Australia took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the Ashes series in Melbourne thanks to a spectacular batting collapse from England, who were bowled out for just 68 in their second innings.
Joe Root’s men must pick themselves up for the fourth Test in Sydney if they are to stave off the threat of a 5-0 series whitewash.
Thunderstorms are forecast to disrupt play at the SCG although Australia required less than three days to wrap up their victory in Melbourne and the hosts are unlikely to ease up with a clean sweep in sight.
England Big Outsiders to Shine Through Sydney Showers
The gloomy weather forecast for Sydney means the draw is trading at 4/5 and four of the last seven Test matches at the venue, including last year’s clash with India, have ended in stalemate.
However, Australia have had such a hold over England’s batsmen in the first three matches that it would take a bold punter to oppose the 13/10 hosts, who have now won 12 of their last 13 home Tests against their old enemy.
England’s bowlers, led by brilliant veteran James Anderson, produced an excellent display in the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, where Australia slipped from 76-1 to 267 all out in their only innings.
However, it is hard to have faith in a batting line-up dismissed for 147, 297, 236, 192, 185 and 68 in six innings in the series and England are 19/2 underdogs to get a victory on the board in Sydney.
In-Form Labuschagne Could Relish Return To SCG
Sydney is traditionally a good batting wicket which can favour spin bowlers although the forecast rain could change those conditions in this match.
Australia’s big three batsmen all have impressive records at the SCG and Steve Smith (6/1), Marnus Labuschagne (13/2) and David Warner (8/1) dominate the man-of-the-match betting.
Smith has scored three centuries and six fifties in just 12 innings at his home ground while Warner, another New South Wales native, averages almost 60 at the SCG.
Labuschagne, who was man of the match in the second Test against England after scoring 103 and 51 in Adelaide, has enjoyed a stunning start to his international career and averages 70 after 15 home matches.
He is 5/2 joint-favourite with Smith to top-score in Australia’s first innings, having made 215 and 59 against New Zealand and 91 and 73 against India in his last two SCG Tests.
Veteran Usman Khawaja, who made his Test debut in Sydney during the 2010-11 Ashes series, is set to return to the middle-order in place of Travis Head and he is 6/1 to top-score in the first innings.
Rival Captains Leading by Example in Ashes
England captain Root got a duck in the first innings of the Ashes in Brisbane but he has top-scored in three of his side’s next five digs and is the leading runscorer in the series going into the fourth Test.
Root is 19/10 to be England’s top first-innings runscorer in Sydney but number three Dawid Malan, a 4/1 chance, batted well for his 82 in Brisbane and 80 in Adelaide.
Malan was England’s leading batsman on the 2017-18 Ashes tour and he and Root are the only visiting players to have made a half-century in this series.
All-rounder Chris Woakes was left out of the side in Melbourne but he had batted nicely in innings of 21, 16, 24 and 44 in the first two Tests and the 25/1 chance could pick up the pieces if England suffer another top-order collapse.
While Root dominates England’s runscorer market, opposite number Pat Cummins is 11/5 favourite to be Australia’s top first-innings wicket-taker.
The Aussie skipper landed the odds in the first Test, taking 5-38, missed the second game but returned in Melbourne to dismiss England’s top three, Haseeb Hameed, Zak Crawley and Malan.
He finished with 3-36, exactly the same figures as spinner Nathan Lyon, who loves bowling at the SCG and is 8/1 to be man of the match.
Australia are 1/4 to claim a first-innings lead over 9/4 England, who have conceded first-innings deficits of 278, 237 and 85 in the first three matches.
*All odds correct at time of writing
