Cricket Betting Blog

Last Chance For England

2014-01-30T17:17:00.000-08:00

It's now or never for England, as later on today they take on the Aussies in the penultimate match of their disastrous tour of Australia. Only two wins from the final two T20 matches can salvage any crumbs for England, and even that would still seem a bit hollow, after what's already gone on.

Stuart Broad indicated after the first T20 that he felt Australia got a few too many runs, so a change in the bowling unit could be on the cards for Melbourne.

Obviously the MCG is a far bigger ground that the one at Hobart (where Australia won the 1st T20 by 13 runs), so with this in mind, England would be expecting to concede less runs should they be in the field first.

Although England slumped to 51/4 at Hobart, it was still a good effort to get up to 200 in the end. But I do find myself wondering whether that was down to the fact that the game looked up for England, so the incoming batsman could just play their shots without fear?

We've seen all too often in the past that England can crumble under pressure, so is it any real surprise that all of a sudden the same players can look half decent in a lost cause?

In the betting for the 2nd ODI from the MCG, the bookies unsurprisingly make Australia favourites yet again, but only just in fairness.

The Aussies can be backed at a best price of 5/6 with Boylesports to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series, and leave England with 3 out 3 series' defeats. England are 6/5 to level the series with Youwin. They are 11/10 with pretty much every other layer.

As has been the case in much of the limited overs' matches, Aaron Finch proved to be the major thorn in England's side. Finch is 8/1 favourite with Skybet to be the Man of the Match at the MCG (Cameron White pipped him in Hobart).

Moving onto the outright series winner, and again the punters and bookies don't seem to fancy England to get much out of this series. Australia are 1/3 with Boylesports to win the best of 3 match series, while England are 10/3 with William Hill.

Australia 4/5 for another Whitewash

2014-01-21T01:49:00.004-08:00

Only two more matches - or torture sessions as they could be known - are now left for Alastair Cook to endure, and judging by his comments after losing the series in Sydney, they could be his last two matches as captain.

Such has been Australia's dominance throughout the whole tour, that the 4/5 currently on offer for another Australian victory is not for them to win the 4th ODI, but to win final two ODIs, and complete another Whitewash of England (Australia are 4/5 to win the series 5-0 with William Hill).

I can't remember a time when two supposedly evenly matched teams had such one sided odds, 4/5 is usually the sort of price you would get on a team winning one ODI, not two.

This tour has been a complete disaster for Alastair Cook, it really is hard to see how he comes back from this. This has more than likely finished him off as captain, maybe in both formats, and it could have also done untold damage to him as an international cricketer.

I have my views on the level of importance given to 50 Over cricket by England, and I will vent that on another day, but suffice to say that resting some of England's better 50 Over cricketers probably hasn't helped the cause.

I'm pretty sure they would have defended that total in the 2nd match had Stuart Broad been playing, as he should have been.

That's all water under the bridge now, and despite Cook claiming the other night that he won't leave anything out on the field over the last two matches, it's hard to see what he has left to give.

Australia are resting Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, David Warner and Shane Watson for the 4th match (resting players after a series is won, what a novel idea), and even taking that into consideration, they are still 4/9 favourites to win the match.

And before anybody reminds me that Mitchell Johnson was rested at the start of the series, I am aware of that. My point is England went too far after they rested Kevin Pietersen (probably dropped), Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson. Not a luxury you can afford after a Test thrashing, and already without Swann and Trott.

Pretty much sums up England from at least as far back as the squad selection (and beyond to be honest)...... mixed up thinking!

Anyway, the odds with William Hill (new customers get a £25.00 Free Bet) for Friday's match from Perth are Australia 4/9, England 7/4.

Foe the series result, the odds are.....

Australia 3-2 is 8/1
Australia 4-1 is 11/8
Australia 5-0 is 4/5

2015 Ashes Betting

2014-01-05T02:56:00.004-08:00

The dust has yet to settle on England's humiliating 5-0 capitulation at the hands of Australia, and already Alastair Cook's men have been made favourites for the return series in England in 2015.

Never mind waiting for the fall out, and any possible repercussions, Bet365 already have England as Even money favourites to regain the Urn, when Australia visit next year.

England are Even money favourites, a drawn series is 5/1, and Australia are 6/4 to win the series outright.

Obviously a lot will change in the next 18 months, there will be injuries, retirements, loss of form, discoveries of talent, etc.... the make of the current sides certainly can't be taken as a yardstick to judge things by, that's for sure.

Mitchell Johnson will probably never have another series like the one he has just had. He will also be 18 months older, and as he is the wrong side of 30, may well have lost some of his current zip by then.

Ryan Harris and Chris Rogers, and Brad Haddin may well also be gone, although Australia do have some decent players waiting in the wings, with bat, ball and gloves.

As for England, apart from losing Swann and probably Trott, will Cook, Bell, Pietersen, Prior, etc even recover from the experience?

England also have some raw talent, but will it be good and experienced enough in 18 months time?

There are a lot of questions about where both sides will be at by the time the next series comes around.

Graeme Swann Retires - Should he have waited until the end of the series?

2013-12-22T10:49:00.000-08:00

With Jonathan Trott already gone, and captain Alastair Cook running out of big player allies, I think it is at best 'regrettable' that Graeme Swann couldn't have seen it through to the bitter end of this disastrous series.

Don't get me wrong, Swann has earned the right to retire when he chooses, but I still don't think it is right to quit a troubled tour and leave Alastair Cook having to cope without another of his experienced players.

Swann may well not have played in the last two Tests, but he was a member of the sqaud, and as so, should have stood with his team mates, even it that meant he carried the drinks.

I can see that the commentators and cricket hacks, most of who probably rely on Swann for a comment for a story, all seem to be playing a straight bat and - in general - not criticising this decision. But I really don't see how you cannot criticise it.

When Brian O'Driscoll got dropped for the final game of the Lions Tour, he didn't suddenly announce his retirement from playing for the Lions and come home. Although massively disappointed, he put his suit on and sat in the stands and supported his team mates. It wasn't a like for like situation, but I'm sure you know where I am coming from.

I think Swann's decision smacks of selfishness. I believe he may have known he was about to be dropped for Melbourne and Sydney, and so decided to quit. I've always thought Swann looked a fairy selfish individual, and I believe this decision confirms that.

The cynic in me is already very suspicious of the timing here, why didn't he carry on playing ODI cricket with the World Cup just around the corner?

It will be interesting to see what happens with Swann over the next few weeks, where he pops up next, and how long it takes him to bring out his next 'tell all' book, with all the Strauss, Pietersen stuff, etc, included.

I can already picture the advert where a slightly wooden sounding Swann is saying "buy this week's Sunday Sun (or whatever it is called) to find out what really happened with me and the England squad." With an exclusive from Jordan, or some other celeb crap, somewhere in there as well.

