andrew strauss

England will look to push on towards a series whitewash against Pakistan at the Oval on Thursday, as they start the Third Test full of confidence. Stan James provides great coverage on the cricket betting, where you can follow the action with live in-play betting. Cricket is great for this service, it was almost made for it. When you go to Stan James, which is a wonderfully clean and easily navigable site, you can initially earn yourself a free £25 bet on a new account. Simply open a new account and after you first bet on that new account has been settled, the online bookmaker will give you a free bet to the value of your initial stake. Just land on Stan James home page and the wealth of betting opportunities will certainly strike you. Scroll down the page to see all of the latest sporting action, with direct links to the top markets. There are also plenty of sporting promotions to take advantage of on all of the top sporting events, which makes Stan James an excellent choice for your online betting.

England captain Andrew Strauss will be happy with the way that England have dominated the visitors, who came to the UK with the potential threat of causing a lot of difficulties for the English batsmen. That simply hasn’t happened as England have raced out to a 2-0 series lead against a side who, four years ago, forfeited a match against England amid reports of ball tampering. The series, while it has been a little short of being fully competitive, has had its moment, especially in the second Test when Stuart Broad was caught up in a ball-throwing incident. Pakistan are blaming Broad for the injury to wicket keeper Haider’s finger, who has now had to return home to Pakistan. That will be more good news for England ahead of the Third Test, as into the side will come Kamran Akmal who has been under heavy criticism for the amount of dropped catches this year. He has been dropped from the side twice this year already. But, for England, captain Strauss needs to keep his players in check, and not let emotions run too wild where they become detrimental to performance. After the ball-throwing incident, Broad missed an easy run out chance because he over threw, still riled up over confrontations.

The dismal performances by Pakistan, should lead to the recall of Mohammad Yousuf, who had retired from international duty, after captaining his side through a series whitewash against Australia at the start of the year. The talismanic batsman usually scores well against England, but he will probably be a little rusty having not played much top level competitive cricket this year. He has been lured out of retirement though, as the desperate Pakistani side look for some inspiration in their batting line up. England have been tearing through the Pakistan batting with little problems, with James Anderson, Steve Finn and Stuart Broad being versatile enough in their approach to skittle the visitors out. One of the key factors as to why England has done so well, is simply because of the English conditions. Cloudy days make for good swing bowling and that is what James Anderson, and Stuart Broad to some extent have been doing so well. To some surprise, England have already come out and named their side for the Third Test, and it remains unchanged from the first two encounters.

That means that under fire opener Alastair Cook, who is desperately needing some runs as he is averaging around 14 in his seven summer test matches this year, remains in the side. It feels like the last chance saloon for the talented batsman, who has been struggling with his footwork for some time. He will never get a better chance to impress than at the Oval, which will be the best batting surface out of the Test Series. The Oval is flat, and that makes the job of the batsmen just a little bit easier, as they can read the bounce of the ball with some predictability. But if Cook fails to hit the mark again, then he could be on the verge of missing out on The Ashes series in Australia which begins at the end of the year. The good news for England, is that there is good competition for places, and the thought of missing out on the Ashes should spur Cook on, if it doesn’t mount more pressure on him. He may just be worth a shot to come through his slump at the Oval and finish as England’s top batsman. England do need some improvement in general across their batting performances, having only broken 300 in one of four innings against Pakistan. The only trouble with England’s batting, is that they are not scoring enough runs. The opportunities have been there to run up massive scores, but they haven’t delivered. When you only have one player in the top twenty batsmen in the world (Kevin Pietersen) then it could spell trouble against the top sides like Australia.

With regards to the Ashes, Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting has been quoted as saying that Australia could win the series 5-0. The Ashes start on November 25th, and Ponting has been stirring things up, recalling memories of 2006-07 when the Aussies did whitewash England in the Ashes. But the England side of today are a lot more together as a unit, and have a lot more quality and versatility within it. In a cricket side, not everyone will be functioning at the top of their game every match, but as long as there are supporting players to pick up the slack, then that is what makes a good team. With players like Jonathan Trott and Eoin Morgan proving invaluable to England with the bat at the moment, Andrew Strauss can rest with some certainty that probably the only thing that will stop them running up an unassailable three nil lead in the series would be complacency.

Expect the conditions at the Oval to suit the England swing bowlers. Pakistan have strength with their swing, but they look a disorganised and dare it be said, uninterested side as a whole. The visitors have been weakened further with Gul out through injury and we shall await to see just how Yousuf performs on his big return. On a whole, England are not a great side, but they are above average and they need to continue building momentum ahead of the Ashes. Pakistan have individual threats, but they just don’t look likely enough to pull everything together as a team at the moment. Therefore back another England win and look for sub-market betting to enhance potential returns.

End of day one, England were 233 all out, with Pakistan 48/1 in reply at close of play.

