Australia vs England Ashes Tips, Predictions & Odds - Fourth Test
The Ashes is over, with Australia claiming an unassailable 3-0 series lead with two games to play as the teams head for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG.
England cricket fans will be familiar with this stage of an Ashes tour as the wheels begin to fall off, and the players have it all to prove this week as they desperately look to salvage some sort of pride from a rapidly deterorating trip.
Free Bets cricket expert, Will Jackson, has picked out some top tips across markets ahead of the fourth Test as England look to pull one back.
Australia vs England Ashes Tips
Here are our cricket betting tips ahead of the fourth Test in Melbourne, exclusively with BoyleSports.
Tip 1: Harry Brook to score a first-innings fifty
We tipped Brook to score a fifty last week at Adelaide, and he came up just short with scores of 45 and 30, but we're sticking with the same tip this week.
Brook promised to be more selective and careful with the bat after misjudged dismissals in the first two Tests, and we saw exactly that last week with a reigned-in approach that looked to suit the Yorkshireman.
He was dismissed by a beauty in the first dig and then bowled while reverse-sweeping Nathan Lyon in the second.
By and large, he has looked in decent touch in the series but has yet to deliver on that promise, and Ben Stokes really needs his vice-captain to step up and take a bit more responsibility.
It feels like it's around the corner, and 3/1 is a good price.
Tip 2: Scott Boland & Josh Tongue to take at least 5 wickets in the Test
It's quite hard to know what to expect from the Australia attack this week, with Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon both out of the series.
Mitchell Starc finally showed signs of a heavy workload in Adelaide and that leaves Scott Boland as potentially the main man this week, although I expect Jhye Richardson to play a big part at the MCG.
There will be plenty of England fans who remember Boland's debut spell of 6/7 at the MCG on the last tour and while he might not be able to do anything quite that spectacular this time round, his natural length should be ideally suited to the wicket.
If Australia play an all-seam attack as rumoured, I think this only increases the chances of Boland taking five wickets across the game, even if England have tended to play him okay.
Josh Tongue makes up the other side of the bet, having made an impressive return to the England side in Adelaide on a flat deck.
The Nottinghamshire bowler has a lot of positive traits - he bowls wicket-taking deliveries and gets out good batters.
He took 5-134 in Adelaide and had catches dropped and could find himself bowling more overs this week in the absence of Jofra Archer.
Tongue could be one player to come out of this tour with his reputation enhanced.
Tip 3: Root 29.5+, Duckett -20.5, Richardson top Australia bowler (first innings)
Joe Root should be licking his lips this week, as he prepares to line up against a Pat Cummins-less attack after the Australia captain dismissed him twice in Adelaide.
Cummins clearly has Root's number so it will be a relief that he will be ducking out of the remaining two games, giving Root the chance to fill his boots once again.
The MCG has been very flat in the past so it could provide England's greatest with the chance to make a telling contribution for his side, and I wouldn't be totally surprised if he made a really significant contribution this week.
The same cannot be said for Ben Duckett however, who has had the tour from hell so far.
Not only has he had a miserable time with the bat - his technique and temperament has been woefully exposed - but he is now at the centre of an internal enquiry after footage leaked on social media this week.
It is his technique that is the biggest concern though, and Mitchell Starc will fancy nicking him off once again if he dangles the bat outside off stump.
Another failure here for Duckett could spell the end for his series and could be a bit of a mercy killing.
Finally Richardson makes up the bet builder, should he return for his first game since the last Ashes.
Injuries and the form of Cummins, Starc and Josh Hazelwood have prevented Richardson having a lengthy Test career but do not doubt his quality, and I think he could show us just how good he is this week.
The Perth Scorchers paceman would walk into most Test sides, and we could see a bit of a changing of the guard this week if he steps up to be the main man in the absence of Hazelwood and Cummins.
Australia vs England Latest Odds
Australia were the pre-series favourites with cricket betting sites ahead of the game, here's a look at the latest odds.
Where to Watch Australia vs England
Looking forward to watching the Ashes? Here's everything you need to know ahead of the game.
TV Channel
In the United Kingdom the series is being broadcast exclusively on TNT Sports for live coverage of the Ashes Test matches.
Live Stream Information
You can also stream the series in the UK through the discovery+ streaming platform (which carries TNT Sports content) and TNT’s live streaming services, providing on-demand and live coverage of each Test in the series.
Start time
Test match start times will vary by day and Test location, and full daily coverage typically begins each morning in UK time given the matches are staged in Australia.
The fourth Test will start at 11.30pm UK time.
Fixture date
The third Test will start on Thursday, 25 December.
Stadium
21–25 November 2025 at Perth Stadium (Perth)
4–8 December 2025 at The Gabba (Brisbane)
17–21 December 2025 at Adelaide Oval (Adelaide)
26–30 December 2025 at Melbourne Cricket Ground (Melbourne)
4–8 January 2026 at Sydney Cricket Ground (Sydney)