Whether Swann was to be dropped or not, I do believe he was approaching the end, that's not to say he wouldn't have played in the next English summer. Okay, so his departure was inevitable, but to leave like this, in these circumstances isn't on in my view.

Although they are not saying it, Andy Flower and co must be privately fuming, and I don't blame them.

New Zealand V West Indies - 3rd Test Betting

2013-12-20T02:14:00.000-08:00

The 3rd Test between New Zealand and West Indies in Hamilton seems finely balanced at the end of Day 2, with West Indies batting first and somehow making it to 367, and the hosts on 156/3 in reply.

In the cricket betting, New Zealand are still the favourites at 2.26 on Betfair, the Draw is 3.15 and West Indies are 4.1.

The match situation sees the hosts 211 runs behind, they are struggling to play the two front line West Indies spinners (yes they picked two), and the hosts also - all going to plan - will be batting fourth on an already turning wicket.

I don't see New Zealand as such heavy favourites, for me the West Indies are currently the team in control, but the odds don't seem to reflect this.

This could be because of the manner of the defeat inflicted on West Indies in the 2nd Test, but even allowing for the momentum and confidence New Zealand have, this is a totally different looking wicket.

Day 2 has seen Sunil Narine bowling 22 uninterrupted Overs with figures of 22-9-43-2. I doubt very much the wicket is going to turn less as the match continues, and as I already mentioned, West Indies have two front line spinners in their side.

I kind of get the impression that once Ross Taylor goes, the spinners could reap havoc with the rest of the New Zealand batting order.

The positives for New Zealand are that the in-form Ross Taylor is still there on 56, and can anybody ever rely on West Indies to finish a job off from a position of strength?

They managed to find themselves on 86/5 in their first innings, so to come back as well as they did on Day 1 is an achievement in itself already for West Indies.

That man Shivnarine Chanderpaul again blanking out the carnage around him and scoring his 29th Test century, with no shortage of help from wicketkeeper, Denesh Ramdin, who also helped himself to a century.

Did those two have the best batting conditions late on Day 1? Possibly.

Given all this, and even allowing for West Indies' penchant for a batting collapse, I believe it would still take a brave man to back to the Kiwis from here.

South Africa V India - 1st Test Betting

2013-12-18T17:07:00.002-08:00

While England wallow in self pity and the Aussie's celebrate their temporary elevation to a serious Test side, there is an interesting game of cricket taking place in South Africa.

Michael Clarke may well have talked about Australia becoming the No.1 team in world cricket again after deservedly reclaiming the Ashes, but I think if he can find the time to take a look at this series, he will realise he has little chance of achieving that with the XI players currently being used to hammer the hapless England with - that also shows just how far away England are!

Not wishing to take anything away from the Aussie victory, but they are a long way from taking on South Africa. And at the moment, India are building an exciting young team under Duncan Fletcher. I'm fairly sure Clarke realises this, and is talking about more of a long term aim with regard to becoming No.1 again, and this victory over England, is just a small part in that process.

And, Yes, I know Australia hammered India in OZ, but look what happened in the return series. Mickey Arthur, or not, I don't see a different result to the 4-0. The point is, neither Australia or India are great travellers, and to be the No.1 side in the world, that is just one of the prerequisites required.

Moving on, and South Africa and India are probably the best two all round sides in world cricket today. South Africa have a settled, experienced, well drilled team, who are the best Test playing nation in world cricket by some distance in my view.

The Indian side is a young up and coming team. They are most probably the best limited overs team in the world, and are now building an exciting new Test team under Duncan Fletcher - now that all the old guard are gone.

This two match series in South Africa will give Fletcher the chance to measure his team, and see how they shape up against the world's best.

Day 1 showed that India won't be a push over. Virat Kohli stood up and was counted, and now has away centuries in both Australia and South Africa.

At 255/5, India aren't exactly in a position of strength, but so far they haven't capitulated. It will be interesting to see just how they get on in this series. They are notoriously bad travellers, and as they are away at the Test No.1 team in the world, I don't expect them to get much from this series.

For me, it will be more interesting too see how India get on from a competitive point of view. If they can compete, and maybe leave South Africa with any kind of result, it could be classed as an achievement in my view.

Going into Day 2, and South Africa are not surprisingly still the favourites at 11/10. The Draw is 13/10, and India are 5/1. For any sports punters out there, www.nordicbet.com/ are currently offering a 100% first deposit bonus to new sign ups, up to a maximum of €100.

There is a bit of rain in the air, so that could work either way. Obviously there is the risk of losing time out of the game, but there is also the possibility of some good seam bowling conditions, so beware if trading the draw.

Ashes Betting - It's all over for England

2013-12-13T13:57:00.004-08:00

I (stupidly) had some optimism yesterday, I have little today. This could be the 1st and 2nd Test being played all over again, England get themselves in a great position, and then throw it away - and then get crushed out of site on Day 2.......

Australia's middle order is hammering England. At 143/5, England had Australia on the rack. What ever lead to Australia's recovery, good batting or bad bowling, or probably a bit of both, it was still a decent comeback.

I'm fairly sure it wouldn't have happened back in England, where Australia were absolutely hopeless at key moments. But this certainly looks a different outfit now.

Steven Smith and Brad Haddin did the damage this time, or should I say about Haddin, he did the damage again. I had reservations about Steve Smith, but he played a magnificent innings under pressure. I still don't see him moving up the order though, I believe No.5 is definitely high enough for him at the moment.

As for England, and I share some of David Saker's frustrations. Why on earth did they take all the bean polls? This squad selection will surely come back to haunt England when/if they get hammered. I can already imagine the hacks picking over the squad selection in the post mortem.

Surely it was time to unleash one of them - Steven Finn for me - on this wicket? Selection issues aside, and Saker also wasn't happy with the performance after lunch.

I suppose this is one of those things when you are not playing on home surfaces, or familiar wickets. You can do all the homework you want, but experience of these types of wickets isn't something England have a great deal of.

England knew what they needed to do, but they got immersed in the situation of it all, and abandoned their game plan. It's these little things that England are getting wrong, and is what is costing them the series.

I do think if England can score 350 twice, they should save this Test match. But England have been struggling to score that lately. The batsmen are so out of form now, not just in this series, you can go back to the home Ashes series and beyond. Look at the tour of New Zealand at the start of the year.

If Australia get beyond 450, it could end up being a job for England to even avoid the follow-on. That's how bad the batting has been lately.

England need a spark from somewhere, they need a boost, I can't see it coming though. Australia probably used up all their bad luck, and England their good luck, back in the Ashes in England, and now the roles are reversed.

Australia are now 1.40 to win the Test match. The Draw is 5.50 and England are 6.00.

I fully expect to get up and see England struggling, with Australia having upwards of 450 on the board.

3rd Ashes Test Betting Preview

2013-12-12T15:12:00.004-08:00

Alastair Cook has described it as his "biggest challenge," and it also happens to be his 100th Test match for England. Bringing up your century of Tests while being England captain, seems to be becoming a bit of a poisoned chalice, remember Andrew Strauss' 100th Test?