Revised Odds:
England to win: 6/5 at Stan James
Draw: 9/2 at Stan James
Pakistan to win: 5/4 at Stan James

England: Andrew Strauss (capt), Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wkt), Graeme Swann, Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Steven Finn.

England v Pakistan Betting Odds First Test

England to win: 4/5 at Totesport
Draw: 100/30 at SkyBet
Pakistan to win: 3/1 at Bet365

England Captain Andrew Strauss leads his side out against Pakistan in the first of four Test Matches on Thursday, and while the immediate task is to win and build confidence, there will be one eye on the Ashes which are coming up at the end of the year. To get right into the cricket betting, this will be a match between the very impressive bowling attack of the Pakistan side, against an England batting line up which is fair to middling, and certainly not one of the most rock steady in the game. The word for England is improvement, and that has certainly been the buzz word on their short format of the game, where they have looked a vastly improved side during 2010. They enter the series against Pakistan on the back of a whitewash against Bangladesh, and naturally the challenge against Pakistan will be a step up in terms of difficulty.

On the team news front, England are missing Ian Bell and so that means Eoin Morgan, who has been the batting backbone of the one day and Twenty20 side, gets his chance again at Test level. England have mixed up their bowling attacks quite a bit this year, even putting out two spinners against Bangladesh. That’s probably not going to happen in a Test Match in England against Pakistan, and so spinner Graeme Swann will be leaned on heavily. James Anderson, Stuart Broad and youngster Steve Finn who impressed on his debut in Bangladesh, taking fifteen wickets in his two matches. The third pace bowling attack place is likely to go to Finn, even though Tim Bresnan has been called back into the twelve man squad. This is after Ajmal Shahzad, who also impressed in Bangladesh, picked up an injury, and England do not want to take any chances with him. England will go with a four man bowling attack, six batsman and wicket-keeper Matt Prior who holds his place over Craig Kieswetter.

England v Pakistan Correct Series Score Odds (Four Tests)
England 3-0: 5/1 at Stan James
England 2-1: 11/2 at Bet365
England 2-0: 6/1 at Totesport
Drawn Series 1-1: 8/1 at Totesport
England 3-1: 9/1 at Bet365
Pakistan 2-1: 16/1 at SportingBet

The only thing which will point towards the Ashes at the end of the year, is probably the team building confidence in their own abilities. The conditions in Australia will be vastly different to the ones England will play in against Pakistan, and the players and selectors will be well aware of that. Personnel is bound to change between now and then, but the point is to build a solid core squad to carry with them Down Under, so that one injury in the line up won’t affect the outcome of the match so much. For the first time in some while, England genuinely do have good options and variety to call upon from the squad, and that is exactly the direction in which they need to be heading. For this series, the two main areas for England to concentrate on, will be the stick ability of the opening batsmen, and the bowlers generating enough swing, one of the genuine strengths of the English game.

Top England Bowler:
Graeme Swann: 11/4 at Boylesports
James Anderson: 3/1 at SportingBet
Stuart Broad: 3/1 at Paddy Power
Steve Finn: 5/1 at Bet365

Top England Batsman:
Andrew Strauss: 3/1 at Stan James
Kevin Pietersen: 7/2 at Totesport
Alastair Cook: 5/1 at SportingBet
Jonathan Trott: 6/1 at SportingBet
Paul Collingwood: 7/1 at Bet365
Eoin Morgan: 12/1 at Boylesports

After drawing a recent test series with Australia, Pakistan will be confident of being able to beat England on their home turf. Unfortunately there has always been a lot of politick and in-fighting with the Pakistan cricket team, which often takes the shine of what has the potential of being a very good team. Captain Shahid Afridi walked away from the captaincy after being hammered by the Aussies in the first of the two tests, but new captain Salmon Butt could just be the man to confidently lead the young team forward. What Pakistan do have is a wealth of cricketing talent in their ranks, and time and time again it is often said that they are able to put out the best bowling attack in the world. This is the first time Pakistan have played England at the Test Match level since 2006, when the fourth test between the two sides ended in controversy with Pakistan forfeiting the game after being accused of ball tampering during the match. That was some time ago, and should not really stir up any bad blood between the two teams, but there is always a nice little edge when the two sides meet.

There are two main threats to England from a Pakistan bowling point of view. Firstly, the Pakistan bowlers like Mohammed Asif, the impressive Mohammed Aamer and the wonderful spin of Danish Kaneria can skittle out the top orders of any team in the world. They recently dismissed Australia for 88 all out in the first innings, and any attack which can do that, is dangerous. The second threat comes from the later stages when the ball is getting older, and then Umar Gul, probably the best reverse swing bowler in the world, can really take centre stage. Pakistan are a big threat, and they have been in Test Match mode of late, as opposed to England who have been entertaining the crowds in shorter formats of the game. Their last Test Matches were back in March. So will that give Pakistan a little bit of an advantage? In terms of continuity maybe, but even while they are a technically brilliant side, they are still a little hit and miss, and with England being in their favoured conditions, the playing field is somewhat level.

