cricket

England’s cricketers have come back to down to earth in the past couple of matches, after the euphoric high of their 3-1 series victory in the Ashes against Australia. After a thrilling win in the first of two Twenty20 matches against the hosts, England lost the second encounter, ending their unbeaten streak. Prior to that defeat, England had set a world record of consecutive Twenty20 wins. Now the One Day International series is in swing, and a century knock by Australia’s Shane Watson, was enough to see off England’s first innings total. That was the first of seven ODI matches between Australia and England, and while the victory in the first match will have given the Aussies a hope of winning something, they are really struggling to hold on to their number one ODI ranking status. The ODI’s may not have as much importance as the Test Matches of course, but they do offer some great entertainment, and more than that, there are bigger fish to fry this year, which these matches will prepare both sides for. In the not too distant future, England and Australia will be heading to the World Cup, which starts on February 19th, so while both sides will want victories and to build momentum, there may be one eye on that World Cup. England are currently second favourites to win the Cricket World Cup priced at 5/1 with Bet365, and that has to be worth a dabble.

Australia started the ODI series against England as favourites, and while that may be a surprise to many, especially English fans, they are still a major threat in that format of the game. Certainly their 2010 wasn’t covered in glory, but they are still the number one ranked team in the world. England? Well they are the fifth ranked team, even though their form in the ODI format has been much better than that of Australia, and England have won all five of their last ODI series. That is some impressive form, and with good knocks from Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen, England could not hold on to their total of 249, and the Aussies took the win with the first ball in the 50th over. So, it was a close contest, but opener Watson’s knock of 161 was the highlight of the match. There was no James Anderson in the England bowling attack, and of course are without the injured Stuart Broad. The England attack led by Tim Bresnan and Chris Tremlett, really never made enough of an impact, and even Graeme Swann was largely ineffective, although he was economical. Swann will now be out of action for a couple of weeks with an injury. While this is a long run of games for both Australia and England, especially with the World Cup in mind, the conditions in Australia are completely different to what the tracks will be out in India and Sri Lanka in February. But there is a good contest for places in the England world cup squad now, and it should be an exciting proposition to see them in action, to see if they can back up their Twenty20 victory in beating the world last year. There is a genuine call for a top all rounder in the squad, something they are lacking.

Australia v England 2nd ODI Match Odds

Australia to win: 10/11 at SkyBet
England to win: Evens at Bet365

As for the ODI International series against Australia, you may see players being shuffled around, as the England selectors get a look at some of the players who are knocking on the door of a World Cup spot. Will this make England more competitive on the pitch, enough so to take down Australia? Well, there is the general consensus that Australia will be wagging their tail here. The pressure of winning back the Ashes has gone, and having to perform on the Test stage, with all the problems surrounding their selection and captain Ricky Ponting, so they have a chance to cut lose. They are not in great form, especially with the bat, but there is a big opportunity here for them, and they should be backed to take it. They are the home side naturally, who will be perfectly suited to their own conditions. The fast bouncy pitches play into their hands, and if they can find their aggressive swagger again, then they will be OK. There really shouldn’t be too much to chose between them, and while England are brimming with confidence, and have some players in great form, but the Aussies have to give their home fans something to cheer about. Beating England in the ODI series, even though it is really long and enduring will be the perfect tonic for them. The wounded beast is well worth a punt, and remember their 6-1 hammering of England in the ODI following the Ashes in 2009.

Next Three ODI Dates….
January 21st, 2nd ODI, Hobart
January 23rd, 3rd ODI, Sydney
January 26th, 4th ODI, Adelaide

Australia v England ODI Series Outright Winner

Australia to Win: 3/5 at SportingBet
England to Win: 6/4 at Totesport

Australia v England ODI Series Correct Score

Australia 4-3: 2/1 at Bet365
England 4-3: 11/4 at Stan James
Australia 5-2: 11/4 at Paddy Power
England 5-2: 8/1 at Totesport
Australia 6-1: 9/1 at SportingBet

Melbourne, December 26 - England head to Melbourne with confidence that the conditions will still be in their favour. There have been talk from the Australians of setting up the pitch to completely suit them. That’s not really anything out of the ordinary, as you would expect home sides to do just that. However, it is coming into play more in Melbourne, because the natural conditions, especially with some damper weather around, would have been ideally suited to the England swing bowlers. That is the English strength in attack, getting the ball to move around, and either way this should be a great test match. England are still undecided as to whether they are going to rest rookie Steve Finn though. The paceman is England’s top wicket taker (and tipped on these pages at the start of the Tour to be England’s top bowler) but during the second innings of the Third Test, he looked as if he was tiring, something picked up on by the Aussies. You can’t be in an Ashes Test Match really at less than 100%, as carrying a bowler in a four man attack is not going to pay off. England are already without their agitator Stuart Broad, but Chris Tremlett, a surprise selection for many, showed that he was ready to but fire into the seam attack in the Third Test. There’s no doubt that England will stick to their four man attack, even with the work load being extremely heavy. England coach Andy Flower must weigh up the pros and cons of throwing Tim Bresnan or Ajmal Shahzad into the attack in replace of Finn. That is half of England’s first choice attack, down. The main problem for England is there really is no genuine all rounder to pick up any slack.