In fairness, things aren't that bad for Cook, as far as we know there is no mutiny in the camp like the one Strauss had to endure with Kevin Pietersen and co. But Cook is facing a massive test of his leadership in this Test match.

If England lose again, chances are the series will end in a 4 or 5-0 thrashing for England, we only have to look back at the last two Test matches to see how poor England can be once there is nothing - other than pride - to play for.

If that were to happen, the knifes would certainly be out for Cook, and surely his job as captain would come under serious scrutiny? Remember what happened the last time England lost 5-0, and that was to a great Aussie side, not an average side.

Ashes Betting - 3rd Test

Australia are obviously strong favourites, they are 1.65 to win the match and reclaim the Ashes. England can be backed at 5/2, and the Draw is a strong outsider at 9/2.

The Aussies look set to name the same side, while England will drop at least one spinner, probably Monty Panesar.

I don't know who England will bring in, under normal circumstances it would be Tim Bresnan, but given the nature of the Perth wicket, they might want to go with one of the bean polls instead.

Personally I would like to see Bresnan and Steven Finn come in, for Panesar and one of Stokes or Swann. Why not just go for it now? Finn may be expensive, but he may well rip through Australia on this wicket. England also need some fight, so Bresnan is a must. He won't roll over.

Feel free to come on here and hammer me tomorrow if England get blitzed by Mitchell Johnson tonight, but I feel an England fightback could be on the cards here.

I obviously don't see England winning the Ashes, but with a bit of luck, a lot of application, proper batting, and holding catches (not much, I know), I don't see any reason why England can't come back into this series.

There seems to be a feeling that all Australia have to do is turn up at the WACA and they will win. I believe England turned up in Australia a few weeks ago with a similar complacent attitude.

It's more the Aussie media, and not the Aussie team that seem to be saying that, but if the players have started to believe all the hype it could be dangerous.

Sportsbet have already paid out on an Aussie series win, and little things like that must surely be giving England the kick up the backside they need. Australia are still a brittle team, and they are not that good a side in my view.

Before Brisbane they were used to losing, so it shouldn't take too much to knock their confidence. That said, they have been moving in the right direction since the Lord's fiasco, and these victories are the culmination of all their hard work.

Despite the results of the first two Test matches, I believe they both turned on small moments. The Trott dismissal just before lunch on Day 2 of the 1st Test, and Carberry's drop of Brad Haddin on Day 1 of the 2nd Test.

Both matches were over after two days, that is why it is so vital that England don't crumble in Perth, lose this, and it will be a long long tour for England!

Shane Warne Still Taking English Wickets

2013-12-11T03:35:00.000-08:00

During the summer Ashes series in England, I was left a touch confused and baffled (to start with) by some of Shane Warne's comments and statements he was making about the England team.

He seemed more concerned with England than he did with Australia. Jonathan Trott and predominately Alastair Cook's captaincy seemed to be in Warne's sights, as he singled them out for public scrutiny.

As this went on, a theme started to develope, and it soon became obvious why.

When Shane Warne first burst on to the scene he was almost unplayable. Later in his career, age and injuries caught up with him, and Warne wasn't the bowler he first was (he was still bloody good though).

His batting then improved no end, and he also became a top class slip fielder, and more importantly - in my view - he learnt how to use his mouth to greater effect.

Warne had a reputation for being a load mouthed larrikin, and that seemed to be a correct reading of him.

But... the way I remember him in the latter half of his career, was as a load mouth, but he was a very thoughtful load mouth.

Instead of opening his mouth, and nonsense coming out, he was talking in a far more constructive way. He learnt how to get into the heads of batsmen, intimidate them in the media, and on the pitch.

He put pressure on opposing players and umpires alike, he wasn't just taking wickets with cricketing ability, he was taking wickets with mind games, and intimidation. Just think back to Ian Bell and the Sherminator gag.

Warne knew where to find the opposition's weak points, and he exposed them. And he is still doing it now.

He knows that there is little point trying to undermine Bell's technique and temperament now, so he is trying to get into his head with talk about moving him up the order. He has gone after Matt Prior, suggesting he should move up to 6, Alastair Cook's captaincy, Trott's playing of the short ball, etc, etc....

Warne is a master of the mind games, and he is still doing it today, and still taking English wickets in my view. If Australia do go on to win this series, then I believe he has to take some credit for his campaign of undermining the England set up since the series back in England.

It has been a systematic performance from Warne. He is exerting pressure on England without even playing, it is unbelievable stuff, and the Aussie team owe him in my view.

The Cricket betting odds suggest that the bookmakers and punters alike all think that Australia are going to wrap up the Ashes in Perth. The Aussies are an unbackable 1.08 to win the series now.

Warne himself has actually complemented Alastair Cook's captaincy in Adelaide, claiming Day 1 of the Test was Cook's most impressive day as a skipper (in the field).

He also said - what I believe to be true also - that but for a few dropped catches, it could have been England's day.

The final result of both Test matches suggest Australia have battered England, and in a way they have. But the matches have both been over by the end of Day 2, and what has happened on the remaining days have been pretty irrelevant (apart from a bit of pride), and made the performances look worse.

There isn't a massive amount between these two sides. Mitchell Johnson apart, the teams are pretty much on a par. So a bit of luck, maybe a win at the toss, etc, and the fact that Australia only have two Test victories in four months (as Michael Clarke eluded too), should give England some hope and optimism.

The Aussies could start doubting themselves again, and if England can start taking those half chances in the field, and start to bat properly, then Perth won't be the forgone conclusion everyone is suggesting it will be.

They are two pretty big 'ifs' though!!

At the moment though, it's Warne's Ashes.

Another Crushing Win For Australia

2013-12-09T15:42:00.001-08:00

Congratulations to Australia, for the second Test match running they have done a number on England, and it's now pretty much their Urn to lose.

The batting collapses of the last series seem to be behind them, and as Michael Clarke said in his post match interview, Australia are starting to see the rewards of the hard work they put in during the last Ashes series in England.

The Aussies built a platform in England, and a huge amount of praise has to go to Darren Lehmann for convincing a bunch of guys well used to losing, that they could win Test matches (and probably a series now) playing that brand of cricket.

Australia were very unlucky in England, and they could have been forgiven for letting their heads drops. But Lehmann, or Clarke, or a combination of both, have managed to convince the team that they will get their just rewards if they keep working hard.

Clarke also said that Australia are striving to be the number 1 team in the world again, nothing wrong with having ambition, but I can't see it happening unless Australia can find two or three top players from somewhere. Even though they're thrashing a hapless England, I don't see this side toppling South Africa, or the emerging young Indian side any time soon.

I am also (in a way) happy for Mitchell Johnson's return to form. He has taken a hell of a lot of stick over the last few years, and he took it all on the chin, never moaned, and he has now bounced back in style. International cricket is all the better with top class performers like Johnson, and he is currently a top class performer.

