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In an Australian cricket first, leading online bookmaker sportsbet has declared the 2010/11 Ashes Series over and has paid out all bets totaling more than $400,000 on England to not only retain the Ashes, but to win the series after Day One of the Third Test in Perth.

The unprecedented move sees punters collect their winnings with an incredible four days of play left in the Perth Test – and with the Melbourne and Sydney Tests to come.

“Unfortunately for Australian cricket fans the writing is on the wall and we can’t see the Aussies coming back from here,” said sportsbet’s Chief Executive Matthew Tripp.

“We’d be paying out soon enough anyway so punters may as well have their cash now in time for Christmas.

“Cricket punters are normally very patriotic to the Aussies but they also know a good thing when they see it and it seems everyone has backed England to win this series.

“As big fans of our national side we’d love to get this one wrong but we can’t see any hope of them turning it around.”

Just before the First Test in Brisbane, one punter had $50,000 on England to win the series at $3, meaning he has collected $150,000 before the halfway mark of the series.

With their domination so far this summer, England is now paying just $1.30 to win the Ashes. $5.25 is on offer on a drawn series, while Australia has blown out to $8.50 to win the series.

“As with all sportsbet early payouts and refunds, there is no requirement for punters to reinvest their winnings, it’s their money and they can do as they please with it,” said Tripp.

“The bottom line is, why risk betting anywhere else when sportsbet regularly pays out early on big events?”

Sportsbet is generating a reputation for paying out early on big events. In October the bookie paid out more than $250,000 early on So You Think to win the Cox Plate, five days before the race.

However, the bookmaker does not always get it right. Earlier this year, sportsbet paid out more than $150,000 in bets on Richmond for the AFL Wooden Spoon after just four rounds. A mid-season revival saw the Tigers finish two wins clear of West Coast at the bottom of the ladder.

The payout applies to all single wagers placed on England to win the 2010/11 Ashes Series before 11.30am AEDT on Friday, 17 December 2010.

Market courtesy of sportsbet

2010/11 Ashes Series
$1.30 England (in from $3.20 in early market)
$5.25 Drawn Series (in from $5.50)
$8.50 Australia (out from $1.73)

After one of the most comprehensive  victories in Ashes history, England are now red hot to win the coveted urn at the short price of $1.45 with online bookmaker Sportsbet.

The visitors’ total domination in Adelaide has given them a crucial lead meaning Australia somehow have to win two of the three remaining Tests, a task that seems almost impossible on form and has seen their price blow out to $6.50.

“Santa’s on the way but he’ll need to open with the Tooth Fairy and have the Easter Bunny batting at four if you believe in fairytale comebacks. It’s not going to happen,” said sportsbet.com.au’s Matthew Campbell.

The loss of Stuart Broad is a blow for the tourists but that hasn’t had any effect on the odds for the Third Test starting in Perth next week.

“We’ve opened Australia at $3.40 for Perth, don’t be surprised if they blow out to $4.00. The ‘Balmy Army’ are cashed up after Adelaide” said Campbell.

The shift in the market for England to retain the Ashes has been even more dramatic with their price now into just $1.10.

Get a $200 free bet from Sportsbet to place on the Ashes, checkout the $200 offer here for more info.

Market courtesy of Sportsbet
3rd Ashes Test – Perth
$3.40 Australia
$2.50 England
$2.65 Draw

2010/11 ASHES SERIES
$6.50 Australia (out from $1.73)
$1.45 England (in from $3.20)
$4.50 Drawn Series (in from $5.50)

Retain/Regain Ashes
$1.10 England (in from $1.87)
$6.50 Australia (out from $1.98)

The 5th and final test match of this year’s Ashes series is set begin this Thursday evening (Australian Time) and will be played at the Oval. It is set to be a thriller as Australia and England will both be looking to push for a win. Although Australia only requires a draw to take home the series win, past performances would suggest that the Aussies will not settle for anything less than a win. Meanwhile, England will be looking to press home any advantage they can after taking the first win of the series and then losing their lead in the 4^th test. I believe that the fifth test will definitely be the best match of the Ashes series this time around and both teams will be faced with stiff competition.