The pressure though is on the batsman. The England bowlers, despite tiring, have generally done pretty well, really taking the game to Australia. However, the Batsmen, after some fine performances, really let themselves down in the third test, from a strong position in their first innings. Once Alastair Cook had gone, England collapsed and never recovered in the entire match. The old problem of losing quick wickets plagued them again, and there needs to be some resiliency shown from them. Paul Collingwood is the man under the greatest pressure in the side, as he just averaging in the teens for the entire series. It is highly unlikely that England will make any changes in the batting line up though, simply because Collingwood is one of those players that can save games. It is unusual for any Test side to have all eleven players firing on all cylinders, so they will just have to muddle through this one. Instead of a change, there may be a shuffle in the line up, with Ian Bell, who is quietly enjoying an impressive series, moving up the order. Someone needs to settle the side down from the off, and that duty should fall on the shoulders of captain Andrew Strauss, but he needs back up. The double century hitting Kevin Pietersen disappeared in the third test, and England can’t afford to be carrying two underperforming batsmen. However, there is enough in the side to suggest that they will be fine. They have had a good year, and they were always going to face a tough match at some point during the series. The heavy defeat has left them standing at 1-1 in the Series and they simply need to rediscover the composure of the second test.

The conditions in Melbourne should help them, and really a lot of focus has to switch back to Graeme Swann. One of the world’s top spin bowlers, Swann simply has not had the impact that his status projected. Mike Hussey really got on top of him from the word go in the Australian second innings of the Third Test, but the pitch in Perth really didn’t offer Swann any kind of bounce to work with. Swann really is England’s trump card, and that is why Australia are looking at preparing Melbourne to be unfriendly to Swann again. Take him out of the attack and that leaves a heavy burden for the three other front line bowlers. That is the dilemma which faces England, but coach Andy Flower won’t change the setup. England have a game plan and that is what they stick with. It is a rare occasion which will see the English change their setup, and it won’t be here. There really is no need to, as it is a system which works. The spin bowler is a huge part of this, but it has not been a series for the spin bowlers so far. You would expect them to show up sooner rather than later. The batsmen just needs to watch for the swing bowling that may be firing down the track at them from Mitchell Johnson. The very thing which caught them off guard in the Third Test and really was their downfall. England still are in the driving seat despite their heavy defeat in Perth. Two draws and they go back home with the Ashes. One win in Melbourne and they cannot be beaten in the series.

So, have the Australians suddenly raised their game? As a whole, not really. Their star performance, which has kept their Ashes series alive, was Mike Hussey with the bat. He is the big danger man and such a class act. On the bowling front, the Australians still don’t look settled. Peter Siddle showed a great flash of form, as did Mitchell Johnson, who looked all out of sorts in the first test. There is still a big question of settled consistency from the Australian bowling attack, but one thing which may have made a difference in Perth, was the fact that they were a little more aggressive. There was a bit more fight from Australia in the Third Test, a little more energy, and that of course had to happen. The Australians were not going to go through the entire series without putting up some kind of fight. It had to happen, but it should not have been anything which threw England off their track so easily. There is a feeling that that was Australia’s best, that they really don’t have another level to step up to at the moment. The signs are looking good that Ricky Ponting is going to play, and that could be a good thing for England. He is under pressure, and England have gotten at him, and there is nothing for a boost of confidence like dismissing the opposing captain. Adversely, England are better than the performance which they offered in the third test. There has to be more to come from them, and it will just be a matter of composure.

Fourth Test Top England Batsman

This is a match which crying out for a captain’s innings. Therefore Andrew Strauss needs to lead from the front, and it makes good sense that he will have a good knock. At a price of 4/1 at Totesport, the England captain is not a bat shout. None of the England batsmen really played well in the third test, so you can skip that one in terms of form. Pietersen, Trott and Collingwood looked out of sorts, and are better than what they showed. However, England need their captain, so its time to back him stepping up to the plate.

Fourth Test Top England Bowler

Still no real word of what is going to happen to the England attack on Boxing Day. Will Finn get rested? This could really be the test that sees James Anderson lead from the front. He has been tight with a strain in his side apparently, but still worth backing here. England’s most consistent performer, the cool head, and should be able to get more swing, and if he’s on fire, then England will be in a strong position. Worth taking at 5/2 at Bet365.

Fourth Test Outright Odds

Australia: 6/4 at Bet365
Draw: 23/10 at SkyBet
England: 2/1 at Bet365

Ashes Series Winner Odds

Australia: 13/8 at Bet365
Draw: 12/5 at Boylesports
England: 9/5 at BetFred

Ashes Series Correct Score

Australia 2-1 – 10/3 at Bet365
England 2-1 – 4/1 at SportingBet

The Ashes are edging ever nearer and nearer as the First Test starts on Thursday, November 25th and the players are ready, and so should your cricket betting decisions be. England captain Andrew Strauss will lead the charge for the visitors Down Under as they look to win (or at least draw) a historic series that would see them retain the coveted Ashes. This is the big cricket rivalry and trying to win in Australia is one immense challenge for any Test nation. Can the positive England carry through good form and upset the rattled Aussies who are out of form? Here is a betting guide to the Ashes Series Betting, First Test Betting and some cricket betting tips for you.