Johnson has also had a bit of luck. Apart from coming up against a batting line up showing not much fight, he got a huge stroke of fortune just before lunch on Day 2 at Brisbane.

When he started his spell just before lunch, he was spraying the ball a bit down the leg side. He admitted himself his confidence wasn't great, so what a stroke of luck it was for him that Trott and Carberry didn't manage to drag out the previous over for long enough to ensure that Johnson didn't get the chance to bowl that last over before lunch, the one in which he got Trott's wicket.

On such small margins matches can swing. If England had gone to lunch one down that day, and Johnson had sat there for 40 minutes contemplating his pre lunch rusty looking performance, who knows what may have happened post lunch, and there after?

As for England, where do I start? I don't think much needs to be said, they are hopelessly out of form. Seem incapable of taking a half chances in the field, and are now starting to get the basics wrong.

I think they have let comments from Darren Lehmann effect them, he has bullied them in the media, and his team have bullied England on the field. If that wasn't enough, England have also had plenty of barbs regularly thrown in by Shane Warne in his Telegraph column... and now Glenn McGrath is throwing his own in as well.

On top of been out fought, out thought, and out played by Australia, England have also been well and truly out manoeuvred by Cricket Australia with the scheduling. All in all it is turning out to be a bit of a disaster for England.

Complacency isn't a word I would ever have associated with Andy Flower in the past, but it is certainly starting to look like England in particular have been guilty of this.

Who agreed to the schedule in the warm up matches? Who let the situation arise where England went into the series with no recognised Number 6, and no experienced back up in the batting? The latter are issues that have been going on for a while, and in fairness I don't suppose they foreseen the Jonathan Trott situation, otherwise I doubt they would have taken him.

That said, I may be stupid, but I honestly don't think Perth is going to be the procession to the Ashes that everyone is predicting.

Steven Finn will surely come back in with a point to prove, and I know Ben Stokes did little wrong, but Tim Bresnan surely can't be left out again? England need some fight, and Bresnan will provide some backbone.

Obviously they are bowlers, and it's the batsmen who are failing in the main. But apart from Bairstow and Ballance, what can England do? For me I'd more Prior up to 6, and bring Finn and Bresnan in for Monty (or dare I say Swann) and Stokes.

Perth could suit Finn, and Australia are due a failure with the bat. The question is whether England can put runs on the board, and put Australia under some pressure. And keep them in the field!!!

Australia are now a remarkably short price of 1.08 to win the series. Everyone seems to think all they have to do is turn up in Perth. Maybe that is all they will need to do?

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Ashes Betting - Aussies In Total Command

2013-12-06T15:41:00.002-08:00

If England are to have any chance of winning - or even retaining - the Ashes then a solid days batting is required on Day 3 (and 4), of the 2nd Test match from Adelaide. Australia comprehensively outplayed England on Day 2, and all England can look to do now is save this Test match.

To start with, England have to reach the follow-on target. Should they achieve that, that should take them well into Day 4. The worst case scenario then, would be a possible tricky spell of batting late on Day 5.

As I already said, England have been well outplayed. There have been too many dropped catches, I know the bowling fell away a bit at the end of the day, but they simply weren't backed up in the field.

Michael Carberry is supposed to be one of the best fielders in England, what is going on with him? Besides the drop on Day 1 (which is one of those things that can happen to anyone at some point in their careers), his throwing in from the out field seems to be a bit erratic.

He did his best to muck up the run out of Haddin at the end of the Australia 1st innnigs in the 1st Test, with a wild throw to Prior, and his throwing in this match has been just as bad.

I'm not trying to single out Carberry, this is just an example of the small little things that England aren't getting right. This is the sign of an out of sorts team.

The Stokes no-ball when Haddin was on 51, the throw in from Monty to Swann that injured his hand. All these silly little things are hindering England.

No wonder Brad Haddin got a century, albeit a good innings, England gave him how much help?

Luck also appears to have deserted the English. They seemed to have it in the Ashes series in England, but it has gone now, and Michael Clarke's shot off his first ball of the day from Monty Panesar epitomised that. I also seen Brad Haddin miss hit a shot that went for six.

Keeping the Aussies in the field is now vital, for a number of reasons. First, England need to show them that their batting won't just keep on rolling over. Second, to test the Aussie bowlers fitness. Ryan Harris might not be able to play back-to-back Test matches, with Perth coming so soon after the end of this match. I don't see any problems with Siddle and Johnson though.

And third, to test Australia's mental strength, Mitchell Johnson may still be a bit fragile, if England can neutralise him here, he could start doubting himself again. At the moment England just seem to be playing into Johnson's hands, and helping him to rebuild his confidence. A firing Johnson can blow away better - and more in form - batting line ups, than England's. Nathan Lyon is also another player who must have a fragile confidence, so keeping his wickets to a minimum is also essential.

England can surely feel the Ashes slipping away now, they are hanging in there at the moment.The Aussie tails are well and truly up, and I feel all England can currently do is it to hang in there and wait (and hope) that the Aussies performance level drops off at some point, and allows Cook's men back in the series.

The betting markets seems to suggest that England can potentially save the Test match. At the moment the draw can be backed at 5/4, which doesn't suggest the punters have totally deserted England's chances of saving the Test just yet.

Australia are 3/4 to win this Test match... and are now as short as 4/11 to win the Ashes outright.

2nd Test Ashes Betting - Honours Even?

2013-12-05T15:45:00.001-08:00

According to most of the pundits in the know, apparently Day 1 of the 2nd Test from Adelaide ended with honours even.

I'm not totally sure I would agree with that view, as for me, Australia just edged it. The betting markets also seem to support this view with Australia currently trading at around 2.18 - 2.20 on Betfair (compared to the 2.60 they were at the start of Day 1).

I tend to get the feeling that England will live to rue those dropped catches - particularly Michael Carberry, as how will if affect him when he comes out to bat?

I thought the bowlers again did a good job for England. Their was no sign of an Aussie batting collapse, so it was down to the attack to keep things tight and ensure England stay in the game... which so far, they have done.

I was fairly shocked at the team England picked. I have no problem with Monty playing, just very surprised at England's positive team selection. I still think they could have been slightly bolder, and maybe picked Tim Bresnan instead of Stokes. I'm not sure Stokes will contribute with both bat and ball any better than Bresnan would have.

Day 2 starts off with yet another already crucial session of cricket. These are the little sessions that Australia were losing in England, but now appear to be starting to win.

If Australia start well and build a large 1st innings total, then they will put a lot of scoreboard pressure on England's fragile looking batting. If on the other hand, England wipe out the rest of the Aussie batting cheaply, and win the crucial first session of cricket... they will be right back in the Test.

The main key to the Test, as is usually the case with England, is how they bat. There has to be a marked improvement on Brisbane. Australia will have a respectable total at worst, and England will at least have to match it.

