mvaughan

It's a shame these last two matches have become dead rubbers now but the truth is England just haven't been at the races for most of this Series. The various injuries obviously haven't helped matters but England haven't really performed at all and have been very guilty of not doing the basics right. More worrying still, almost no-one is in good form and the ones who aren't injured look jaded and like they'd rather be elsewhere. And that's not good for their World Cup chances. Andrew Strauss was heavily criticised for missing the tour of Bangladesh last year and vowed not to sit out England games in the future but in my opinion he didn't need to play the whole ODI series. Other than all of the on-field decision-making there's all the Media stuff and other miscellaneous commitments. You...

Perth has the reputation for being the quickest and bounciest wicket on the planet but I have a feeling we're going to get a pretty good strip for this Third Test. It's all well and good people talking about it having plenty of grass on it right now but the only thing that matters is the state of it on the first morning. These days playing to the strengths of the home side isn't the only consideration the curator has; TV viewing figures and sponsorship deals are a big part of modern day cricket and preparing a pitch that takes the Test match deep into day five is now part of the job spec. So once we've established we're likely to get a good track, who will benefit the most from it? The answer has to be the more settled side, with the most in-form players, whose confidence is higher....

Good things were expected by the English fans and media from the likes of Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Jonathan Trott ahead of this Ashes series but that wasn't necessarily the case with Alastair Cook. The Essex man struggled badly for runs over the summer and it was only that slightly fortunate century against Pakistan that kept him in the side. 'Cookie' looks a different player at the moment now though and has defied his critics as he's shot to the head of the 'runs scored' table with over 100 more than his nearest rival (on either side) - Mike Hussey. His resilient 67 in the first innings of the First Test kept England in the game, his 235 not out in the second innings ensured an England defeat was out of the question. Then there was the small matter of another big hundred in ...

Anyone watching the Second Ashes Test on TV last night will have seen Stuart Broad in some discomfort as he bowled - but it's actually a lot worse than many might think The initial signs are that he'll play no further part in the Series due to the stomach injury he has sustained. If he is indeed ruled out for the rest of the Series, that will be a bitter pill for England to swallow. It makes it even more imperative that they win tomorrow and go 1-0 up given they'll probably have to make do without such a key player for the remaining three Tests. You can read more by visiting my Ashes pages on Betting.Betfair at http://betting.betfair.com/cricket/ashes-betting/michael-vaughan/

I was certainly on the money when I tipped double centurion Kevin Pietersen to top score for England in their first innings at 5.2. As was KP himself, when he dismissed Michael Clarke with the very last ball of the fourth day, a wicket that could prove to have a huge impact on this Test match and indeed the whole of the Series. If the Aussie vice-captain and Michael Hussey were at the crease and well set at the start of day five I'd strongly fancy the draw because those two can bat and bat and with overs expected to be lost to the weather, Australia would fancy their own chances of holding out for a priceless draw. This way England will be bowling at a new batsman first thing in the morning and, in Marcus North, one who has had trouble in the past dealing with the off-spin of Graeme ...

So here we are in Adelaide, venue of one of England's most heart-breaking Ashes defeats of all. Four years ago England appeared to have batted Australia out of the game only for Shane Warne to rip through Andrew Flintoff's line-up and for the home team to chase a challenging total in quickfire time. The fact that it produced a result has to therefore be taken with a pinch of salt; the draw was the most likely outcome for the vast majority of the game and only the genius of Warne and England's brittle batting stopped the stalemate from happening. But Hollywood's sole contribution will be coming from the commentary box this time while England are less prone to collapses these days. It has rained a little over the past few days so if it gets very hot all of a sudden there could be some ...

This is perhaps the most 'English' of the Australian wickets and that could provide Andrew Strauss with a superb chance of going 1-0 up in the Series. This is an important toss to win and the best decision may well be to bowl first. Yes, I know, I know. Nasser's decision in 2002 came back to haunt him but that was eight years ago: conditions are different and the players on both sides have changed. If there's moisture in the pitch the ball will swing and if James Anderson gets first digs he'll be licking his lips at the prospect of bowling at Shane Watson and Simon Katich in his favourite conditions. But the man I really fancy to do the damage is Stuart Broad. He may not swing the ball quite as much as Jimmy but this is a hit-the-deck hard surface and he'll enjoy bowling here. As ...

It may seem like an obvious thing to say but whoever draws first blood in Brisbane is likely to go on and win the Series. And for my money, that could well be England. This is a very settled side which picks itself. They've playing together for a while now so know each other's strengths. The batsmen have spent a lot of time in the middle together whilst the bowlers are used to bowling as a unit, collectively unsettling batsmen. The only player under a bit of pressure is Kevin Pietersen, who has suffered a few injuries and a loss of form over the past few months. But that's nothing one good knock can't fix. You can't say the same about Australia. Right now, I'm not sure anyone knows what their XI will be on Thursday morning, not least because there are injury doubts over Michael Clarke,...