Australia v England Series Winner Tip

Bookie Favourite: Australia 11/10 at Stan James
This is the main fixed odds outright market for the Ashes. You may be surprised to see Australia as favourites, because no doubt you will have seen in the media how they are lacking form, cohesion, and just how well England have been playing all year. You will have seen how England are looking good in their warm up matches. However, Australia do not lose many Test Matches at home. Their record in Test Matches this year tells a very good picture to illustrate this. In the summer, Australia drew a series with Pakistan 1-1 in England. They then lost 2-0 against India, in India. However, prior to that, at the start of the year, they beat Pakistan 2-0, and New Zealand 2-0 (in New Zealand). Australia when they are on their own continent are a lot stronger than they are on their travels. Lets add some more figures to this. In 371 Test Matches on their home turf, Australia have won a staggering 210 of them. They have only lost 90 matches at home, as the other 71 can be accounted for as Draws. England’s actual record in Australia is Played 165, Won 54, Lost 85 and Drawn 26. Matches played and of those, just 54 have been won by England. That is why the bookies have Australia at the short odds. Winning Down Under is no easy thing. However, England may never get a better chance as they have now to show up the Aussies in their own back yard, for a long time. England do have momentum.
Online-Betting Tip: England 9/5 at William Hill

Series Correct Score Tip:

Bookie Favourite: Draw 2-2 for 13/2 at BetFred
It has been a long time since England won an Ashes series in Australia. Over twenty years in fact and that equates to five straight losses in a row. However there is a bigger stat which is worth looking at here, as in those five straight losses Down Under, England have barely made a mark in the win column of the Test Matches played in the series. They haven’t just lost Down Under, they have been obliterated. In those twenty five matches played since England last won an Ashes Series in Australia, England have only won three of them. That’s it. Add to that four drawn matches and you see just how much they have struggled to win a Test Match in Australia. That is the momentous task which is facing Captain Andrew Strauss as he leads his side out. Those figures point to England not posting a high total of wins this time around, and two should be around the right figure, as England are actually playing well at the moment. It is unlikely more wins that that will come, and of course, two wins may just be enough to hold onto the Ashes. Because there is not much to chose between England and Australia at the moment for several reasons, Bookies are leaning towards a drawn series. However, this really is England’s best chance in such a long time, and it is worth having a punt on them to win, simply for value. The score line when England last won Down Under? 2-1
Online-Betting Tip: England 2-1 for 9/1 at Bet365

Top England Batsman Betting Tip

Bookie Favourite: 4/1 at William Hill
A good place to start here is by looking at the batting averages of the current England players. This should give you some good guidelines. The familiar names are all at the top of the charts though, with Kevin Pietersen right up there with an average of 47.80 and he is followed up by Andrew Strauss with a solid 43.11 batting average. Topping the list of England Batsmen with the best batting average is actually Jonathan Trott who has a batting average of 55 runs in his thirteen international Test Matches. Trott is actually a very mentally strong player, and could put up some important numbers Down Under, because he is aggressive off the front foot. However, the two stand out names on the list versus Australia are Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen. They have faced the Aussies plenty of times and posted good numbers where others have failed. Pietersen is a shadow of his former self at the moment, and there is no telling what England are going to get from him, or how much he is going to be used. He is not full of confidence. Captain Andrew Strauss is, and he has to be looked at here. Paul Collingwood is reliable, steady and usually good for runs, and averages 35 against the Aussies. Would go with Andrew Strauss, but one outside tip would be Ian Bell. Here is a potential match winner who has matured immensely. There is no-one in batting line up as technically sound as him, and if he gets off to a good start, could make for a great tip.
Online-Betting Tip: Andrew Strauss 4/1 at William Hill, Ian Bell 6/1 at Boylesports

Top England Bowler Betting Tip

Bookie Favourite: Graeme Swann 5/4 at BetFred
The field is a bit narrower on this one and it is no surprise that Swann is out at the shortest odds. However, an important factor to remember, is that Aussie tracks are harder and flatter, and historically visiting England spin bowlers have not had much success Down Under. However, Swann could play a vital role and he will get in amongst the wickets. Will it be enough though? Oversees bowlers have had a tougher time in Australia than any other country. You have the familiar faces of Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson who will bear the brunt of the front line bowling duties and the other place in the attack will be fought out between Steven Finn, Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan. After coming into the Test side fairly recent, one tip has to be Steven Finn. He should be well suited to the wickets in Australia, as they should be right for his style and aggression. He is the Dark Horse of the England team and a potential match winner. Could be the extra pace and bounce that give England an edge. As Broad and Anderson will do good work, but will naturally have to work a little harder for their wickets than they would in the conditions in England, we are going with the outside bet.
Online-Betting tip: Steven Finn 6/1 at 888Sport

Top England Born Series Batsman Betting Tip

Bookie Favourite: Alastair Cook 13/8 at Paddy Power
Of course this issue was going to raise its head at some point, with South African born players gracing the current England side. Andrew Strauss of course leads the way as captain, but Jonathon Trott, Matt Prior and of course Kevin Pietersen are all in the market. Opener Alastair Cook is the favourite in this market, but he is struggling for form and only has an average of 26.21 runs against Australia. Paul Collingwood however has an average of 35 runs against the Aussies and as he is priced at 2/1 makes a nice little flutter in this market.
Online-Betting Tip: Paul Collingwood 2/1 at Paddy Power

Australia v England First Test Betting Odds

Australia to win: 5/4 at William Hill
Draw: 31/30 at Bet365
England to win: 2/1 at BetFred