If they can do that, it will allow Swann and Monty to put the Aussies under pressure in their 2nd innings.

Even if that only leads to a draw, that's okay for me, as another batting collapse will have the Aussies scenting a series victory.

Another reason why it's so important that England bat properly, is because the 3rd Test is so soon afterwards and it could put pressure on Ryan Harris with his fitness issues. England need to keep Australia in the field, wear them down.

If Australia only need to bowl 50 overs again, England are also keeping them fresh for Perth.

Ashes Betting - 2nd Test Match Preview

2013-12-04T15:01:00.000-08:00

The 2nd Test starts in Adelaide in just a few hours, and if England are to stand any chance of returning home with the Ashes, this is a Test match that they cannot lose.

I know it's only the 2nd Test, but this is surely a pivotal moment in the series as another pacey wicket is expected at the WACA in the 3rd Test, so with the English expected to struggle there, avoiding defeat in Adelaide is paramount.

From an Australian perspective, it will be interesting to see how a team that is - on the whole - used to losing responds to being in the lead, and possibly on the brink of delivering a knock out blow.

If Australia can manage a victory in Adelaide, the series would seem to be theirs for the taking - with Perth coming up immediately afterwards. So has Darren Lehmann managed to convince the team they can do it?

Lehmann's finger prints seem to be all over this team now, they are playing tough aggressive cricket, in - what seems to be - a win at all costs manner. It is certainly a team in the mould of it's coach.

The England team on the other hand will no doubt stick to their guns, and back the methods that have served them so well over the years. They will obviously have one enforced change, and will no doubt make a second one through choice.

Andy Flower and England don't like changing too much, but I can't see them not bringing Tim Bresnan back if he is fit.

Not sure what Cook and Andy Flower will eventually decide to do, but my England XI would be... Cook, Carberry, Root, Pietersen, Bell, Bairstow, Prior, Bresnan, Broad, Swann and Anderson.

All the mood music suggests it will be 10 of the above 11, with Gary Ballance playing instead of Jonny Bairstow. For me, although Bairstow hasn't yet totally convinced at this level, he does have a good few Test appearances behind him. I would prefer that to a man coming in to make his Test debut in such a pressure cooker environment.

I am happy to see Joe Root promoted to No.3, I think it is a natural move as he is an opener by trade - and no doubt effectively will be again batting at No.3 for England at the moment.

Ian Bell is settled at No.5, and moving him up the order exposes a weak middle order with Matt Prior in no form whatsoever.

I honestly haven't got a clue how this Test match will go. History suggests England usually bounce back after a poor 1st Test, but momentum is well and truly Australia's at the moment. Both of these sides have potential batting collapses in them, so backing a draw would also be perilous.

Neither are very convincing at the moment. Australia go into the match as favourites, they are currently 2.70 with Sportingbet Australia. Although I can't back Australia for reasons of loyalty, I still don't think that is great value.

Not sure I would be confident enough on England either, as it's hard to know which one will turn up here? The one from Lord's last summer, or the one from Brisbane? They are 5/2 with William Hill.

And the draw, both these sides to bat for 5 days.... it can be backed at around 6/4.

For me, I think I will be trading price movements on the exchanges to start with.

Keep On Sledging

2013-11-28T16:07:00.000-08:00

Over the last couple of days Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle have both been happy to say that the sledging is going to continue in this Ashes series. While Aussie chief Darren Lehmann has also seemingly refused an offer from Andy Flower for peace talks.

Without showing bias, it seems fairly silly to start mouthing off just because you have won one Test match. If at the end of the series, Australia have won 4 or 5-0, then I could understand them telling the English what they think of them..... but for the moment, is it really worth it?

Personally I'm not too fused about a bit of on-field chatter. I have no problem with the old barbs like the reason why the bat is in your hand, is so you can hit the ball, cricketing banter, etc.

In 2005 I remember hearing on a cricket mic, Shane Warne greeting Andrew Strauss to the wicket with a 'Good Morning, Andrew,' before asking Strauss if he thought he was going to be able to pick him that day.

Another great example of cricket chatter, was Flintoff's 'mind the windows Tino,' line to Tino Best, the ball before he was stupidly stumped.

That's fine in my eyes, that's cricket banter/sledging, the sort of which I don't have a problem with.

What I have an issue with is stupid stuff. Stupid stuff like Anderson apparently threatening to hit Bailey (although I do wonder what prompted Anderson to say that), or Clarke's rubbish about a broken arm.

We had similar childish remarks a few years when Matt Prior is supposed to have asked Zaheer Khan about what car he drives. How stupid does that look now? I shouldn't think too many Indian internationals drive lesser cars than Prior these days.

That's all just garbage, and in my view makes these guys look like school ground kids.

If that's what these lot call tough cricket, then I wonder what they would have made of facing the West Indies quicks 30 years ago?

It was interesting to see even Ian Chappell come out and say this is all heading for fisticuffs, as it's getting too personal. Even he sounds like he thinks it's all stupid.

Speaking of stupid, and we have David Warner. Obviously he didn't realise the situation with Jonathan Trott. But when your Test record isn't a patch on Trott's, don't come out and say what Warner said. All Warner is doing is setting himself up for an even bigger fall.

According to Tim Abraham's of Sky Sports, the Aussie team media guy was fuming with Warner, as he ends up with the job of trying to explain why Warner said what he did, and it also looks like he can't do his job, as it's his job to try and make sure the players say the right things.

All in all, it's been a pretty unedifying series so far. Personally I hope that they pipe down a bit, grow up a lot, and concentrate on playing cricket instead.

Ashes Latest, Aussie Batsmen Fail Again

2013-11-21T15:10:00.000-08:00

What a great start to the Ashes. The Aussies came out with all guns blazing, in what seemed more like the start of a T20, as they attempted to take the game to England from the start.

When David Warner pulled Stuart Broad's first ball for four, the atmosphere in the ground seemed electric, and even from the comfort of my sofa, it told me we could be in for a great series.

After the frenetic start, I thought England bowled well and forced the Aussies into a more defensive mode. England's so called weak link - the position of third seamer - didn't prove to be an issue, as Chris Tremlett bowled with plenty of discipline, and backed up Broad and Anderson nicely.

Tremlett never looked like he was going to rip through the Aussie batting line up, but he never looked like he was going to go around the park either. He was picked to do a job, and he did one.

It could have been the lack of easy runs from the third seamer that forced the Aussies to take more risks with Broad, and subsequently helped him pick up his five-for.

Despite England's apparent position of strength, they have to remember that the Aussies have not lost to England at the Gabba since 1986, so they have to force home their advantage when Day 2 starts.

It's not often that England's bowlers don't do a job for the team. The batsmen on the other hand, can misfire at times.

England now need their batsmen to back up the bowlers on Day 2. Despite having a better batting line up than the Aussies, I'm still a bit worried that with the bad weather that hampered the warm up matches, the batsmen could be a bit undercooked, and they could undue the good work from the bowlers.