England squad: Captain Andrew Strauss, Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior (wicketkeeper), Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Tim Bresnan.

This means that we should be in for a fascinating series. Even though England can be a little frail once their openers get out, they should have the upper hand over the batting line up of Pakistan who themselves are inconsistent. But in the bowling department, Pakistan probably have the edge with a much more clinical attack. Again, this equates to some kind of parity, but with the Ashes edging ever closer, England really need a good, convincing series win to take Down Under. In a busy year of cricket for them, this is another important developmental series for the England cricket team, and they can win this series. How comfortably will be the big question. Out of 43 Test match meetings at home against Pakistan, England have won 17, drawn 18 and lost 8.

England rest Pietersen and Swann but remain strong in betting

England look to continue their fine form as they start their one day international series against Bangladesh. After taking the world by storm in winning the ICC Twenty20 World Cup, England then backed up their success by beating Australia 3-2 in their ODI series recently. England stretched out to a 3-0 lead over their old rivals from Down Under, before being pegged back. That victory gave England a record of 4 wins out of 6 one day matches this year, a marked improvement in their game. England’s batting in the short forms of the game have come on leaps and bounds, ever since the selectors were brave enough to shake up the team and kick out some of the old guard. In have come some exciting players which has injected some new life into the England cricket scene. The next challenge for Andrew Strauss and his men, in this busy year which will culminate in taking on Australia for the Ashes at the end of the year, is to keep all levels of concentration high against Bangladesh.

Bangladesh have never beaten England at any form of the game, and this should be an ideal opportunity for the home side to make another clean sweep. England can afford to show no complacency at Trent Bridge on Thursday, if they are really going to push forward and develop into a ruthless world beating team. This is more of a test of mental ability over technical, as in the latter department, England should win hands down. The only questions about whether England will win this or not, will be if England can stick to their task and not be over-confident, and how potent Bangladesh star Tamim Iqbal performs with the bat. England beat Bangladesh 2-0 in a Test series at the start of the summer, but out in Bangladesh, despite making a clean sweep in the one day series, England found the going tougher than expected. They were strong enough to win the matches, but they were made to work a lot harder for the victories than they would have thought.

Bangladesh have changed their captain, with Mashrafe Mortaza stepping up to take charge of the national side. Batsman Tamim Iqbal is regarded as being the biggest of threats to England, as his fine form with the bat shows a lot of promise in being able to attack the England bowlers. But the conditions should suit England a lot better back in the UK, which should give them an extra edge over their superior quality already. Bangladesh are much more of a threat in the shorter formats of the game than they are in the Test matches, and that is because they can get quite inventive with their shots. Bangladesh will try and utilise their variety of spin, but they should not have as much penetration as the English bowlers, certainly not under conditions which will suit seamers. But Nottingham should be pretty dry, even under floodlights, and it should certainly favour the batters, which could see England run up a big score.

Although England have been enjoying a lot of success, their team in the ODI is far from being settled enough to consistently be at the top. England coach Andy Flower is resting Graeme Swann and Kevin Pietersen, who have been two of England’s main performers, along with Eoin Morgan who was named man of the series against Australia. Luke Wright’s position should be under threat as he did not make any great real contribution to the cause against England, while they will probably stick with him and give him the chance to rebuild some confidence and form. With Swann rested, James Tredwell will be a lone spinner, and Michael Yardy will likely prop up the batting at number six. The exciting Craig Kieswetter could also do with a very good knock to re-establish his worth in the squad.

Current Form:
England: LLWWW
Bangladesh: LLLLL (have lost their last 13 ODI matches)

England (probable team): Andrew Strauss (capt), Craig Kieswetter (wk), Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Michael Yardy, Luke Wright, Tim Bresnan, James Tredwell, Stuart Broad, James Anderson

England to win – 1/8 at Totesport
Bangladesh to win - 6/1 at SkyBet

Top Bangladesh Batsman: Tamim Iqbal: 3/1 at Ladbrokes – A genuine world talent.
Top England Batsman: Ian Bell: 5/1 at Bet365 – Ian Bell has made changes to his game in order to affirm himself as a one day player, and coming back into the side after missing out against the Aussies, should mean that he is very hungry if he comes in at number three. Great form for the Lions, and every chance he can back it up against Bangladesh.

