Ashes cricket in-play betting tips: England v Australia fifth Test latest odds and advice

Day two betting update

1pt Travis Head to make a first innings fifty at 7/4 (General)

Australia have the upper hand despite the late dismissal of David Warner at a subdued Oval.

There were the usual fireworks for England supporters to cheer during the first two sessions and the usual momentum shifts with collapses of 3-11 in 22 balls and 4-28 in 55 balls with England rolling merrily along at five an over.

That helped them compile a score that was just about scraping the bottom of the respectable total barrel but a relatively untroubled 25 overs under lights from Australia makes England's total look well below par despite Harry Brook's assertions that they were 'pretty happy' with the score.

There's something in the wicket for both batters and bowlers but England will have to bowl well to deny Australia a first innings lead and that's reflected in the match odds with Australia around 4/5 and England 13/8. Moeen Ali suffered a groin injury which was serious enough to prevent him from fielding and the seamers will be hoping that he recovers well enough overnight to enable him to bowl tomorrow and allow them to rest / rotate.

They will also be hoping that there's enough juice in the pitch to produce the sort of delivery that Mitchell Starc produced to dismiss Ben Stokes but the forecast for Friday seems marginally better with less chance of rain and slightly less humidity and it should be a good day for batting. Australia, obviously, will want to bat England out of the game and will be hoping that Steve Smith, who averages 91 at The Oval and scored 121 here in the ICC Test Championship in June, recaptures his form but he's looked atypically out of form.

That's in contrast to Marnus Labuschagne who has slowly played his way into form through the series and will set his stall out to bat all day. Whether he will suffer another lapse of concentration once set remains to be seen but I would be keen to get him onside over Smith in the top Australia runscorer markets (first innings), not that Usman Khawaja can be easily discounted.

However, several firms are still betting on first innings 50s and Travis Head appeals at a general 7/4 as a straightforward play.

Smith's 121 against India was not enough to topscore in that innings with Head reeling off a near run-a-ball 163 and he's continued in good form through The Ashes despite looking uncomfortable against the short ball. He's scored four fifties, three in the first innings, and was only two short of raising his bat again in the first innings at Old Trafford.

Time and again in this series we've seen the middle order flourish after the top order have done the hard yards and there's nothing to suggest that England have got on top of Head despite their bouncer barrage and, if their seamers have suffered a chastening day in the field, Head could very quickly leave them chasing leather.

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