England won the toss and opted to bowl on a surface that seemed to offer some help. They made three changes to their lineup and seemed to be very fired up. Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, and Chris Woakes all bowled beautifully before a stirring counter-attack by Mitch Marsh took Australia to 263.
Dropped catches by England could prove costly. Mark Wood ended up with five wickets.
England lost wickets at regular intervals and was 142/7 at one stage before Ben Stokes (hobbling on one leg) decided to play at a level that is almost impossible to believe. He top-scored with 80 and carried England to within 26 runs of the Australian total.
Pat Cummins ended up 6 wickets and was easily the best of the bowlers.
England picked up four wickets, Australia scored 116, and now leads by 142 runs.
Recommended Bet: England to Win (2.10)
Bet on England To WinThe 3rd Ashes Test is on an absolute knife edge. Both teams are currently being offered the exact same odds to win the match (insert picture).
With Australia effectively 142 for 4 and Alex Carey the only batter to follow, we think Australia is a bit overvalued here. England’s strong suit is with the bat and they have the most success chasing in the Bazball-era.
Australia Total Runs - Under 141.5 (1.85)
Bet on Australia Scoring Under 141.5Sessions bet keep changing dynamically with every ball but there is one bet available that is very attractive right now. England has scored 166 runs in 47 overs. Their previous 10 overs have resulted in just 21 runs. In fact, the entire partnership between Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh has been 26 runs off 73 deliveries.
Clearly, Australia knows the importance of this partnership, and will take some time. To lose the bet, Australia will have to score at 5 runs an over for 8 overs at the start of the day. We don’t see that happening.
Bet the Under.
Mitchell Marsh (2.60)
Bet on Mitchell MarshThis is a bit of a risky bet by its nature but there are some things going for it. The top score in the Australian inning so far is just 40 by Usman Khawaja. Mitchell Marsh scored a century in the first inning and is batting on 17 right now. Travis Head and Alex Carey are the only two other recognized batters to follow.
With the likelihood that Marsh might need to attack the bowlers while batting with the tail, we think it is worth the risk to place a small bet on him in this situation. A small bet on Alex Carey might also not be the worst decision!