If the batsmen do perform to their potential (and the bowlers get rid of the last two wickets cheaply), then England will surely be in a great position to put an end to that 27 record. They did it in India recently, so why not add the Gabba to the list?

Ashes Betting Preview

2013-11-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

Despite coming so soon on the back of the last series in England, it appears that - for the time being at least - the Aussie and British appetite for the Ashes is showing no sign of slowing down.... at least, if the build up over the last few days has been anything to go by.

The Aussies seem confident, there seems to be a new feeling of self belief coming out of the their camp, a sense that they have bottomed out, and that their worst days are now well behind them.

For England, they are saying all the right things, as they always do. Andy Flower always seems to have them singing from the same hymn sheet, and making sure that his players are sending out the right message, en mass.

I expect Kevin Pietersen to be the star man for England this series. He is set to win his 100th cap in Brisbane, and I think he seems really up for this series, more than he usually is.

Pietersen seems a very content man these days. All the nonsense is behind him now, and he seems to be an integral part of the team, and buying into the team ethic 100%.

Despite Michael Carberry looking set to come into the team, and Joe Root dropping down the order, the English batting looks fairly settled to me.

Compare that to the Aussie batting, with Watson at No.3, and Steven Smith at No.5 - I would take the England batting ahead of Australia's any day. I could end up with egg on my face here, but I just don't see Watson as a top three batsman.

As well as not seeing Watson as a batsman good enough to bat in the top 3, I also don't see Steven Smith as a No.5, for me his is a 6 or 7 at best. Will these batting weaknesses cost Australia?

The Aussie bowling also looks a bit fragile. Can Ryan Harris last 5 Tests? And is Mitchell Johnson really back to his best? If the answers to both these questions is yes, then Australia will certainly be in this series.

The England side is pretty settled and predictable. Did England take their foot off the gas after Lord's in the last series in England? Or are Australia better than we gave them credit for, and competed on an equal footing at the back end of the series, making England look average?

My Predictions

Although I think England are the slightly stronger side, I see home advantage helping Australia, and with the Aussie public seemingly up for this too - believing their boys have a chance - I think that the contest could be fairly even.

I know it sounds obvious, but I simply believe the team who plays the best cricket in the pressure moments will win.

To elaborate a bit more on that, I think the two teams are reasonably evenly matched, so it will be whoever steps up to the plate at the key moments that wins the series.

Australia played some good cricket at times in England last summer, but when it came to the crunch, they didn't play too well under pressure.... key moments such as at Durham.

It remains to be seen if the Australians have overcome this habit of losing, and can win the pressure battles - I do believe that if they can handle the pressure, they can possibly win the series.

Do I believe they will handle the pressure and win the series? I'm not convinced.

If push comes to shove, I would go for England, but I think it will be a closer result - so my selection is 2-1 England.

Ashes Betting - Can Chris Tremlett be England's Top Bowler?

2013-11-18T03:01:00.001-08:00

All the rumours and stories coming out of the UK media who are currently based in Australia are suggesting that Chris Tremlett is the shoe in for England's much talked about third seamer at the Gabba later this week.

A lot of this opinion seems to be formed on the back of comments made by England bowling coach David Saker, but could it be a bluff to try and trick the Aussies?

Either way, it doesn't appear to have made any difference in the betting, as Tremlett is still available at 8/1 to top the wicket taking charts for England.

That makes him joint fifth favourite along with Boyd Rankin, and significantly still behind Steven Finn, who is fourth favourite.

The news that Tim Bresnan could be available for the second Test could also be another reason why the odds on this market don't appear to have changed on the back of the Tremlett rumours.

There are so many factors to take into account if betting on this market. If everyone is fit and well, Bresnan is generally the third seamer, but England clearly expect pace and bounce given their squad selection, which goes slightly against Bresnan.

The job of third seamer is also a precarious role in the team. If England have a bad Test, and the selectors feel the need to freshen things up, they are not going to drop Anderson, Broad or Swann, so that only leaves the third seamer's position.

So even if Tremlett does start in Brisbane, the chances are that he won't start all 5 Test matches. But then again, if Broad or Anderson get injured, he may well do.

These are probably just some of the reasons why Tremlett's odds haven't really changed on the back of this news. And it goes some way to showing why picking the Top England Ashes Bowler is such a hard call.

Sachin's Final Fling

2013-11-13T14:31:00.000-08:00

There is a game of cricket actually due to be played in Mumbai tomorrow, but this Test match will obviously - and I suppose rightly - over shadowed by the the retirement of the Little Master.

Obviously the limited overs Indian teams have moved on without Sachin over the past few years. But having said that, Sachin probably could have named his date, time and format to choose to play his final match... so with this in mind, I'm very happy that Sachin has made his final international cricket match, a Test match.

Maybe it's time the likes of the BCCI, WICB and SLC took note.

Not that it's likely to get a mention in all the hullabaloo, but Shivnarine Chanderpaul will be playing in the small matter of his 150th Test match. A great West Indian who gets little accolade.

What a player he is also. For years he has carried this side, and when he started playing in 1994, he was playing with some of the West Indian greats in the final throws of their careers, and didn't look out of place with them.

Formalities and moans over, so now on to the cricket.

In the cricket betting, India are the favourites at 4/9 to win the Test match. The Draw is 5/2, and West Indies are 8/1.

Even allowing for all the obvious distractions, India should still be too strong for the West Indian team (judging by the winning margin in the 1st Test). Having said that, Shane Shillingford (13/8 to be top West Indies bowler) showed some good form and troubled the Indian top order at Kolkata, so he shouldn't be treated lightly.

Duncan Fletcher looks to have unearthed another Indian gem in Mohammed Shami. He will be looking to build on his impressive performance last week, when he took a remarkable 9 wickets on debut.

I've written it many a time on this website, and make no apologies for writing it again.... this team is now Duncan Fletcher's, and he is building a very impressive outfit.

The weather looks okay, and the pitch is expected to last 5 days. The last Test match played here seen England win, and 19 wickets go to spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar. Three centuries were scored and there was a couple of 60's, but apart from that there was no real scores of any note. This suggests runs are possible, but only if you can play yourself in first.

Sachin is 5/1 to be top Indian batsman and go out in a blaze of glory.

Ashes Betting with Sportingbet Australia

2013-10-30T04:05:00.000-07:00

Ahead of the upcoming Ashes series in Australia, I am pleased to announce to all our readers from down under that cricket betting blog has teamed up with Australian betting giant Sportingbet, to ensure that Australians can back England to win the Ashes again.

Along with our Northern Hemisphere betting partners, William Hill (£25 Free Bet available), who cover the UK and European betting markets, this now means that cricket betting blog can cater for punters betting in Australasia as well, giving value to more of our visitors from around the world.

