The Ashes 2009 betting

Australia will start a warm favourite

A comprehensive series win last time may have regained the Ashes, but the task for Ricky Ponting and his men will be different on English soil.

The Australians were on a high before the 2005 series, and attracted a lot of Ashes betting on them winning the series by a large margin - indeed, many were talking about the possibility of a 5-0 whitewash.

But Ponting himself insisted that it would be the closest series since Australia's dominance of the Ashes began in the late 1980s. And so it proved, as the series was only decided on the last day of the final test.

Australia were widely fancied in Ashes betting to dominate with the bat, on the strength of the skills of the likes of Ponting, Justin Langer and Michael Clarke. But it was instead England who made the most runs throughout the series, Ashes betting on the likes of Kevin Pieterson, Marcus Trescothick and Andrew Flintoff paying off as they each scored more runs than any of the Australians.

There was plenty of Ashes betting interest in Shane Warne taking most wickets, which he duly did by taking 40 - the next highest was Flintoff with 24.

Australia looked to have taken an early stranglehold on the series by winning the first Test by 239 runs, dismissing England for fewer than 181 twice.

But there was a rush of Ashes betting on England being able to make a comeback, and when they made 407 in the first innings of the second Test at Edgbaston they were well on the way, 4/79 from Flintoff in Australia's second innings eventually seeing England squeeze home by just two runs - the closest finish in Ashes history.

The interest in the series only increased as the English summer went on, and Ashes betting reflected this. After a drawn third Test, England won the fourth Test by three wickets after enforcing the follow-on.

Everything hinged on the fifth Test, when with a win Australia could have retained the Ashes. But Michael Vaughan won the toss and elected to batt, and Andrew Strauss' century helped England to a strong 373 - from that point, the draw looked the most likely result and Ashes betting reflected that.

Australia trailed by just six runs on first innings, but despite a second six-wicket haul in the match from Warne - his match figures were 12 for 246 - England made the game safe with 335 in the second innings as Kevin Pietersen made 158.

This time around there may be even more interest and excitement in the series, and certainly there will be a great deal of Ashes betting taking place.