South Africa vs. England Fourth Test, Johannesberg January 14th – 18th: It is not often that you see a South African cricket team under so much pressure. Certainly is hasn’t been that way in recent times, as the Proteas have risen to the top of the cricket world. But the arrival of England in the Rainbow Nations has set the cat amongst the pigeons. With the score at 1-0 in the visitor’s favour, and with just one test left to play in the series, the South Africans, led by Graham Smith, needs to rally everything they can to save themselves from utter embarrassment of losing a series on home soil. This is the side that not too long ago in terms of test cricket, who beat Australia somewhat comprehensively, and little chance was given to England on their tour.

It is not as if England have been great, but they have been battling. Boy, have they been battling. From saving the first test, to a brilliant batting performance to win the second, England again had their backs against the walls, needing Graham Onions’ defensive batting skills to get them out of trouble. Onions had to survive the last over to hang onto a draw which should have been a lot more comfortable that it should have been in the end. But there are a lot of positives to take from England’s displays so far, even if they have not collectively been brilliant. On the batting front, Ian Bell has rewarded the selectors with some controlled play, sticking around and posting scores at number six, just when England needed a steadying hand the most.

Where England would have been without Paul Collingwood too, on the tour, makes one wonder. Colly has arguably been England’s star performer, in the field and with the bat. He has that stick-ability to bring everything under control, and when he needs to simply defend his stumps, he looks more than comfortable. He is often the glue that holds performances together. Jonathan Trott has shown glimpses of his value to the England batting line-up, looking accomplished and a fine stroke player, even if he has been ruffling the feathers of South Africa with his long preparations as the crease. Alistair Cook has also found his runs again, but needs to have a little more self belief. The one failure in the batting department has been Kevin Pietersen. OK, he has come back from a long injury, but there will still have been a little more expected of him. He has looked hesitant and a long way out of form.

What has been one of the major factors, is that the South Africans haven’t been whipping down the England wickets as much as they were expected to. At times the bowling from the Proteas has looked as uninventive and predictable as a lot of England’s bowlers were expected to produce. Ntini was guilty of being the worst of the South African bowlers, which cost his place, and only in the third Test did Dale Steyn look anything like the true world class bowler that he is. But the support has not been there, and that was supposed to be England’s problem. Morne Morkel has been blowing hot and cold, and Paul Harris in the battle of the spinners with England’s Graeme Swann has definitely looked second best. Now with Friedel de Wet, Ntini’s replacement looking likely to miss the fourth Test, South Africa could be forced into some changes. Wayne Parnell looks the likely replacement, and will be making his test debut after stepping out of the One Day format. But as well as beefing up the bowling, they need a more steadying presence at opener as well.

Perhaps after beating Australia in the Ashes last year, coming away from South Africa, not having lost the series, should not be so much of a surprise. England have chosen their moments to attack when necessary, despite playing themselves into trouble at times. Even positives can be taken from that, in that they have been on the brink a couple of times, but managed to fall and collapse completely to the point of defeat. The reverse swing of this, will be that it will have been increasingly frustrating for South African cricket that they have not been able to produce that killer instinct when needed. They have pushed England to the brink, but they could not topple them over. A lot of credit has to be given to Andrew Strauss and England for that.

So the Fourth Test should see the Proteas fired up and ready to get stuck into England. It has been reported that Captain Smith wants a quick, attacking track, so that they can try and force the game one way or other (this will reduce the chances of a draw if you are thinking of betting on a drawn match outcome). That is exactly what South Africa will need to do. They need to take the game to England and to try and stop England simply doing their best to sway proceedings towards a drawn game. That is all England need to do, but will need to be wary of not falling into the trap of going out there on the first morning and playing for a draw from the outset. They need to keep doing what they have been doing well, and improve upon the things they have not been. There is plenty to more to come from the England bowlers one feels, even the Stuart Broad and James Anderson have had their moments in the sun, they too need a little more penetration. Graham Onions has been consistent with his bowling but has not taken as many wickets as an England fan would like to see, and much of the bowling spotlight has been rightly focused on spinner Graeme Swann. Swann has dominated with the ball, and made so many important break-through. He has given the South African batsmen plenty to think about, and more, mixing up his deliveries well, something which Monty Panesar could not do.

So the two combatants will enter the arena again on Thursday, with a lot to play for. The crowds have been brilliant so far, and the cricket has lived up to the expectations. There have been thrilling finishes, issues over the referral system and allegations of ball tampering with Stuart Broad standing on the ball. The Fourth Test promises as much excitement again with both a momentous Test series victory, and a morale breaking defeat on the line.

