England vs. Australia In-Play Odds: Tips for the Fourth Ashes Test

After backing Moeen Ali to score 50+ runs in the first innings of the Fourth Ashes Test, Matt Banks returns with two in-play tips.

England vs Australia Recap

After England produced the most dominant day for either side of the entire series on Thursday, spirits were pretty high as Ben Stokes and Harry Brook walked at close with England leading by 67 runs with 6 wickets still in hand.

However, despite England being so far ahead of the game, the forecast for the next three days is atrocious, and England will have to Bazball more than they’ve ever Bazballed before in order to force a result.

It couldn’t really have gone any better for England yesterday. They wrapped up Australia’s innings fairly quickly thanks to a wicket from hometown hero Jimmy Anderson with the first ball of the ball and Chris Woakes securing his first-ever Ashes five-for 6 overs later.  

After England came out to bat, Ben Duckett was removed early and Zak Crawley and Moeen Ali guided England to lunch with a fairly sedate partnership. In the afternoon session, however, the carnage began. England scored over 178 runs for the loss of just one wicket while scoring at 7.12 runs an over in the whole session and Crawley and Joe Root looked imperious.

Crawley finished with one of the all-time great Ashes hundreds, ending on 189 off 182 balls, while Root was out for 84. Both got out to balls that kept low, which will give England some hope when they come to bowl.

England vs Australia Fourth Test Odds

Given England’s dominance on Thursday, the Australia win is essentially off the table, and the bookies can only see one of two things happening; either England win, or the rain saves Australia and the game is drawn.

The bookies are saying it’s too hard to call at this point, with both the England win and the draw being evens, while Australia are 11/1 to produce a miraculous victory.

Sadly, it feels like the weather may just take too much time out of the game for England, and Australia should be able to retain the Ashes by Sunday evening.

England need quick runs on Friday to try and get a big lead and leave plenty of time to bowl Australia out before the rain ruins things and the skipper Ben Stokes will have to be at his destructive best.

He will want to show he means business early and that could mean him looking for the boundary with the first ball of the day.

Fresh off a match-winning 75 at Headingley, Harry Brook will be feeling good about his batting.

He will have free reign to be ultra-aggressive this morning to help England get a big lead and as he showed against Pakistan and New Zealand in the winter he loves to hit sixes.

If Brook is still at the crease an hour after play starts today, I'll be shocked if this bet hasn’t come in.