Sportingbet is offering a free bet up to the value of $200 for new customers from Australia and New Zealand. To ensure you get the maximum $200 free bet, you will need to deposit $200, and then place $200 on your first bet.

It is basically a 100% match up, if you feel $200 is too much, you can make your fist bet $50, and receive a free bet for $50. All bets have to be placed in Australian Dollars, and this promotion is not open to residents of South Australia, Western Australia and Victoria. Any winnings from the free bet have to be turned over once before they can be withdrawn.

As well as a tasty free bet, Sportingbet also offer regular Promotions. In October they ran a 0-0 bore draw special on Australian A-League football matches, where you got your money back on the outright winner market if a match ended 0-0.

They also have a running promotion on horse racing called the 'Protest Pay Up.' If your horse is first across the line only to be beaten in a protest, Sportingbet will pay you up as a winner - this is available on all Australian thoroughbred and harness races.

Getting back to cricket, and Sportingbet currently have England as 2.00 (even money) to win the Ashes outright. They go 2.50 (6/4) on a miracle, sorry I mean Australia winning the Ashes, and 6 (5/1) on a drawn series.

If you wish to open a Sportingbet account, you can do so by clicking here.....

Tasty Bingo

2013-10-28T16:32:00.002-07:00

The best online games to play this Halloween

Ghouls and ghosts, zombies and goblins and things that go bump in the night: Halloween is upon us, so let’s have some spooky fun.

This year, Halloween is going to be bigger than ever. Research suggests British shoppers are going to collectively spend as much as £325 million!

As well as pumpkins, lanterns, fabulously frightening costumes and all manner of scary-themed products, there’s also a whole host of Halloween fun to be had online.

So here are three online games that are sure to get the spine chilling, the nerves-a-jingling and the blood pumping this October 31st.

Tasty Bingo – 500lbs Pumpkin

The 500lbs Pumpkin game from Tasty Bingo could see you bag £500. All you need to do to play is head on over to the Tasty Bingo site at 9:45pm on Wed 31st Oct to take part.

Playing bingo online is bags of fun – you don’t have to spend much to enjoy it and you can do it from the comfort of home, or on your mobile while on the move.

This Tasty Bingo game costs 25p a card and the winner is the first person to bingo on the Pumpkin pattern. Simple as that.

You never know, maybe you’ll be the one yelling out “Bingo!” at the top of your voice as you bag a welcome £500. Why not turn it into a blood-curdling scream if you’re feeling particularly Halloween-ey!

Horror movie maker app

Fancy making your very own Friday the 13th, Scream or, er, Halloween! You can with this Horror Movie Maker app from Lionsgate.

Download the app and have some fun – you can create a famous horror movie scene featuring photos of your friends, or chilling pictures to share on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Ok, so you might not be the next John Carpenter, but it’ll be bags of fun sharing it with your pals.

Some old school online games

There used to be some great scary games back in the ‘80s. Why not head to somewhere like Halloween Mountain where there’s a raft of Halloween games to play online. Whether it’s Graveyard Gold, Spooky Block-Out or Pumpkin Toss, these games are guaranteed to give you the shivers.

So which will you choose? Well, how about all three? Enjoy a spot of Halloween Hangman, create your own horror movie then boot up the computer for a spot of spooky bingo!

Pakistan V South Africa - Test Match Betting

2013-10-13T14:17:00.000-07:00

Pakistan V South Africa - click here for Live Betting Odds

Like buses, you wait ages for a Test series, and then two come along at once. Monday sees the start of another 2 match Test series, this time between Pakistan and South Africa in UAE.

South Africa go into the series as overwhelming odds on favourites, they start the series at 8/11, Pakistan 7/2, and a drawn series starts off at 12/5.

While on paper it looks like a walk in the park for the South Africans, I do believe that if they think they only need to turn up to beat Pakistan, they could be in for a surprise. I'm sure Graeme Smith's men aren't that naive, they must have seen what happened to England in 2012 when they toured the UAE as the top ranked team in the world.

Graeme Smith, Jacques Kallis and JP Duminy are all retuning from injury, this is basically as bad as the problems get for South Africa - and if they were not already a strong enough outfit, with AB de Villiers now wearing the wicket keeping gloves they effectively have an extra place available in the team.

Pakistan on the other hand have been patchy with their form over the past few months, mainly caused by troubles at the top of their batting, and travel sickness.

They can't keep relying on the middle order of Younis Khan and Misbah -ul-Haq to carry the batting. Generally when they come in to bat, the team is already in trouble. I get the feeling if Pakistan are to have any chance of success in this series, they need the top order to start contributing more.

Pakistan naturally seem to perform a lot better in Asian conditions. I know that it's true that most/all sides prefer home conditions, but it is especially true of Pakistan.

One reason why this is the case is because Saeed Ajmal can look like the best bowler in the world when he plays in these conditions, it will be very interesting to see how the South African batsmen get on against him (he is 6/4 favourite to be top Pakistan series bowler).

The 1st Test is to be played at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. There has only been 3 Tests played on this ground, the first two were high scoring affairs, followed by a tight low scoring match in 2012, which culminated in England's capitulation for 72 all out.

Full Test Match Fixtures

14th - 18th Oct - Pakistan V South Africa - 1st Test - Abu Dhabi
23rd - 27th Oct - Pakistan V South Africa - 2nd Test - Dubai

Bangladesh V New Zealand - Test Match Betting

2013-10-08T15:47:00.002-07:00

Bangladesh V New Zealand - click here for Live Betting Odds

The first of two Test matches starts between Bangladesh and New Zealand in Chittagong on Wednesday, and although it isn't the most enthralling sounding series, it is a fairly important series for the two teams involved.

A quick look at the ICC Test match rankings shows Bangladesh down at number 10, and New Zealand not far ahead of their hosts, in eighth place.

Bangladesh dropped down to the bottom of the rankings following Zimbabwe's recent drawn series with Pakistan. Bangladesh have failed to kick on in the Test arena over the past couple of years, and they will surely have earmarked this Test series as a potentially winnable one.

New Zealand have shown some good signs of improvement in the Test arena lately. They had the better of a hard earned drawn series at home to England earlier in the year, although they comfortably lost the return away series.

In the home draw against England, New Zealand played the better cricket (in my opinion) over the three Test matches. Okay, so they struggled a few weeks later in England, but conditions were perfect for the England attack.

If the Kiwi's want to build on the impressive home performance against England, they have to be looking to win this series.

Although it was in a different format, Bangladesh doesn't hold fond memories for New Zealand. The last time they were here (2010), the Kiwis were handed a 4-0 thrashing in the 50 Over format.

Of the nine previous Tests played between these teams, New Zealand have won eight, with one draw. Given the history between these two sides it is no wonder the Kiwis start this series as 1/2 favourites, a Drawn series is 5/2, and Bangladesh are 6/1 to complete a shock series win.

