Sports Blog 06/08/2015: Cricket Preview - The Ashes 2015 4th Test, Thursday 6th to Monday 10th August 2015

The Ashes series rolls into Trent Bridge Nottingham this week for a potentially decisive 4th test.

After England’s convincing win at Edgbaston they lead the series 2-1, meaning a win here would seal the series and return the urn to English hands. Our traders make Australia favourites to win the test and take it to a decider at the Oval, quoting their 25:10 index at 13.3-14.8 and even money shots on the fixed odds.



The big team news ahead of this test is the injury to England’s bowling talisman James Anderson. England’s all-time leading wicket taker is out of this test with a side injury, dealing England’s chances a huge blow. After his devastating performance at Edgbaston the Aussie batsmen will be absolutely delighted to not have to face him, and in his absence the rest of the England attack will have to step up.

Stuart Broad and Steve Finn will spearhead the attack, and after his incredible display at Edgbaston it is Finn who may well be the main danger. Our traders quote Finn’s bowler performance at 43-48, clearly expecting another decent showing from the imposing quick. Broad is also quoted at 43-48, and the Nottinghamshire seamer should thrive given his knowledge of home conditions.

Mark Wood may well not be fit, with the possibility of a debut for left-arm quick Mark Footitt. Ben Stokes hasn’t got the wickets his bowling has deserved this series, and his bowler performance quote of 22-26 reflects his poor return so far. If the seamers struggle, much could depend on Moeen Ali’s off-spin. The Beard to be Feared’s bowler performance is quoted at 30-35, which may well be of interest given his strong performances so far in the series.



The Aussie batsmen were blown away at Edgbaston, but there is no doubting the talent at their disposal. David Warner threatened to build Australia a dangerous lead in the second innings in the 3rd test, and the left-handed dynamo could once again be the main danger. Warner runs are quoted at 87-94, with his ton ups temptingly pitched at 13-16. 10/3 is the price available for Warner to top score for Australia in their first innings.

His opening partner Chris Rogers has been dependable throughout the series, showing typical grit and determination. Rogers runs are pitched at 75-82, with his ton ups at 7-10. With a strong recent record Rogers may attract some interest at 4/1 to be Australia’s top batsman in the 1st innings.

Captain Michael Clarke is now under real pressure, with several ex-players and pundits questioning if his career is coming to an end. Clarke hasn’t looked comfortable at all in England, and that is reflected by a runs quote of just 68-75. Gone appear the days when Clarke was the gun batsman in the Aussie line-up. For those to fancy the Aussie skipper to bounce back his ton ups are available at 6-9 and he is 11/2 to top bat.

England’s batsmen also struggled with the challenging Edgbaston track. Ian Bell showed his class however with a pair of half centuries, just when it appeared his place in the side could be coming under threat. Bell runs are quoted at 76-83 with his ton ups on offer at 8-11. Bell is a generous 4/1 to top score for England in their first innings.



Adam Lyth’s test career got off to a solid start with a century against New Zealand, but it’s fair to say he has been all at sea against the Australian new ball attack. His place must surely be under threat, and the Yorkshireman must be absolutely desperate for some runs. Our traders have little faith in Lyth however, quoting his runs at just 52-58, a remarkably low quote for an opening batsman. Lyth ton ups are quoted at 2.5-5.5, but it would take a remarkable turnaround for Lyth to get to three figures.

Down the order, England have been boosted by some useful knocks from Moeen Ali. Ali runs are quoted at 43-49, which given his number 8 position indicates the faith our traders have in him to make a contribution. Ali’s player performance (based on 20 pts per wicket, 10 pts per catch, 1 pt per run and 25 pts per stumping) is quoted at 105-115 for those that have a view on how Ali will perform with both bat and ball.

Australia’s bowling attack did not extract the same venom from the Edgbaston surface, and questions are now being asked of the pace trio of Johnson, Starc and Hazlewood. With Big Peter Siddle waiting in the wings, as well as young tyro Pat Cummins, these three seamers need to perform. Johnson (bowler performance quote 47-52), Starc (45-50) and Hazlewood (45-50) have all shown they are capable at various times in the series, and now more than ever Australia need them to fire. With the English top order still showing frailties there is every chance the Aussie attack can make early inroads.

SuperMega Runs

Once again Spreadex will be offering SuperMega Runs for all players in this match. The concept is simple. All runs scored by a batsman per innings up to 50 count as 1 run. Runs scored from 51-100 count double, and all runs from 101 onwards count treble. This makes a trade on a batsman even more volatile and exciting! For instance Steve Smith runs buyers at Lord’s were delighted with his haul of 273 runs, but his SuperMega runs would have totalled 561!



A full range of players are quoted, but as an example we have David Warner quoted at 150-160, Joe Root at 130-140 and Ben Stokes at 85-95. Exclusively offered by Spreadex, this really is the most exciting trade to have on a batsman’s performance.

The action gets underway at 11am on Thursday with the toss at 10:30. Will England take victory and the series or will Australi set up a thrilling decider by levelling the series at 2-2? What a test match we have in prospect, and for all the best spread and fixed odds prices stick with Spreadex throughout the five days.