This is it. This is where it all begins. There’s no disguising the personal excitement here, and just as the stats of history are somewhat against England, there is some good news down the line. More on that in a moment, but the Gabba in Brisbane has not been a happy hunting ground for England, having failed to win there in the last twenty four years. This is the important Test, as what happens here really could have a major impact on the rest of the series. England need a fast start and they need to strike while the iron is hot. There is no question about that. England are the form team going into the Ashes, even though Australia still edge the favourites role in betting. If England can claim a famous victory at the Gabba, then it will set them up for a strong series because the Aussies will be even more rattled than they appear to be now. An England win in the first Test, really would heap pressure on Ricky Ponting and that could make England task a lot easier throughout the series. If they go in hard at the start, they may just catch the Aussies wanting. They need to silence the crowds. The last thing England want to be doing in Australia is trying to play catch up. They just can’t afford to do that, as Australia play their own conditions very well. If ever home advantage is a factor in a sporting event, then cricket in Australia is probably one of the main ones.

There is a little more history to overcome for England at the Gabba. Remember in the 2006/07 series when Steve Harmison bundled in and bowled the widest of wides you have probably ever seen. That was at the Gabba, and that wayward first ball set the tone for the series, as England were crushed 5-0. Australia have not lost in the last twenty matches at the Gabba, winning 16 and drawing four since 1990 (against all opposition). Worryingly, Australia average almost twice as many runs as all opposition have posted at the Gabba. England though have been warming up well this time though, winning two of their three matches. The batting looks in decent nick, and there is plenty of strength in depth, arguably more so than Australia. While the front line bowlers got to rest a bit, one has to wonder how they will cope in the unforgiving conditions on the Australian wickets. You can forget the 5-0 whitewash, as this is a different England, a more professional, and more clinical. They are also better prepared than they were before. One of the main difference between the two sides at the position of opener though. Australia have a much more consistent opening partnership flow to matches than England, with their opening partnerships average nearly 58 runs, while England’s average for an opening pair is down at 43.40. Two batsmen for England are under a lot of scrutiny. Firstly Alastair Cook looks to be the weak leak, and he hasn’t had a good year. He will get targeted hard by Australia and that is natural. The sooner Cook holds his own, the better England will be. Having a weak link at opener, really isn’t a good thing. Kevin Pietersen is the other man who is struggling. This is not the same Kevin Pietersen England fans have known and loved for so long. Apparently the Australians have brought in left arm spinner Xavier Doherty to target KP. Most of Pietersen’s major downfalls have been against left arm spin, but this could all be mind games, as Doherty he is really unproven at international level, and his first class record really is nothing to brag about. It may be a strange decision, as they have used him to replace the established Nathan Hauritz. On the Australian batting front, Michael Clarke has been passed fit to play, after they were waiting on news of his back injury.

Positively England – Reasons to be hopeful

• The Gabba is due to be overcast. You can hear the England bowlers cheering already. Why England are so strong at home is that they favour swing bowling and for that you don’t want to see clear blue skies and hot weather. You want a little humidity there, which comes from an overcast sky. So that could have a huge factor in helping England off to a flier. The Kookaburra ball stops swinging after a much shorter time than balls England will have been used to, so they need to grab every advantage they can.
• England hold a higher ranking in the ICC Test rankings than Australia (yes, true!). England are have a better win/loss ratio than Australia do in current Test Matches. Over the past two years of International play, England have won 12 and lost four matches, and Australia have won 12 and lost 6.
• Australia do not appear to have a clear upper hand in bowling. They are not even sure what their best bowling attack is at the moment. With England’s bowlers full of confidence at the moment, it really is an even playing field.
• England have turned 27 out of 86 Test half centuries into full centuries. Australia have converted 24 from 93.
• Stuart Broad is a menace to Ponting and Hussey, and Graeme Swann has had good success over Simon Katich and Marcus North.

BetFred 1st Test Special

There are two great cricket betting specials being run by BetFred for the opening Ashes Test between Australia v England. Firstly, if Paul Collingwood is England’s Top Batsman, or Michael Clarke is Australia’s Top Batsmen in the first innings of this First Test, then BetFred will refund all losing top batsmen bets as free bets! This offer is valid up to £200 and is well worth taking advantage of. Secondly, if you do have a punt on the top batsman market for the Australia v England 1st innings and your player scores a century but doesn’t finish as the top scorer, then BetFred will give you a free bet to the value of your stake, again up to £200. The hugely popular online bookmaker also offers a Free £50 bet for customers opening a new account.

England’s cricketers have left the shores of home to head down under in the defence of the Ashes. Once more will the old enemies go into battle for cricket’s most prestigious prize. Naturally the banter between the two rivals is something which always gives fans that extra sense of expectation and pride in their home country, and with the Aussies defacing the side of Big Ben, the fuses are being lit. Seeing the face of Ricky Ponting on one of England’s most famous landmarks, taunting Strauss and co to not forget to the pack the urn, may have raised a smile as publicity stunt, but the Aussie camp may get slapped on the wrist if the Westminster council decides to press charges against the illegal act. It feels like the beginning of something special, and whenever England and Australia come together for the Ashes, it generally doesn’t fail to produce something extraordinary. This is the pinnacle of English cricket, as a player and a supporter, these are the specials matches that can go down in history. Remembering history from the last time England were in Australia to contest the Ashes, won’t bring back too many fond memories, as they were hopelessly outplayed, outclassed and were sent back home with their tails between their legs after a 5-0 thrashing. That whitewash will still be tasting bitter as England walk into the hostile Aussie territories, to try and defend what they won back in the summer.

