman, is [3.80].

17.01 Eng 229-5
Smart bowling from Mitchell Johnson has done for Matt Prior (18). Johnson softened him up with a couple of short balls and then produced a great slower ball to have him caught at point. It was similar to how Johnson got Ravi Bopara in the first dig at Cardiff. The wicket brings Australia into [2.30] and Andrew Flintoff to the crease. He has been greeted with a huge roar from the home faithful.

16.56 Eng 227-4
Trott (29) has been the most prolific runscorer in English county cricket in the last two years and it is believed that the warm summer front which arrived in London this week was a direct result of a million Englishmen letting out a collective sigh of relief that he hails from Cape Town instead of being another mentally fragile product of their
own system. Indeed, Trott comes highly rated. His half-brother, Kenny Jackson, says "he can walk on water at the moment." With England in dire need of divine intervention maybe the selectors have their man.

16.48 Eng 217-4
Consecutive fours for Jonathan Trott. Hot to Trott you could say. Apologies. Stuart Clark isn't nailing this plan to get him leg before. His accuracy has been lacking.

16.34 Eng 200-4
Australia are trying to set up Trott for a leg before because of the way he plays around his front pad. Packed offside field. Loads of space through midwicket and mid on. 'Go on,' Ponting is saying. 'Hit it through there'. Now, is Trott smart enough to adjust or spot what is going on?

16.19 Eng 185-4
Every batsman has a weaknesses. And Jonathan Trott's, after 25 balls, appears to be that he shuffles across his stumps, making him a leg before candidate. Indeed, Nasser Hussain has just shown two replays which compound that error. He is playing across his front pad. That means instead of showing the bat face to the bowler for a full ball, Trott is trying to work it through mid-on or midwicket. Excellent stuff from Nasser. Anyone would think he used to captain England.

16.01 Eng 181-4
Ian Bell bowled Peter Siddle. Cripes! He was playing outside the line of that one and he got an inside edge into the timber. Bell mutters a rude word as he departs the scene for 72. Matt Prior the next man in. He should go well on a decent batting strip. He'll love the ball coming onto the bat to play those free flowing off drives of his. Australia as skinny as [2.68]. Still think it's a lay, folks.

TEA 15.43 Eng 180-3
Just 72 runs scored in 27 overs by England in that session. Remember this session if England, getting ahead of ourselves here, run out of time in this Test. England are [3.65], Australia [3.20] and the draw is [2.36].

15.37 Eng 177-3
One senses that Australia are to get Jonathan Trott cheaply to further undermine England's selectors who have been forced to shuffle their pack. Ity would certainly damage morale if Trott went quickly. There has been lots of banter, lots of snarling and, a rare sight this, a bouncer from a spinner - part-timer Marcus North. Trott looks edgy and is going hard, hard, hard at the ball.

15.26 Eng 176-3
Collingwood drove loosely with his weight back. Jonathan Trott, facing his first ball in Test cricket, threw all of his forward that he almost did a somersault. Trott is, whisper it, not really English. South African-born, South African-raised. Indeed, such is his similarity to a certain Kevin Pietersen (Trott has that swagger, too) that one wonders whether the England selectors have read too much into the formbook. 'The last time we played Australia at The Oval in a crucial Ashes Test a South African-born, South African-raised cocky sort saved us. Where can we find one of them?' At which point Ashley Giles would have piped up in that voice of his which is only slighter deeper than Alan Ball. 'We've got one at Warwickshire'.

WICKET 15.19 Eng 176-3
Collingwood caught in the gully to keep Australia in touch. A key monet now because Jonathan Trott, on debut, is now making his way to the crease. Colly (24) was held smartly by Hussey off Peter Siddle . England [3.45], Australia [3.25] and the draw [2.01].

15.13 Eng 172-2
Have you ever played beach cricket? I have. The key is to get the ball to pitch just as the remnants of a wave is being dragged back into the surf. When the ball hits this a big splash of sand and water explodes, creating unpredictable bounce. About five minutes ago the Sky cameras showed a similar explosion. There was no water, of course but the surge of dust, dirt and grass looked just like a ball pitching on beach cricket. This pitch is, for sure, breaking up. It's only day one! Australia are in an awful lot of trouble unless they restrict England to something under 370.

15.02 Eng 167-2
Australia are just trying to sit in the game at the moment. Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus are just dropping it back of a length outside off. England are [3.40]. I still think that's a pretty good price considering they should post close to 400, Australia will have to bat last and the pitch should turn.

