It felt more like a defeat than a draw but for the time being we’re holding our lay bet on the Aussies in the series as the prospect of an overall series draw looms large.

On the 2 August we recommended a decent sized lay on Australia at 1.19 and those odds have now drifted to around 2.2. We need an England victory or draw to collect on the bet. A home victory in the third Test would have led to us closing the bet off for a guaranteed profit but we’re advising a hold for the time being.

Another good performance by England suggests their win in the second test was no fluke, it was just the last wicket partnership of Brett Lee and Glenn McGrath that prevented victory.