Full Fixtures

9th - 13th Oct - Bangladesh V New Zealand - 1st Test - Chittagong

21st - 25th Oct - Bangladesh V New Zealand - 2nd Test Dhaka

India V Australia ODI Series - Live Betting

2013-10-07T03:16:00.000-07:00

The top two ranked one day international sides go head to head in India in a series that could potentially see a change at the top of the ICC ODI rankings.

India lead the rankings, and Australia are second. A 5-2 series win for the Aussies would see them acquire enough ranking points to take over top spot again.

The series starts on 10th October with a Twenty20, followed by (just the) seven 50 Over internationals.

Australian skipper Michael Clarke is out injured, meaning George Bailey will again lead the team in his absence. It is probably a series Australia could do without, as they will surely be focusing more on the upcoming Ashes.

Not only do India have home advantage, they are also the current 50 Over World Champions, and recently added to their collection by winning the last ever Champions Trophy beating England earlier in the year.

Given all that it's not surprising that India start the series as clear favourites.

India V Australia - Click here for LIVE BETTING ODDS

Full Fixtures

10th Oct - India V Australia - Only T20 - Rajkot

13th Oct - India V Australia - 1st ODI - Pune

16th Oct - India V Australia - 2nd ODI - Jaipur

19th Oct - India V Australia - 3rd ODI - Mohali

23rd Oct - India V Australia - 4th ODI - Ranchi

26th Oct - India V Australia - 5th ODI - Cuttack

30th Oct - India V Australia - 6th ODI - Nagpur

2nd Nov - India V Australia - 7th ODI - Bangalore

Boyd Rankin 8/1 To Be Top Ashes Bowler

2013-10-03T01:44:00.000-07:00

There's now less than two months to go until the start of yet another Ashes series, and with the England squad now named, I thought I would have a look at the cricket betting odds for the top English bowler.

The name and the odds that immediately jumped out at me, was that of Boyd Rankin. Until the start of the recent ODI series against Australia, I would imagine Rankin would have only been an outside bet for a place on the tour.

Such was the performances of Rankin against Australia, he hasn't only played his way into the squad, he may well have played his way into the starting XI. With this in mind, I think the 8/1 on Rankin being top English bowler looks a half decent price.

A quick look at some of the other runners and riders tells me that the pitches probably won't suit Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar won't play unless there are injuries, and Ben Stokes will only play if England need to change tactics to get a result, so in theory he will only have a realistic chance of playing one to two Test matches.

Chris Tremlett is probably behind Rankin in the pecking order, leaving Steven Finn and Rankin vying for the final Test place. Steven Finn's form hasn't been great, but he does have Ashes experience down under. That said, I can still see Rankin possibly getting the nod ahead of Finn for the 1st Test.

That just leaves two smallish spanners in the works, in the shape of Anderson and Broad.

Jimmy Anderson seemed to struggle after the 2nd Test last summer, I don't know whether he lost some of his edge, was fatigued, or was just a bit out of form. I know Anderson had a successful tour last time down under, but on the whole he hasn't had his most successful times overseas, and the conditions aren't going to be tailor made for him in Australia.

And finally Stuart Broad, who I think is the more in form of the two bowlers. The pitches will suit Broad, and he looked in reasonable rhythm at the end of the last Ashes series. He could also thrive under the expected pressure he looks likely to be put under. So I certainly wouldn't rule Broad out of being top English bowler.

Personally, I wouldn't be backing Anderson or Swann at their current prices, and while I think Broad could be the top performer, he is only 3/1. It would be some achievement for Rankin to be the top wicket taker, and just to clarify (as I don't like giving tips), I'm not saying I think he will definitely be top the English bowler, I'm just commenting that he looks decent value at 8/1, and that I am going to have a bit of it.

Ashes Betting - Top English Bowler

James Anderson 2/1
Stuart Broad 3/1
Graeme Swann 3/1
Steven Finn 6/1
Chris Tremlett 8/1
Boyd Rankin 8/1
Ben Stokes 20/1
Monty Panesar 20/1

A small hint..... if you open a William Hill account, you are entitled to a £25.00 Free Bet. This free bet could then be used for series bets like top bowler, or top batsmen, etc. These sort of bets are more 'bit of interest bets' to me, so free bets are ideal to use for them.

Ashes Betting - No Bunny Onions

2013-09-27T03:25:00.000-07:00

There was - in my view - one startling omission from the Ashes touring squad announced by England earlier this week.

I thought the decision to leave out Graham Onions in place of an all bean-pole attack could have be a bit of a short sighted one, and potentially a huge mistake by the England management.

Nothing against the guys all picked, any regular readers of this website will know that I am a huge Chris Tremlett fan. Steven Finn is a long term project, leaving him out may have damaged his confidence, and Boyd Rankin's good form and the fact that he looked more than at home in the recent ODI's have seen him justifiably picked.

If any of those guys are really lucky to be picked, I suppose it has to be Tremlett. To be honest, I expected him not too make it into the squad. I know he was brought back into the England set up earlier in the year to re-familiarise himself with the group, with a view to him going on this tour, but I thought that Boyd Rankin would have just edged him out.

The reason I would have taken Graham Onions is the same reason why England have taken Monty Panesar.. quite simply for cover. In the cases of both Onions and Panesar, neither of them are in the class of Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann, but both are adequate cover.

I know that the selectors have basically decided one of Finn, Tremlett or Rankin could replace Anderson if he picked up an injury on the morning of a Test match, but would the lack of variation that the bean pole attack would give you really be adequate on all Australian pitches?

Maybe I am nitpicking, or maybe it isn't practical to cover all bases, I don't know. There is no out and out reserve wicket keeper (I know Jonny Bairstow is there) in the squad also, so clearly the selectors don't see it as practical to cover every possible outcome.

That said, I still feel very sorry for Graham Onions. I'm not sure it is the end of him for England, but his prospects don't look good beyond this tour, when England will most probably be starting to look at younger bowlers.

I wouldn't rule out the prospect of him being called onto this tour if there are a couple of injuries to bowlers though, but there is also Tim Bresnan to potentially come back, and assuming any replacements won't be called up until a few weeks into the tour, Bresnan could be fit by them.

I was pleased to see Monty Panesar recalled, a lot of his off-field problems could be partially down to the fact he is not involved with England, this call up could give him plenty of encouragement and give him something to focus on. It also gives the England management plenty of chance to monitor him closely and see how he is doing.

Whatever Geoff Miller tells us about Gary Ballance's call up not being a left field one.... it was. The biggest surprise to me about his call up though, was the lack of reaction/outburst from Nick Compton.

I am pleased to see England take a back up opener, although I suspect that Michael Carberry is as much cover for Gary Pratt, as he is for the openers - a good choice though.

The announcement of the England squad has had little effect on the Ashes Betting odds, as England are still the odds on favourites with the bookmakers. Full odds are Australia 7/4, Drawn Series 9/2, England 5/6 (there is a £25.00 free bet for new customers opening an account).