Breakdown of Australia ($2.40 @ SportsBet.com.au)

Needing only a draw to take home the Ashes, the Australian’s are finally beginning to find form as the fifth test is set to begin.

Long gone now are the days of questioning who is to open the batting. Also long gone is the conundrum over the bowling line-up. The decision that was made to play Shane Watson instead of a struggling Phil Hughes proved to be a stroke of genius while getting Stuart Clark back in to the first eleven has paid off well for the tourists. His similarities to McGrath are astounding with his near perfect line and length and his first innings display at Headingley really provided the spark to get Australia going after breaking the back of the English batting line-up.

Another spark for the Aussies is Mitchell Johnson finally getting into what resembles good form. For the first three test matches of the series, Johnson had very much underperformed and has shown signs of improvement in the 4^th test at Headingley.

Overall, the playing eleven for Australia is beginning to resemble a real team for the first time this series. All the players are coming together just at the right time to possibly take home the Ashes.

Breakdown of England ($5 @ SportsBet.com.au)

This series, England has been an exact opposite of the touring side. The upper-hand that they earned through playing some great cricket in the first three test matches was thrown away in the fourth test after 2 innings of senseless batting.

There is now talk of panic in the English dressing room. The media is predicting the dropping of Ravi Bopara for the likes Mark Ramprakash and the selectors may even go for the likes of Jonathon Trott. The very thought of the selectors putting Ramprakash into the side really shows the negative mindset of the home side. A foolish move like his could not suit the Aussies more.

With the news that Andrew Flintoff will be fit enough to play, there is a small amount of confidence for England’s bowling line-up. With Flintoff retiring after the final Ashes test, England may very well rally behind a stunning performance by the all-rounder as they have done so many times in the past. The problem that the English selectors face is who will he replace? Steve Harmison is the likely choice, but with the Oval providing a bouncy wicket, the quick bowler’s may be vital for success. With Stuart Broad having found a bit of form, Graham Onions may be the man on the sidelines for the fifth test.

When it comes to batting for England, Alastair Cook really needs to find his touch quickly. I dare say that Andrew Strauss will be looking to smash his way back into the form that we have seen of late with a century. The dismal performance of the middle order will need to be rectified if England is to have any chance.

My prediction is an Aussie win here. The Aussies dominated the fourth test and I really believe that they will do the same at the Oval. If England is able to bat well enough to stay in the game then a draw ($2.25 @ SportsBet.com.au) may be on the cards.

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Australia ($4.75 @ SportsBet) will be looking to get themselves back into the running for the Ashes by posting a win in the third test match at Edgbaston in Birmingham. After winning at Lord’s to take a 1-0 lead in the series, England ($7 @ SportsBet) will be looking to enhance their advantage and they have an excellent chance of doing so given the inclement weather throughout the preceding week.

With the bowling squad that Australia has at its disposal, it is difficult to envision a tie of 1-1 in the series at the end of the game. The Aussies may very well want to rethink their attack and probably get in an extra bowler in place of a frontline batsman for such a conclusion to happen. When looking at things from the other side if conditions play out as expected, there will be a lot of swing and seam, both through the air and off the pitch. These conditions will favour England. What may not favour England is the weather which may end the game early.

In my opinion, the inclusion of Steve Harmison is a must, especially with the lack of fitness that Andrew Flintoff has shown. The pair both bowl at a similar length, and they both have a tendency to extract bounce where few others have been able to in the series so far. If Phil Hughes is once again going to be batting at the top for the visitors, then the selection of Harmison becomes even more valuable, especially when you consider the hold that he had over Phil Hughes in the tour game.

If the Aussies are to hold any chance of out-batting the hosts it will have to be a combination of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Simon Katich who do the damage. So far in the series, Katich has done well without lighting the stands on fire, as where both Ponting and Clarke have a century to their names. Michael Hussey scoring the runs he has been used to and shrugging his poor form will be just what the Aussies desire.