Andrew Strauss led England to a 2009 summer Ashes victory over the Aussies on home turf, but things are much more difficult in the conditions down under. Still, England are rightly confident after enjoying a busy, yet successful year at the crease and in the field. Captain Andrew Strauss is relishing the chance, relishing the pressure to deliver a big slice of humble pie to the Aussies. England have looked a fairly settled squad throughout the year, and yes, Kevin Pietersen is back in the fold. England’s most enigmatic and prodigious batsman was dropped in the summer. But he has gone away to try and work on his game, and there was never really any doubt that he would be in the Ashes squad. His experience and talent is greatly needed. He has been playing with Kwazulu Natal in South Africa to try and rediscover some form, after not making a century since last year at the top level. Naturally the Aussies are targeting Petersen (who is 4/1 at Ladbrokes to be England’s Top Batsman) as one of the weakest links in the England side, as the man who has all too often been the hero with the bat, is not looking his brilliant old self this year. But he is in the squad, and looking to piece things back together. The thing about international cricket at the moment, is that there really is no dominant team, and there is sort of an even keel about everything. It is star players with natural talent, like Kevin Pietersen, who really could swing a tight series.

The Aussies do have some advantages. Firstly of course, they will be in their own back yard, playing under their own conditions. That is a huge boon when it comes to cricket. The Australian cricket team have always been something of a powerhouse at home, and there is always a lot of expectancy from the home crowd. It is notoriously difficult to go there and pick up victories, simply because Australia play their own conditions perfectly. They know how to get the best out of the pitches, and it is a formidable task trying to break them down. However, there are chinks in the Aussie armour, which England coach Andy Flower will no doubt have noticed and will be targeting. For starters, when it comes to spin bowling, England should have a massive upper hand. They have Graeme Swann (who is 11/8 favourite at Stan James to be England’s Top Bowler) in their ranks, who is one of the best in the world. For the Aussies though it is a bit of a different story. The main question surrounding the Australian spin bowling, is how do you replace Shane Warne? How? Nathan Hauritz has pretty much taken over the task of trying to fill in the footsteps of the legendary Warne, but clearly he hasn’t come anywhere near to being the bright shiny new hope of Australian spin bowling. In fact, you can take a look at the Australian bowling as a whole and pick holes in it. It has been severely disrupted over the last year or so, and there seems to be some confusion as to what the best attacking line up is.

Secondly, the Aussies have lost their last three Test matches (including a 2-0 series defeat against India), and are ranked fifth in the world at the moment. That is one place lower than England! That is the first time ever that England have gone into an Ashes side as a team ranked higher in the world than the Aussies. Not since 1979 has England had successive success in Ashes series, so Strauss could be set to put himself in the history books. Meanwhile opposition captain Ricky Ponting is starting to come under some serious fire from critics, and although he always performs in the Ashes, he will have some extra burden on his shoulders this time around, and how much will his confidence be dented already? So, even though England may look to have the edge on paper, with only three test match wins of the last 26 played on Australian soil, you can clearly see the uphill struggle that England have. Australia are a proud nation, and even though in many respects this is something of a new era of Australian cricket, you can expect them to be hungry, fired up and ready to tear into England. After losing their last three Test Matches, you would expect them to be very angry at themselves, and should be something of a wounded beast. That is something which England have to be aware of.

England do have a lot going for them though, including a good record this year, and the leadership of coach Andy Flower and Andrew Strauss. There is a more business like feel about England, and in the Australian conditions, they need to be ruthless and aggressive. With the ball in hand, there will be a lot of responsibility on Stuart Broad (4/1 at Victor Chandler to be England’s Top Bowler) to deliver that, and the experience of James Anderson will be vital (if he is fit),a long with spinner Graeme Swann. Monty Panesar has also made the squad to some surprise. Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan will likely contest a place in the side, as Steven Finn from Middlesex, who has pretty much been fast tracked into the senior squad should get the nod ahead of them. Finn (who has actually been compared to Aussie Glenn McGrath) has displayed some excellent consistency with the ball, and England need that extra level of quality of consistency, when facing up against the Aussies on the flat batting pitches. Finn (who is 5/1 at SkyBet to be England’s Top Bowler) is not the quickest in terms of blistering place, but he gets the ball in the right place time and time again, and could be a huge factor in any England success. Behind the stumps there is some good competition between the established Matt Prior, and the exciting Steven Davies who had a good year with the senior side. With the bat, there looks to be a lot of solidity, with the likes of Strauss (who is 7/2 favourite at Totesport to be England Top Batsman), Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood, Eoin Morgan and Jonathan Trott in the line up. Add to that Kevin Pietersen and opener Alastair Cook, who really needs a first class tour, England look OK there. But as the Aussie batsmen often look superlative on their own tracks, the pressure will be on the bowlers to unsettle and take huge initiative.