South Africa vs. England Fourth Test Outright Winner
South Africa to win: 13/8 at BetFred
Draw: 15/8 at SportingBet
England to win: 5/2 at Ladbrokes

Top England Batsman – Andrew Strauss 6/1 at 888Sport
Top South Africa Batsman – Hashim Alma 5/1 at Ladbrokes

Top England Bowler – Graeme Swann 11/4 at Stan James
Top South African Bowler – Dale Steyn 2/1 at Blue Square

South Africa vs England Second Test
Kingsmead
Starts December 26th

Where do the England cricket team turn to next? There has been much talk of how England’s stubborn defence in the face of adversity, saw them to a draw in the First Test against South Africa, just as it did in the Ashes of the summer against Australia. That’s all well and good, but they got themselves into a situation that should not have transpired. Yes, they survived, but unlike in the summer, the difference here, is that England do not have the comfort of playing at home in condititions suited to their bowlers, and this will be a huge factor considering the South Africans are likely to be getting stronger when pace bowler Dale Steyn returns for the second test.

England’s bowling is in question, perhaps not over the quality, but the variety of threat of which they are able to pose. Aside from Graeme Swann spinning his way through a lot of overs and getting his just rewards, Graham Onions looked the next best bowler, only by the fact that he showed a lot of control and consistency. However, even that did not look as threatening as it should have been against the South African batsmen. England do not have the luxury of calling anyone into the team from the squad, who will provide a spark of something different to help the cause.

One can wax lyrical about the greatness of Andrew Flintoff, but his day as Test player for England has gone, and it is evident that there is no-one there to replace the big man. England are lacking a serious, fast paced impact bowler to mix things up. On his day, James Anderson can tear through defences, but the conditions in South Africa do not appear to be suiting him. England rely heavily on great swing bowling, something that Anderson and Ryan Sidebottom (who is not as fast as Anderson), do well back in England.

There was debate over whether or not Andrew Strauss should have gone with five bowlers for the attack in the First Test. Sidebottom would be the best option, ahead of Liam Plunkett, who does offer a bit more pace, but has been on the periphery. But is there a point, if the ball is not going to swing for Sidebottom? He has made an impact in the tour, taking a five wicket haul after coming back from injury in a warm up game, but Strauss will also be worried by the fact that the batting completely collapsed in the second innings of the first test. Everything on the final afternoon should have been a lot more comfortable than it was. It took Graham Onions to see out the last over and salvage a draw for England.

If another bowler comes in, then Ian Bell, who failed again to make an impact, would go out. That would leave more pressure on Matt Prior and Stuart Broad with the bat, as they move up the order. England have problems at the top of the order with Alistair Cook unable to find an ounce of form, so is it better to have two below par batsmen in, and sacrifice again on the extra bowler. That will probably be the case as the selectors will probably stick with the same team, not expecting conditions at Kingsmead to suit the England style of bowling attack.

Graeme Smith, South Africa’s captain, has already started his Alex Ferguson style mentality games, citing that England are probably scarred from the horrendous collapse they suffered, which started with a rush of blood to the head from Kevin Pietersen when he was looking well set for a century. South Africa, on paper, and on the field, look much the stronger team, but England have this hit and miss quality. They can catch fire and look great, but then look embarrasingly bad at times, mostly when it is largely down to being the orchestrator of their own downfall. Put simply, South Africa have options, where the England touring party do not.

But no doubt Andrew Strauss would see it another way, England could have collapsed and suffered a defeat, which would have been worse, after seeing five wickets go for just 13 runs. Onions and man of the series so far, Paul Collingwood, showed some stiff upper lip to survive. Perhaps it is Smith who would be suffering more, for failing to take advantage of the situation and win. If South Africa get ahead in the series, it could be curtains for England, as they will be demoralised and it will be a long way back. The second test is crucial, and the England coaches have a lot of work to do, to patch up some holes in the England team.

South Africa vs. England Series (4 matches)
South Africa to win – 5/6 at William Hill
Draw: 3/1 at SkyBet
England to win: 100/30 at Boylesports

South Africa vs. England Second Test
South Africa to win: 7/4 at SportingBet
Draw: 13/8 at 888Sport
England to win: 7/2 at BetFred

Betting Advice: England will need a slightly better showing from their top six batsman if they are to compete in the Second Test. Kevin Pietersen looks as if he is getting back to form, and that is such a massive thing for England. He, Strauss, Trott and Collingwood are carrying the team at the moment, and it needs someone else to step up, simply because it is going to be another hard toil for England to take 20 wickets in the conditions.

South Africa v England
December 16th to 20th
SuperSport Park, Centurion

England’s selection problems for the forthcoming first Test against South Africa, is all about the bowlers. Over the limited warm-up matches ahead of this opening contest the England bowlers have shown some bursts of impressive form, just not all of them at one time. This points to a little bit of individualism as opposed to a team coming together in unity with form. That will be a wee bit worrying for England fans who are awaiting the contests against the Proteas, because it looks to be a case of, if one man isn’t on top of his game, then the bowling attack is going to look limp.

