The Ashes best bets for day three and odds: Late wickets deepen England's woes

Free cricket tips, best bets and analysis for the Ashes between Australia and England.

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 11.30pm Monday

Scoreboard
Australia 267 (Harris 76, Anderson 4-33) lead England 185 (Root 50, Cummins 3-36, Lyon 3-36) & 31-4 by 51 runs

Best prices
1-16 Australia, 10-1 England, 100-1 Draw

Story of day two

There was some Covid-related drama at the start of day two in Melbourne when it was revealed that staff and family members in the England camp had tested positive but the players were given the all-clear after lateral-flow tests.

Joe Root's men fought back well with the ball after Australia had resumed on 61-1. Veteran James Anderson led the attack brilliantly, keeping the pressure on with a miserly economy rate of 1.43 and claiming the key wickets of Steve Smith and opener Marcus Harris, who top-scored with 76 in the Aussies' total of 267.

Nine of Australia's top ten reached double figures but Harris was the only one to pass 30 on day two as the MCG pitch quickened up and England restricted their first-innings deficit to 85.

They had little time to enjoy that achievement, however, as Mitchell Starc picked up the wickets of Zak Crawley (five) and Dawid Malan (nought) in a blistering opening spell.

Test debutant Scott Boland then had Haseeb Hameed caught behind for seven before bowling nightwatchman Jack Leach two balls later to leave England in all-too-familiar trouble at 22-4.

Root and Ben Stokes survived until stumps but the tourists still trail by 51 runs with just six second-innings wickets remaining and Australia, 2-0 up in the five-match series, are just 1-16 to take an unassailable 3-0 lead.

Star of the day

At the age 39, Anderson continues to excel for England and he finished with superb figures of 4-33 from 23 high-class overs, dismissing Smith, top scorer Harris and home skipper Pat Cummins after getting rid of David Warner on the first day.

Moment of the day

The sight of nightwatchman Leach being bowled offering no shot summed up England's limp batting on this tour and the late introduction of Boland proved to be another inspired bowling change from Cummins.

View from the camp

'I had a bit of a battle in the first couple of Tests but [it was] good to be home and play on a familiar wicket. The way the wicket is, the amount of grass, there's always something in it for the bowlers. Jimmy Anderson bowled unbelievably, as did our bowlers in the end.'

Marcus Harris, Australia batsman

Day three preview

England, who are waiting on the results of PCR tests after the Covid cases in their camp, are 10-1 to salvage their Ashes chances with victory in Melbourne.

Unbeaten batsmen Root and Stokes probably need to lay a significant foundation in order to stave off an Australia win inside three days but, after 24 wickets fell on the first two days, it will take something special to frustrate the home bowlers.

Bet365 quote England's second-innings runs line at 172.5, which would leave Australia needing a target of around 90 to win the series, although Hills are a little higher at 178.5.

Root, who made 89 in similar circumstances in the second innings of the first Test in Brisbane, is 5-1 with Hills to score a century and 5-4 with Coral to make his fourth fifty in six innings on this tour.

Stokes, who was two not out at the close, is 10-11 with bet365 to make at least 23 second-innings runs and that looks too low for a player of his class and character.

A top score of 34 in five completed innings is nothing to write home about but he has often been digging in or batting with the tail and has shown solid defensive technique, facing 307 balls in the series.

Australia can afford to take some risks with attacking fields on the third morning, which may make runscoring a little easier, and Stokes is more comfortable than many of his teammates against pace.

Best bet

Ben Stokes to score over 22.5 second-innings runs
2pts 10-11 bet365

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