Australia v England cricket betting news & odds: England cling on for SCG draw

England have denied Australia the chance of an Ashes whitewash by clinging on for a draw on the final day of the fourth Test in Sydney.

The penultimate Test of the series had a nervy ending with England's last-wicket partnership surviving 13 balls to earn a stalemate after Jack Leach had been dismissed to reduce his team to 270-9.

Bowlers Stuart Broad (eight not out) and James Anderson (0 not out) managed to see off the Australia attack, blocking out Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon with the light fading to deny the hosts a fourth straight victory in the series.

The Aussies are now 8-11 with bet365 to win the fifth and final Test in Hobart and take the series 4-0, while England are 6-1 to claim a consolation win. Another draw can be backed at 2-1.

The draw was odds-on before a ball was bowled in the match due to the poor weather forecast and, with some 60 overs lost in the game, Joe Root's tourists must thank the rain for saving their blushes.

Having taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series, Australia opened the Test at the SCG by declaring on 416-8 in their first innings before bowling England out for only 294.

The hosts then declared for a second time after posting an additional 265 runs in their second innings but they were unable to find the final England wicket on day five.

England have had issues at the top of the order throughout the series but Zak Crawley made a strong start to the second innings with a knock of 77 off 100 balls and he is 16-1 to be the leading scorer in the fifth Test.

Ben Stokes, meanwhile, scored 60, while Jonny Bairstow followed his first-innings total of 113 with a second-innings knock of 41 and he is 11-1 to be the final Test's top runscorer.

Marnus Labuschagne leads the way in that market at 9-2 and he is also 12-5 to finish as the top batsman in the series. He currently leads England skipper Joe Root by nine runs in the standings.

Usman Khawaja, who scored back-to-back centuries at the SCG as a late replacement for Travis Head, is 9-1 to top score in Hobart after Aussie captain Pat Cummins hinted that the batsman will retain his place in the side in Tasmania.

The 2021-22 Ashes series will conclude with a day-night contest in Hobart, starting Friday 14 January.

Leading series runscorers after four Tests
286 Marnus Labuschagne Australia, 277 Joe Root England, 273 David Warner Australia, 248 Travis Head Australia, 238 Usman Khawaja Australia.

Leading series wicket-takers after four Tests
16 Nathan Lyon Australia, 15 Mitchell Starc Australia, 14 Scott Boland Australia, 14 Pat Cummins Australia, 9 Cameron Green Australia.

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