England Ashes Squad
James Anderson, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Steven Davies, Steven Finn, Eoin Morgan, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Andrew Strauss (captain), Graeme Swann, Chris Tremlett, Jonathan Trott

Ashes Ante Post Betting Prices

1st Test November 25th-29th
Australia to win: Evens at Paddy Power
Draw: 3/1 at Totesport
England to win: 5/2 at SportingBet

Ashes Series Winner
Australia to win: 8/11 at Boylesports
Draw: 11/2 at 888Sport
England to win: 12/5 at Bwin

Ashes Correct Score
Australia 3-1 8/1 at Boylesports
Australia 2-1 8/1 at Ladbrokes
Draw 2-2 9/1 at Victor Chandler
England 2-1 10/1 at Totesport
Australia 3-2 11/1 at Victor Chandler

England take on Pakistan in the fourth ODI of the series on Monday, amid more rumours of spot fixing directed at the tourists, after they snatched victory in the third match. England now hold a 2-1 lead over Pakistan in the series, as they suffered a batting collapse which let Pakistan grab an unlikely win. England were chasing down a very modest total of 242 and after some wobbles from the top of the order, Eoin Morgan looked to be steering England to a victory, with the hosts needing just 41 with ten overs left to spare. However, Pakistan pace bowler Umar Gul found some remarkable inspiration for his country, as he skittled out England’s remaining defence with 4-6 in just three overs to wipe out England’s chance of taking an unassailable three nil lead in the series. Morgan was top scorer for England with 61 and his was the key wicket to fall, as he had steadied the ship along with Luke Wright and seemed to have done more than enough to get England comfortably to the finish line. It wasn’t to be however, as a devastating bowling spell from Gul ripped victory away from England. It now sets up an interesting fourth encounter, and all parties involved are keen to see the series play out to a conclusion, despite the new rumours of fixing, which were reported when certain scoring patterns were noticed.

England have recalled the fit again Ian Bell to the one day squad, and he showed some good form for Warwickshire on the weekend as he cracked off a century. Bell will be an important part of the Ashes Tour, the next focus for England after the Pakistan series has been completed. The Ashes Tour starts in November, and if Bell gets thrown straight back into International duty, which will probably be at the expense of Ravi Bopara, it will help him get settled into his role again. A Bell for Bopara swap will probably be the only change to the side which takes to the field at Lords on Monday, starting a 1.30pm. While the chance of a clean sweep has gone, England are still strong favourites in betting to grab the series. As shown in the third match, it really has taken something special and remarkable from Pakistan to snatch a victory, and this now will be a good test for England, ensuring that they are not complacent and reminding them that they need to work hard for victories. For the individual match betting, England will remain as favourites as well, simply because they are much stronger in their home conditions. Likewise they are still worth backing for a good series win, because if they take the fourth ODI, then Pakistan probably won’t have a lot of fight left for the last one. After all of the allegations on the tour this summer, Pakistan have shown a little more competitiveness, but England really have the edge over them.

England v Pakistan 4th ODI
England to win: 4/9 at Bet365
Pakistan to win: 9/5 at SportingBet

England v Pakistan ODI Series Outright Score
England 4-1: Evens at 888Sport
England 3-2: 11/1 at Blue Square
Pakistan 3-2: 6/1 at Bet365

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England step back into action on Friday in the third ODI cricket match against Pakistan. The hosts are leading the five match series by a comfortable 2-0 scoreline, after a century from captain Andrew Strauss helped England home in a more competitive second match. Pakistan looked a bit more lively in the second ODI, but still England had plenty enough in the tank to keep on track for a series whitewash. Strauss lasted until the 45th over when he fell on a wonderful 123, and it was his partnership with number three Jonathan Trott which really got England to their target of 295. What was nice to see from an England perspective was that all eight batsmen who were called upon made some contribution to the tally, with each of them making it into double figures. Being set a challenging target by Pakistan, who came out in more of a fighting mood, England set about their task with a sense of professionalism which seems to have pushed their short format game along very well over the last twelve months. So big has the improvement been for England, that they are actually second in the ODI rankings now, behind Australia, which looked unthinkable a couple of years ago.

There is more of a freedom with which England are playing at the moment, and they don’t looked scared or hesitant to go after shots. This is credit to the selectors and the players who have been called upon. As with any sport, a winning team can always look to improve themselves, and uncharacteristically, England were pretty poor out in the field in the second ODI. One of the visible benchmarks of England’s growth as a force in one day cricket has been their great fielding. It could have been a factor which cost them the second ODI were it not for an impressive run chase, and it is something which they will have to work at, and highlights just how dangerous a pitfall complacency can be. They won’t be let off so easily when they head down under for the Ashes tour. Thankfully England’s bowlers are continuing to shine in the home conditions, with Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann again putting in great shifts. So what next from a cricket betting perspective on this series? Because it will be a major shock if Pakistan win the last three ODI’s it is a safe bet for England to win the series, the only question is by how many?

England v Pakistan ODI series betting is leaning firmly towards the possibility of England making a complete clean sweep of things. Ladbrokes are pushing the best price on a 5-0 series victory for England at a price of 11/10. Probably one of the most popular score lines to take in your cricket betting is England 4-1 which is best priced at 13/8 at Stan James. If you think we are about to see some kind of resistance from the tourists, then an England 3-2 series win can be taken for 6/1 at SportingBet. For the optimists who like their sports bets long, then Pakistan to win 3-2 is out at 33/1 which sums up the reality of that actually happening. So while betting on England to win the series outright is not going to bring you any rewards at this point (hence the necessity to always get your outright bets down as early as possible), there are still plenty of options to make the most of your cricket betting on England. England are 2/5 at 888Sport to win the third ODI, while Pakistan are 5/2 at BetFred to gain their first win of the series. After those options, you can start delving a little deeper into the submarkets. There have been some impressive batting performances from England over the summer, and confidence and form plays a big part in England Top Batsman bets. Andrew Strauss is favourite at 4/6 with ExtraBet to top score in the third ODI, with Jonathan Trott 7/2 at Ladbrokes. But don’t discount the efforts of Steven Davies who is 5/1 at Ladbrokes and Eoin Morgan 33/1 at William Hill who is due another big knock. Plenty of options to go with.

