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Australians make dramatic wicket change in search of Ashes lead

| 21.12.2010

Australian captain Ricky Ponting should recover from a broken finger in time for the fourth Test at Melbourne which starts on Christmas Day.

After their third Test win, the Ashes betting odds have swung in Australia’s favour and the Aussies are now the 6/4 favourites to win the series after being as big as 5/1 following the second Test.

They are also 6/4 to win the fourth Test in Melbourne which starts at 11.30pm on Christmas Day, and Ponting should be leading his side out as the momentum swings in Australia’s favour.

Ponting has been in awful form with the bat this series and is currently enjoying his worst run of form in 10 years which could be good news for England, and Ponting has only managed 58 runs from three innings at the Melbourne Cricket Ground against England.

Which is why Australia have called up novice batsman Usman Khawaja as cover for the skipper, and the 24-year-old averages 51.70 in first class cricket, although is yet to experience the pressure of a Test match.

But Ponting isn’t the main issue for England, having played on the Melbourne wicket against Victoria to get a feel for the ground, the MCG groundsman have decided to change which strip the match will be played on.

Having witness the greenness of the WACA wicket help Mitchell Johnson and co in the third Test, the MCG groundsman has been preparing a greener wicket for the fourth Test.

And after seeing his attack struggle at the WACA, Andrew Strauss will be contemplating ringing the changes and Steven Finn looks set to make way for Tim Bresnan.

After taking eight wickets, Chris Tremlett has been cut to 8/1 from 25/1 to be England’s leading series wicket-taker and he could be worth a punt on a wicket which will not suit Graeme Swann.

A £10 stake on England winning the Ashes would return £27.50. New customers can sign up here for a free £10 bet.

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Author

Robbie Morris

Robbie studied sports journalism at the University of Gloucestershire, an establishment chosen for its proximity to Cheltenham racecourse, where he was a season ticket holder. Upon graduation, Robbie was a contributor to GolfPunk, a national magazine aimed at ridding golf of its traditionalist image, before joining the news.ladbrokes team.