England have had serious injury problems in the bowling department, since arriving in South Africa. Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Graham Swann and Ryan Sidebottom have all problems which have hindered their tours. Fortunately though it looks as if they are all getting back somewhere to full fitness, and it is a bit of a shame that the build up has been a bit fragmented, and hopefully it won’t affect the matches too much against a strong South African team. Graham Swann, who is an important part of the attack, took a 6 wicket haul in one match, James Anderson produced a great display with a five wicket haul of his own, and the most recent stand out performer was Ryan Sidebottom who took 5-42 in England’s final warm up match

In all interests, England skipper Andrew Strauss will be hoping that both of his fast bowlers, Anderson and Sidebottom can take part in Wednesday’s series opener. England need them, even though they have been struggling to be fully fit, in Anderson’s case, for the past couple of months. Sidebottom at full fitness and form is the perfect guy to cause the South African’s problems. Sidebottom certainly is a more attractive proposition than perhaps Graham Onions, who is a steady performer, but has yet to really stamp his authority at the highest level. Liam Plunkett is the other fringe bowler, but he should be down the pecking order behind Onions at best.

There is a call for England to go with five bowlers, simply because of the pitch, which could favour the batsmen, especially the big hitting Proteas. For a fragile England bowling attack, it could be a lot of hard work for them to take 20 wickets in the match between four of them. This is where the missing presence of Andrew Flintoff will still be hurting England, yes, even after this time. There is no one to fill his shoes, but perhaps there is a need for Luke Wright, as an all-rounder, to step out of the One Day International fold and start performing in the Test Arena.

The South African team harnesses a lot of batting power, and they will be geed up by the fact that veteran Jacques Kallis has made a full recovery from an injury which kept him out of the One Day International series. With Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini, the South Africans are not going to be a push-over. England have a little momentum after winning a rain-effected ODI series against the Proteas, but even in those games, the South Africans showed glimpses of just how dangerous they can be. Maybe South Africa are not as quite on top of the world as rankings have recently suggested, but they are side who are a capable of beating anyone in the world. England, who won Team of the Year at the Sports Personality of the Year event on the back of their Ashes victory, are a stronger Test side than One Day team.

Andrew Strauss just needs everyone fit and to get everything from his bowling attack. That is where games are won and lost, for not having the confidence in your bowlers to defend a big total, or to skittle out the opposition in a furious spell, makes their own batsmen hesitant at the crease. There is still some coming together as a team needed by England, but they have shown a degree of that in the short from of the game. If the weather is on their side, and key men like Anderson and Swann can stay fit, it should be a close series.

Betting Advice. England have lost six of their first seven Test matches in a series, which helps shorten the odds on a South African win, but they do like playing against the Proteas. There are still some question marks over the strength of the England team, not only because of injury, but because of the form of the likes of Alastair Cook and Kevin Pietersen. They have the components to compete, but on a team level, they are not as solid as the South Africans.

South Africa vs. England First Test
South Africa to win: 13/10 at Boylesports
Draw: 7/4 at Ladbrokes
England to win: 7/2 at Boylesports

Series outright
South Africa to win: 4/6 at SkyBet
Draw: 15/4 at Boylesports
England to win: 10/3 at Extrabet

It will be an exciting day of sports on Sunday, when the Pukka Pies UK Championship of Snooker draws to a conclusion, along with the 9-ball Pool Mosconi Cup in Las Vegas, Liverpool and Arsenal will have finished their big Premier League match, and the evening will be rounded off with the Sports Personality of the Year from Sheffield.

The Sports Personality of the Year is the end of calendar year award ceremony which gives the British public the chance to vote for the sporting icon who best represents capturing the imagination of the public. With a strong cast of 10 this year, it shows that Britain continues to be well represented across the world at the top of the highest level of sports. So who represents the best chance of picking up the honourable prize of being Britain’s favourite sports star of the year?

There is one clear favourite, and that is F1 Driver Jenson Button, who, on the back of a spectacular driving start to the season, won the Driver’s Championship for the first time. He had a strong, blitzing start when he won 6 out of the first 7 Grands Prix. It was then a strong battle of determination and resilience for Button to get to the finish line of winning the title. Other driver’s started to come back into form and Button had to dig really deep, but he showed a lot of control and composure to get the job done in the end. The victory in winning the F1 Driver’s Championship, means that Button joins an elite list of British Driver’s who have won the title. It is the pinnacle of driving in a dangerous sport, and that is what will likely give Button the edge on Sunday night.

One person, from Athletics, which is represented well  this year, who could come close to beating Button, would be Jessica Ennis. Despite missing out on the Olympics due to injury, she roared back to a massive personal best at the World Athletics Championships, when she led all the way from the first to the seventh event. The Heptathlon is one of the toughest, most gruelling sports in women’s Athletics, and it is a field which the UK has done well at before, with the might of Olympic Gold medallist Denise Lewis. Lewis though could only manage runner’s-up twice in the Sports Personality of the Year, and for Ennis to come in a take it would be momentous, but she is a great future hope of British Athletics.