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England pick up their dreams of a One Day International cricket series clean sweep against Pakistan, and cricket betting reflects the great chance they have, as the second of the five matches takes place at Headingly on Sunday. England dispatched Pakistan in the first ODI at Durham in a shortened match because of rain, after being put into bat first after losing the toss. A wonderful contribution with the bat from Steven Davies, who hit 87, backed up by Jonathan Trott’s 69, steered England to a fairly comfortable victory. Another fine bowling performance from England, then helped restrict the Pakistan batting attack after setting the visitors a target of 275 to win. After all their troubles off the field, the tourists are rapidly looking as if they can’t wait for the tour to be over. Just to put things into perspective, England are in no way shape or form a great, world beating side. They are good, but just not that good, and even then Pakistan can’t raise their game to really threaten much of a challenge to the hosts. Just one test victory against England on the tour so far, is all they have to shout about, and after this first display in the ODI series, there could be a great chance for England to finish on a real high here, ahead of their winter tour to Australia to contest the Ashes.

For cricket betting, Pakistan simply don’t have the tools needed to really compete here, especially in the English conditions. There is talent in the team, but collectively they look to be all over the place. They haven’t helped themselves at times with poor fielding, and lackluster batting, and while they did something to redress those problems in the first ODI, they still fell some way short of being competitive. The more defeats come, the more their confidence will wane. The Pakistan side has been weakened because of all of their troubles, and they are still not there as a team just yet. While that should bring some stability to your cricket betting and the outcome of this ODI series, it should also continue to bring more cheer to English cricket fans. What it will also do for cricket betting, is alter the Ashes betting, even though England should be clear second favourites for that one. The more they win here against Pakistan, the shorter their odds may get for the defence of the Ashes. But, back to business here, for the ODI series, it will be worth looking at England for pulling off a strong series victory against Pakistan. England are still constantly showing signs of improvement in the shortened format, and the biggest developments will come from the batsmen. That is because there is a competition for places, and that means that should work to the advantage of England.

2nd ODI ,Sunday, September 2010
3rd ODI, Friday, September 17
4th ODI, Monday, September 20
5th ODI, Wednesday, September 22

Second ODI Outright Betting Odds
England to win: 3/10 at Bet365
Pakistan: 5/2 at SkyBet

England v Pakistan ODI Series Betting
England: 1/10 at Totesport
Pakistan: 23/1 at BetFair

England v Pakistan ODI Series Correct Score Betting
England 5-0: 13/8 at SkyBet
England 4-1: 7/4 at Paddy Power
England 3-2: 4/1 at Ladbrokes

England continued their fine Twenty20 cricket form, and kept their reputation as World Champions at the format of the game, as they beat Pakistan in the first of two internationals by five wickets. Much of the attention surrounding the game had been over the controversy of spot fixing by three Pakistan players during the recent Test Series against England. The Pakistan side had been disrupted as the three players who the alleged charges were brought about were taken from the squad, and added to injury England were always favourites to take the series. With only two games, if you were looking for a winner in your cricket betting then England were always going to be the best shout. Not only are they carrying some great form at the moment, but on home turf they are always a lot stronger of a prospect. Truthfully the pitch in Cardiff made batting a little tricky for both sides, there was enough runs available to match for a competitive match. But with England chasing down Pakistan’s total of 126-4 there were some sticky moments, largely down to some of the England batsmen making life harder for themselves than necessary. Fortunately some great performances by Stephen Davies, Eoin Morgan and Michael Yardy got England over the finish line with seventeen balls still to spare.

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With the batting tricky more than difficult, there was no hint of any great wicket hauls, but England spinner Graeme Swann did a marvelous job of stifling the Pakistan run rate, being the pick of the bowlers. There really isn’t much going for the tourists Pakistan at the moment, and England are primed to heap more misery upon them. For all of England’s lapses in batting and fielding, the Pakistan side were even more guilty of digging themselves into a hole. They continue to look unconvincing as a team and the disruptions in preparations have probably fragmented them even more, and the last thing an already shaky team needs is more ill winds blowing their way. It would be to their credit if they can muster something up for the second match, but England, led by Paul Collingwood will again be match favourites in your cricket betting. England will keep their settled side, which is missing Kevin Pietersen after he was dropped, and with a one day series still to come against Pakistan, whatever frame of mind Pakistan are in, England still need to maintain an edge of professionalism in getting the jobs at hand done and pressing home any kind of advantage. Any ruthless streak they develop now will only serve to help them further when they face Australia down under in the Ashes tour later in the year.

