The Ashes / Andy Morris / 29 December 2010 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

As any chance of Australia gaining back the ashes turn to dust, Andy Morris casts en eye over day three of the Boxing Day test and the shambles it became for the Australian side.

'It will be shattering and horrendous.'

These are the words Shane Watson has used to describe how he feels about potentially losing the Ashes to England for the first time in Australia in 24 years.

Not that the Ashes are over, but it is surely only a matter of time before the English bowling swoops upon the Australian lower order and ends their misery in the fourth Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Australia had ended the third day's play on 169/6, 246 runs away from making England bat again. England, on the other hand, have two full days to pick up the last four Australian wickets and take an impregnable 2-1 lead in the five-match series - enough for them to retain the urn.

At the start of the third day's play, England were in the driver's seat but the home team still had a chance to hit back with a good batting performance when they got the chance.

And, while Australia batted much better than in the first innings when shot out for 98, it was clearly a below-par effort.

After Peter Siddle bowled England out on the third day with a six-wicket haul and restricted their lead to 415, the Aussies had, in fact, begun well to get to 99/1. With Watson and Ricky Ponting being the batsmen at the crease, it looked like a fight-back was on.

Unfortunately, the manner in which the English bowlers bowled through the day, paired with Ponting's lack of form, combined to make it appear it was only a matter of time before the wickets would begin to tumble. Watson padded up and departed, while Ponting was bowled off an inside-edge - both off the bowling of Tim Bresnan. Michael Hussey got a rare failure and Michael Clarke's poor series continued, with Graeme Swann getting him out for 13.

By the time Steven Smith had played a few airy-fairy strokes and got himself out for 38, the Aussies were well and truly in trouble and it would seem now that the hole they have dug is too deep to climb out of.

Quite expectedly, England have odds of 1.01 for a win, compared to 450 if Australia win and odds of 110 for a draw.