Ryan Giggs, Manchester United’s long serving winger, could be in the running. He is the epitome of professionalism, serving his club and country at all levels, with the minimum of fuss, which has seen him win everything on the domestic and European level. He is the most decorated active footballer in England, and at the ripe old age of 36, still plies his trade with the enthusiasm of a teenager. He has played alongside some of the best in the world, like David Beckham, Eric Cantona and Ruud Van Nistlerooy and keeps going with the current young crop, like Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick. Has he won enough in the year to take the Sports Personality of the Year? Truth be told he is probably more personable and down to earth than the Playboy persona of Jenson Button, and he did win yet another Premier League medal.

As for the others: Beth Tweddle, similarly is just as deserving. As a gymnast, she is a double Gold Medallist, at a sport that Great Britain has never really excelled at. She is a stand-out perfomer and something of a pioneer in bringing the best of gymnastics to the nation. It is not one of the most glamorous sports, and therefore she may fly under the radar a little bit when compared to likes of F1 drivers and footballers. What of Britain’s great Tennis hope, Scot Andy Murray. Yes, he has excelled again, pushing for the World Number One spot, but only holding the second seed for two weeks. He faded away a little towards the end of the season, but still without a Grand Slam title, has he done enough to capture the public’s heart? A win at Wimbledon would have made him a shoe-in for the award. England Cricket Captain Andrew Strauss led his country with dignity to regain the Ashes over Australia in the summer. As skipper, he has led with the utmost professionalism and decorum that is expected of a national cricket captain. Perhaps if England had performed better in the subsequent ODI Series against Australia, had put up more of a fight in the Twenty20 World Cup and the Champions Trophy, then he would be a stronger candidate. Tom Daley could  sneak the Sports Personality of the Year Award, simply only from the point of view that he is a smart looking young man, with a picture perfect smile, who has taken on and beaten the world at the tender age of 15. Will draw a lot of votes simply because of becoming a world champion at a young age.

Remember it is the public who can vote for their favourite sporting star on Sunday night, during the award show. Latest Odds for Sports Personality of the Year Betting:
Jenson Button – Evens at 888Sport
Ryan Giggs – 11/4 at Bet365
Jessica Ennis – 11/2 at BetFred
David Haye – 25/1 at BetFred
Mark Cavendish – 33/1 at BetFred
Andrew Strauss – 40/1 at BetFred
Beth Tweddle – 50/1 at SkyBet
Tom Daley – 125/1 at Boylesports
Andy Murray – 200/1 at Ladbrokes
Phillips Idowu – 250/1 at SportingBet

England started their winter tour of South Africa, home of the football World Cup 2010, with a warm up match against the Diamond Eagles. All in all it was a bit of one sided match, as England ran up a score of 294-7 in the One Day fixture. The competition for places in the One Day should hot up next week, when superstar batsman Kevin Pietersen flies to South Africa to join up with the England squad, and so that should keep some of the batsmen on their toes. Ashes Game Five hero batsman Jonathan Trott made a great statement as to his form, as he cracked a very good 85 off a 104 balls, including seven boundaries. Skipper Andrew Strauss also contributed heavily with the bat, putting 72 runs on the board. Joe Denly and Paul Collingwood were the only batsmen not to make it into double figures.

In reply to the tourist’s good score, the Eagles only lasted for just over half of their allotted 50 overs in the game at Bloemfontein. The home side only rallied to a paltry 109, with England’s bowlers all sharing the spoils. Jimmy Anderson, Paul Collingwood, Sajid Mahmood and Graeme Swann all took two wickets each, as did Stuart Broad at a price. The seamer picked up an injury to his shoulder in the match, in which he only bowled four overs, but the injury was apparently picked up while fielding and not bowling. With Freddie Flintoff retiring from Test Matches, and still in rehabilitation which keeps him out of the One Day Internaional format, the importance of having Broad in the team is unquestionable.

It is a long winter tour for the England cricket team, which includes four Test Matches against the Proteas, five One Day Internationals and a couple of Twenty20 internationals. The youngster Stuart Broad is an important part of the success of the tour. He is the fire in the belly of the team, and he will not take part in England’s next warm up match, which is against the Warriors on Sunday. With a few more warm up games to get under their belt ahead of the main events, the England management will want to keep Broad in shape for the England v South Africa matches, in which he should be playing all forms of the game.

It is fair to say that England and One Day games generally do not go together well, especially after suffering horrendously in the summer against Australia. They did redeem themselves a little with some performances in the Champions Trophy, but there is clearly still work to be done. While this was simply a warm up game, it should at least build a little confidence. With Strauss, Trott and Eoin Morgan all contributing well, it should at least build a bit of confidence to take into the tour. It is the place of Eoin Morgan which is probably most vulnerable when it comes to the re-selection of Kevin Pietersen. England’s next fixture is on Sunday, and it will likely be the same familiar team which takes the field. England are also waiting on the fitness of Graham Onions.