England will once again bank upon their top order, especially given their fragile middle order, with an intensely nervous Ian Bell, a replacement for Kevin Pietersen and an out of form Ravi Bopara. Instead it will be up to Andrew Strauss to get England off to a start like he did in the second test at Lord’s where he played some great cricket. Alistar Cook will need to support him as much as possible. Matt Prior’s aggression has stolen games from the opposition on more than one occasion in the past and Paul Collingwood is often overlooked, but is an effective middle order test match player. In the lower order, Flintoff will be a vital batsman for England.

Having been declared unfit, Brett Lee probably will not play in the test match. This leaves the other four pace bowlers and Nathan Hauritz to fight for the four bowling spots in the first eleven. In my opinion, Hauritz should unquestionably be in the eleven. If Mitchell Johnson is rested for the game due to his sporadic form, then it will be Stuart Clark who should walk into the Aussie first eleven. To me, it looks almost certain and he should even open the bowling for the Australians.

My bet is on the draw ($1.40 @ SportsBet), but if the weather holds off England should take the win.

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THE ASHES ARE COMING. The England and Australia test series is the most well known and most anticipated test series in the world. And this year will be no different as England look for revenge after their 5-0 series embarrasment in Australia.

 The Ashes series dates back to 1882 when Australia beat England on English soil for the first time and the English press printed a satirical obituary that read “ English cricket has died, and the body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.” And the English have been struggling to regain them ever since.

The two sides have had some epic encounters over the years and this years series is alreading shaping up to be a massive battle between two sides that are both trying to re build.

Australia have had a lot of their key players retire in recent years. The likes of Gilchrist and Hayden will certainly be missed, but it is the blond locks of Shane Warne that they will notice missing the most. The textpert finger spinner has had the best of the English batsmen for years, from the miracle ball that bowled Mike Gatting to his forty wicket hall in the last Ashes series where he left Kevin Pieterson in a tangled mess on the floor. It is true that Australia will never find a carbon copy replacement for Warnie. Players of that calibre only come around once in a generation, but I feel that so far they haven’t even found a spinner that would be worthy of spit shinning Shane’s protective box. This means that they will be relying mainly a pace attack that includes a half fit Brett Lee and out of form Stuart Clark.

England on the other hand have been having all sorts of in house problems. Kevin Pieterson spat his dummy out and resigned the captaincy after a disagreement with the then coach Peter Moores who was later sacked. They have bounced back somewhat from a disasterous tour of the West Indies, beating them 2-0 in the return series in England, but there are some injury clouds hanging over the squad that could be their downfall. Micheal Vaughn will probably not be picked, while pace bowler Simon Jones who terrorised Australia on their last visit to English shores is still battling long term injury. But it is the question marks surrounding Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff that have got the Barmy Army more worried. Pieterson is adament he will be fully fit for the Ashes series after he pulled out of the one day series with the West Indies.

ECB chief medical officer Nick Peirce said “The Achilles injury flared up after the secnd Test and the best course of treatment is for Kevin to rest throughout the NatWest Series. “By giving him a precautionary period of time out to receive some concentrated treatment and rest we are enabling the niggle to settle down in preparation of the ICC World Twenty20 and the Ashes.”

Pietersen added:”I’m extremely disappointed to be missing the NatWest Series as I was looking forward to playing a significant part in what should be an exciting and closely-fought one-day series. The medical advice is to rest the achilles and although I’m frustrated to be leaving a happy and successful dressing room I’m absolutely confident this will help me overcome what has up until now been a minor ongoing injury.”

Andrew Flintoff is also a doubt and Australian Captain Ricky Ponting has already started the mind games by saying that “England would be taking a massive risk if they were to play Flintoff half fit.” But Flintof is expected to be in the starting line and lets face it if he could get to the crease in a wheel chair England would need him.

So who is going to win?

My money is well and truly on the Australians for this one. England rely to heavily on Flintoff and Pietersen to perform and will once again fall flat on their faces.

Go to canbet.com.au now to get your free bet on Australia to take the series 3-1.