14.37 Eng 156-2
Ian Bell has 62. That is the most surprising statistic of the day given how he started off. Like a kitten in a washing machine. Australia are drifting back out again now. They are at [3.95]. In all honesty their attack looks toothless on this surface. They could regret not only failing to pick Nathan Hauritz but Brett Lee, too. His pace and ability to reverse swing the ball could have been vital.

14.15 Eng 139-2
Stuart Clark, apparently, strongly fancies himself to get Collingwood out. He has dismissed him four times in five Tests. The key to whether Collingwood scores runs is whether he wins the battle to play straight. He has a dominant bottom hand which can often skew the bat, making him more vulnerable than an abandoned giraffe on the Serengeti. So far the majority of the strokes he has played have been okay, apart from the last one when that bottomh hand forced the bat across his body. Ian Bell has 50, by the way.

14.00 Eng 123-2
The last time Paul Collingwood batted at No 4 for England he made a double century in Adelaide. I was there for that Test, although it is not stamped on my memory for his innings, which could have been bottled and sold as a sleep remedy. Nope. A drunken Barm Army fan was sick on my foot. And I was wearing flip flops.

WICKET 13.48 Eng 114-2
Ooooh big wicket! Australia needed that and it is Andrew Strauss (55) the man who has gone for 55. He is the anchor of this England batting and he has had a nibble at one off Ben Hilfenhaus to be caught behind. It brings Paul Colingwood to the crease to expose a middle order which Australia believe is vulnerable. Australia into [3.10]

13.40 Eng 109-1
It is early in the piece but Australia must hit back in this session to try to avoid being put under pressure later in the game on a wearing pitch. They have made a grave error in their selection by not picking Nathan Hauritz and are staring at potentially conceding 400 plus in first-innings. They are [3.85] and if you are comfortable at laying such a price, go ahead.

13.00 Eng 108-1 LUNCH
England have a base in first-innings to post a potentially Ashes winning total. Andrew Strauss (50) and Ian Bell (41) have given the hosts the perfect start. They are [3.60] with Australia [3.95] and the draw [2.12]. The Aussies will be worried indeed. Mike Atherton has said it will definitely turn on day four and five. Australia have not picked a spinner and they will have to bat last.

12.44 Eng 83-1
The draw is 2.24. Ordinarily in a Test in England when the side batting first is only one down just before lunch we would see the draw price at odds on. That it isn't this time is probably down to the fact that Australia are not batting first, England will constantly look to put time back into the game and there have been a few puffs of dust from the wicket. Things going perfectly for England at the moment. They are [3.65].

12.31 Eng 75-1
The esteemed Geoffrey Riddle is blogging live from York today. Marvellous meeting the Ebor. Captain Brilliance runs later on. Andrew Strauss is 34 not out. Omen?

12.20 Eng 64-1
Stuart Clark has come on for a bowl. I reckon he could be cannon fodder on such a flat wicket. As if to prove my point, Ian Bell has just had him away for four. He's beginning to look a bit more confident in his quest. To continue our earlier analogy (which you will soon tire of by the way) the attention of his affections has just laughed at one his jokes.

12.10 Eng 56-1
It's official. The decision by Ricky Ponting and co to not play a spinner in this Test could be as big a rick as bowling first at Edgbaston in 2005. Since 1981 on this ground only two touring sides have failed to pick a specialist spinner - West Indies in 2004 and South Africa in 1994. They lost by 10 and eight wickets respectively. England are [4.20].

11.53 Eng 45-1
Bell has just tried to chat up a 6ft blonde supermodel with the line "do you come here often?" See 11.38 if you are confused. Someone put this poor chap out of his misery. He looks all at sea against the left-arm pace of Mitchell Johnson, who could have had him in three successive deliveries.

11.50 Eng 43-1
Michael Atherton reckons this is a two-spinner Test wicket. "It's already breaking up a bit," he says. Easy now chaps. We're wary of commentators suggesting so early that a wicket is going to crumble. In the past year (mostly in the Caribbean) a lot of pundits and punters were fooled by a surface which looked a little flaky on day one. Still, it is not the best of news for Australia. They have to bat last on this and have neglected to play a spinner. It rather suggests to me they are happy with getting away with a draw, which is a most un-Australian mindset.