Second England v Pakistan Twenty20 Match Odds
England to win: 1/2 at Ladbrokes
Pakistan to win: 15/8 at 888Sport

Top England Batsman
Craig Kieswetter: 4/1 at Stan James
Ravi Bopara: 4/1 at Boylesports
Steve Davies: 9/2 at Victor Chandler
Eoin Morgan: 5/1 at Ladbrokes
Michael Yardy: 16/1 at Victor Chandler

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

England to win: 4/6 at Totesport
Draw: 13/5 at Bwin
Pakistan to win: 5/1 at SportingBet

Second Test, Edgbaston, August 6th to 10th.
After thrashing Pakistan in the first Test of a four Test series, England will look for another top performance at Edgbaston and will go into the match full of confidence. England beat Pakistan by 354 runs, after skittling the visitors out twice for less than three hundred in total. England, with a sparkling bowling performance from James Anderson, bowled Pakistan out for just 80 in the second innings. James Anderson picked up his first ever 10 wicket haul in his Test Match career, taking five in the first and six in the second innings. He was ably backed up by relative newcomer Steve Finn, who only made his Test debut in March against Bangladesh. The speedy youngster took 3/50 in the first innings, and 2/28 in the second to justify his place in the side. He couldn’t match the domineering performance of senior bowler Anderson though, who took a remarkable 6 for 17 in fifteen overs with eight maidens in the second innings.

One of the most surprising things about the First Test, was the fact that England dealt so well with the dangerous Pakistan bowling attack. Pakistan arguably have one of the most lethal and varied bowling attacks of all Test nations, and they were expected to cause the England batsmen a lot of problems. Granted, the conditions in England will naturally suit the home team more in terms of bowling, but the Pakistan bowlers really never lived up to pre match hype and expectation. The biggest threat Pakistan were supposed to pose was to England’s opener’s and they did have the hosts at 66/4 in the second innings, but the damage was already done by then. Mohammed Asif was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers, but as a collective, the England batsmen did a good enough job in the first innings to set themselves up for a comfortable victory. When Finn and Anderson got stuck into the Pakistan first innings, the result was never really in doubt.

England are sticking with the same squad for the second Test, which gets underway on Friday at Edgbaston, with all rounder Tim Bresnan staying as twelfth man. While the ease of the victory was a little bit unexpected, it has given England fans great hope ahead of the Ashes series against Australia later in the yea. The players themselves however, are playing down any significance of a series victory over Pakistan, when it comes to the Ashes. The conditions Down Under will be completely different to what England will be playing in over the summer against Pakistan, and the personnel may well change by then. But one thing which England will need to do against Pakistan is continue to build confidence and consistency in their Test match performances.

Top England Batsman: Eoin Morgan 6/1 at Coral

Pakistan have surprisingly called on the services of Mohammed Yousuf to the squad, as they are looking for more option in their fragile, but potentially explosive betting line up. Yousuf, former Pakistan captain has been missing out due to retiring from international duty, after leading his nation in a disastrous tour of Australia at the start of the year, where Pakistan failed to win a match. But after their thrashing in the First Test against England, Pakistan have lured him out of retirement and will watch him closely and they could be prepared to throw him into action on Friday. Yousuf has scored six tons against England during his illustrious career, and looks ready and happy to be playing cricket for his country again, without the weight and pressures carried by a Pakistan captain. Pakistan have been through some turbulent times and have quite a young side which has some great potential, but just have not pulled it all together yet. Another heavy defeat against England at Edgbaston would really heap more pressure on the cricketing nation. Pakistan’s strength is in the bowling department, and after they had beaten Australia prior to taking on England, the thoughts were, that the First Test was supposed to be a lot closer. If England win the second Test comfortably, then the whole series could demise into a non-contest.

The conditions in Birmingham will again suit England, and if the First Test is anything to go by, they look to have a very good balance in their bowling attack. England went into the match with a four man bowling attack, with James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steve Finn and Graeme Swann doing the work. The injection of extra pace from youngster Steve Finn has probably been the biggest factor in the England bowling attack, something they have been lacking for some time. In James Anderson, they have one of the best swing bowlers in the world, and he will, more often than not, shine on English pitches, and his ability to reverse swing will be vital in the Ashes. Stuart Broad does not take as many wickets as one would hope, but he does an important role of getting the ball in the right place as a key part of the four man attack. He actually found a lot of surprising swing in his bowling at Trent Bridge in the First Test. Then, when you add spinner Graeme Swann as the cherry on the cake, you have an important factor in Test match cricket, variety.

There is nothing wrong with England’s fielding at the moment, and they took some fantastic catches in the slips in the First Test. Their bowlers are pumped up with confidence, and the batting line up, which still needs a little more work in getting runs from Cook and Pietersen, are not falling apart as a unit at the moment. The arrival of Yousuf could distract from the rest of the Pakistan team, and if they are relying solely on him as a savior, then they will likely crumble again. Pakistan have problems in the consistency of their batting and some lackluster fielding let them down as well. They will have had a week to gather themselves together, and Captain Butt, who only hit 9 runs in his two innings, needs to stand up and lead from the front. The only way Pakistan are going to make a match of this, is if their bowlers can make an impact in the conditions. No reason not to back England to take a good 2-0 lead in the series. This is all important team building exercises ahead of the Ashes at the end of the year.

Correct Series Score (4 Tests)
England 3-0: 11/4 at Totesport
England 4-0: 10/3 at ExtraBet
England 2-1: 5/1 at Bet365
England 2-0: 7/1 at Bet365

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