England v Australia Second Test Day Five In-play Tips: Quick kill for Aussies

• Australia show their class

• Short England runs

• Stokes fitness a concern

England v Australia
Sunday 2 July, 11:00
TV: Live on Sky Sports

How to play 2nd Test match odds

Australia are on the brink of taking a 2-0 lead in the Ashes series after pure bowling brilliance opened up a gulf between the teams.

Rippers, snorters and beauties removed Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Harry Brook. Pope was bowled by Mitchell Starc and then Pat Cummins, who'd threatened glimpses of his immense skill in the series previously, went through the gears to get the other two.

It was surely the turning point of the summer. That watershed moment when all and sundry can clearly see that Australia are the better team.

Earlier in the day England couldn't muster the same sort of expertise and had to rely on brute strength, very much the Bazball modus operandi. They inflicted a tw-and-half-hour short-ball barrage on Australia to wrestle their way back into the match.

Australia lost their last eight wickets for 92. It was sheer guts from England. Josh Tongue, Ollie Robinson and Stuart Broad, with admirable will power, smashed the ball into the pitch halfway down ball after ball.

It was hard on them, then, to see Australia bowl so elegantly. England, and many others, had reckoned they were bang in the game with a chase of 371 set. Hell, that was less than the 377 they got with ease against India at Edgbaston. And recency bias was very much on show with the crazy lay option of 2.9015/8 at that juncture.

Then the masterclass began. Australia closed at 1.171/6 favourites with England requiring another 257 runs with only six wickets left (and only three of them batters). England are 7.4013/2 and the draw obsolete at 65.064/1.

For those with the persuasion of smashing into obviously wrong prices, the 1.171/6 appears to be a gift. Australia, surely, can only be denied by a once-in-a-lifetime knock from Ben Stokes. And he's already used that up at Headingley in 2019.

The trend in this game has for the bowlers to take stock overnight, reset and then run through the batting team. It should happen a fourth time on day five and it is reasonable to reckon an exhausted England will offer minimal resistance.

England 2nd inns runs

There are few decent bet options. The best may be shorting England's par line at 255.5 at even money. With Ollie Robinson due at the crease in two wickets' time such a total looks a long way off.

Stokes' runs are available to short at 55.5 at 10/11. The Aussies have two wicket-taking tactics for the England captain. The nip and tuck off the pitch or to expose his immobility. A hobbling Stokes is struggling to get out of the way off the short stuff and his fitness may not be just a problem for this innings.

The fall of the next wicket is available to short at 141.5 at 10/11 with Sportsbook. We expect Australia to come hard at England again.

Of course we would dearly love another 80-100 runs from Stokes and Ben Duckett to panic the match odds markets and steam into Australia but we just can't see it. Just in case, though, don't forget to follow the in-play advice here.