While you will be hard pushed to find odds on the warm up games, pay close attention to them for individual form, as it will help to gauge some sort of value in price when it comes to the One Day International Series against South Africa. The best prices for which can be found below. As well as the England fixutres, take note that the South Africans are playing warm up fixtures too, most of them on the same day as the England ones.

England v South Africa ODI Series
South Africa to win: 2/5 at Totesport
Draw: 23/2 at Betfair
England to win: 9/4 at Victor Chandler

2010 ASHES DEFENCE
The England cricket team have had some of the future mapped out for them, as the announcement of the fixtures for the defence of the Ashes has been announced. At the end of next year, they will head down under and try to do a little better than the last time they were Down Under, when they lost 5-0. This time the planning has been improved, with England spending more time there ahead of the important Test matches, and getting plenty of action in first class warm up games. That was something which did not happen last time around, but should not have been any excuse for being so dismal.

2010-11 Ashes Test series dates:
First Test Brisbane: 25-29 November
Second Test Adelaide: 3-7 December
Third Test Perth: 16-20 December
Fourth Test Melbourne: 26-30 December
Fifth Test Sydney: 3-7 January

WINTER TOUR
In the immediate future, England are about to embark on a winter tour in South Africa. After crashing out of the Champions Trophy in the semi’s, there is renewed hope that Kevin Pietersen will be making a return to action on the tour. He was suffering through the initial two Ashes games in the summer, and he missed the final three games, the ODI series, and the entire Champions Trophy. His batting prowess was sorely missed over the entire summer and it will be a welcome sight to see him padding up again. He has been named in both the test and ODI squads.
Possibly more good news is that Steve Harmison has been excluded from selection, instead in comes Liam Plunkett, who has proven to be more consistent over the course of the domestic season. Wicket-keeper Steve Davies, who was called up as cover for Matt Prior in the Champions Trophy gets a place, along with Ashes late arrival Jonathan Trott and the re-emergence of Ian Bell in the Test Squad. Luke Wright also gets a place in the Test Squad and the patiently waiting leg-spinner Adil Rashid continues his development with a place.
The One Day Squad for the South Africa tour, is pretty much the one that appeared in the Champions Trophy. The ODI team definitely needs a lot of improvement, and has a long way to go to catch up with Australia. England did beat South Africa during the Champions Trophy which will give them some heart, but the short formats of the game is where England need to improve significantly. They are presumably sticking with the same squad in order to build some team-spirit and cohesion, Sajid Mahmood is the newest face to re-appear, and there is no place for Ravi Bopara or Owais Shah in either Squad.

The Winter Tour is quite extensive, and the culmination of a long year of Cricket for the national team. The action begins with all of the Twenty20 and One Day Internationals.

Test squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell,  Paul Collingwood, Steven Davies, Matt Prior, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Graham Onions, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann.

One-day squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Joe Denly, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan, Jonathan Trott, Luke Wright, Matt Prior, James Anderson, Tim Bresnan, Sajid Mahmood, Graham Onions, Adil Rashid, Graeme Swann.

South Africa ODI and Twenty20 Tour Dates
Twenty20: November 13
Twenty20: November 15
ODI: November 20
ODI: November 22
ODI: November 27
ODI: November 29
ODI: December 04

TO WIN TWENTY20 SERIES
South Africa: 6/4 at Ladbrokes
Draw: 11/10 at Totesport
England: 4/1 at Ladbrokes

TO WIN ODI SERIES
South Africa: 2/5 at Totesport
England: 5/2 at Ladbrokes

TO WIN TEST SERIES
South Africa: 8/15 at Ladbrokes
Draw: 4/1 Boylesports
England: 9/2 at Stan James

CRICKET WORLD CUP
The draw has also been made for the 2011 Cricket World Cup which takes place in India. England have been drawn against the host nation in their group. There has been a significant change of format from the last World Cup, and sees the competition return to a two-group format, as opposed to the four group system which was employed in the Caribbean. The other main threat in Group B which contains England, will be South Africa. This competition is a long way off of course, and the two groups of seven was settled on to make the competition shorter than its predecessor. There are will be two less teams participating and it all just adds up to being two games fewer than the previous tournament.

Cricket World Cup groups:
Group A: Australia, Canada, Kenya, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe
Group B: Bangladesh,, England, India, Ireland, Netherlands, South Africa, West Indies

TO WIN WORLD CUP
India: 7/2 at Coral
Australia: 9/2 SkyBet
Sri Lanka: 6/1 Ladbrokes
South Africa: 13/2 Totesport
Pakistan: 7/1 Stan James
England: 10/1 at BetFred