The Ashes day four analysis and odds: Australia battle back to secure first Test

Latest analysis and odds for the Ashes between Australia and England.

Scoreboard
Australia 425 (Head 152) & 20-1 beat England 147 (Cummins 5-38) & 297 (Root 89, Malan 82) by nine wickets

Best prices for second Test
8-13 Australia, 12-5 England, 13-2 Draw

Story of day four

It's the hope that kills you.

At the close of play on day three, Joe Root and Dawid Malan had given England half a chance of fighting their way back into contention in the first Ashes Test with the tourists finishing on 220-2.

But England could add only three more runs to that total before Malan was caught at silly point by Marnus Labuschagne, handing spinner Nathan Lyon his 400th Test wicket, and Root was caught behind less than three overs later.

Slim hopes of a resurgence evaporated and the early wickets sparked an Aussie onslaught with England eventually bowled out for 297, losing their last eight wickets for only 77 runs in the morning session.

Lyon was the pick of the Australia bowlers, extracting plenty of movement out of the Gabba pitch to take four wickets.

And the hosts reached their target of 20 runs for the loss of only one wicket with Ollie Robinson claiming his fourth scalp of the match in the form of Alex Carey, who opened with Marcus Harris.

England are out to 10-1 to win the Ashes after going 1-0 down. Australia are 1-9 to be series winners.

Home batsman Travis Head was unsurprisingly named Player of the Match for his knock of 152, having been 9-1 to top score for his side in their first-innings.

He has been trimmed to 11-4 to be his team's top series runscorer but Steve Smith, David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne are still all ahead of him in the betting at 13-5.

Star of the day

Not only did experienced bowler Lyon take the key breakthrough wicket of Malan but he also followed through after his 400th Test scalp, ruthlessly adding Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson and Mark Wood to his list of victims.

Australia's pacemen had unsurprisingly done the early work in this Test match with Lyon mopping up and he will be crucial to the home cause as the series progresses.

Moment of the day

Quite simply that loss of Malan.

England fans knew deep down their first-innings total was too small to build on but the third-day comeback had given cause for optimism which was quickly scuppered by Lyon's early wicket.

View from the camp

"It's frustration. We worked hard to get back in the game. We hoped to post some sort of total today. The pitch was a little uneven and cracks were appearing but we couldn't get through that initial phase.

"We showed fight and character for some of the second innings and know where we have to improve."

Joe Root, England captain & batsman

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