11.38 Eng 29-1
Bell, who is [1.91] to score a 50, is a man not to be trusted at No 3. In 31 Test innings when batting at that position he has never scored a century. It is a damning statistic because first wicket down is the slot, historically, where the best batsman makes hay. To put it into a context that the modern man (or woman) would understand, it's akin to going to a nightclub which has a reputation for, you know, being a right result wicket. Easy to score runs on if you know what I mean. Now, on 31 occasions two people have already gone into the club before Bell to warm things up for him, lay the groundwork, told everyone that the big man is about to arrive. They are his wing men. Each time he made a mess of things. Spilling his drink on his trousers so it looks as though he's wet himself, told an inappropriate joke, danced with a poor technique and, most commonly, stood meekly in the corner while everyone else has had a good go. Time to man up Bell, because if you fail in this Test your name might not be on the guest list again.

11.26 Eng 21-1
By the way, the story in my post at 11.15 is a true one. Obviously it didn't involve Ian bell but it did happen to a friend of mine. Parents can be so cruel. As the two teams feel each other out like a couple of inquisitive teenagers at a Christian camp, let's take a look at England's first-innings runs. England average 335 in their last five first-innings at The Oval. The average for all teams since 2000 is 422. England are [2.02] for 400 runs or more.

WICKET 11.20 Eng 12-1
Talking of Ian Bell, he's on his way to the crease. Alastair Cook has gone for 10, caught at slip by Ricky Ponting off Peter Siddle. Australia into [2.40], England out to [4.70] and the draw is at [2.64].

11.15 Eng 7-0
A bit of a anti-climactic start. Nothing has really happened. A few shots of Ian Bell, who will bat at No 3, plucked the heart strings. Up on the balcony he was looking around nervously. A bit like a toddler might after his parents had scooped him up in the dead of night, drove him through thick forest and left him without a word or comforting arm at a Victorian hospital to have his tonsils out. But he didn't know what he was there for. "We'll be back in a few days," said Mum as Ian started to sniffle.

11.00 Eng 0-0
We're about to get underway. Gosh, it's exciting. One each, one to play. Fancy a bet? What about top England runscorer? We quite like Andrew Strauss at [4.70]. Captain's innings and all that. All the planets come into line for him to cop: ground form, recent form, form against the opposition. He made 129 against the Aussies at The Oval in 2005.

England first-class/Test batting averages at The Oval
Strauss 37/37
Cook 54/54
Bell 24/30
Trott n-a/20
Collingwood 25/39
Prior 23/12

10.55
England have shortened from [5.10] to [4.50] as news has spread that they will bat first. Australia and the draw are level pegging at [2.54]. With a few minutes to go before play begins, have a read our our preview here.

10.41
Sky weather girl Lucy Verasamy has got the juices flowing early on. She's great! (sigh). And just like this series has bubbled up nicely towards the end, so has our obsession with her, which is now bordering on the unhealthy. "She's got a warm front," says AB on email. Indeed. I can't tell you what her weather report actually contained because I was staring wistfully at the telly with 'Why Do Birds...' playing in my head. So I've looked it up here for you at the Met Office. It's pretty good, folks.

10.31 England win the toss and will bat
In 24 Ashes Tests at The Oval since 1905, only four times has a team lost the toss and won. Just as well England have won it then. Graham Onions misses out with Andrew Flintoff returning. Australia are unchanged which means no place for Brett Lee or Nathan Hauritz. We'll discuss what that means a bit later. Here are the teams:

England: AJ Strauss*, AN Cook, IR Bell, PD Collingwood, IJL Trott, A Flintoff, MJ Prior†, SCJ Broad, GP Swann, SJ Harmison, JM Anderson

Australia: SM Katich, SR Watson, RT Ponting*, MEK Hussey, MJ Clarke, MJ North, BJ Haddin†, MG Johnson, PM Siddle, SR Clark, BW Hilfenhaus

10.27
I have spent the morning fashioning a green and gold outfit, cast aside the last ounce of humility, bought a barbecue, put the tinnies in the fridge, can't even spell C-U-L-T-U-R and have applied for a job in west London as a barman. Yes, for the next five days I am an Australian. And you can bombard me all you like with the emails accusing me of being a traitor or a lack of partisanship. Seven weeks ago when this series started betting.betfair's preview suggested a 2-1 win for Australia was the value. Professional pride beats patriotism every day of the week. Here are the prices for the deciding Ashes Test: England [5.10], Australia [2.36] and the draw [2.56].

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