kevin pietersen

England are ready to step into the 2011 Cricket World Cup arena, with their opening match against the Netherlands early on Monday morning. Things at the World Cup have pretty much all gone to plan so far, with India winning their opening match, along with dominating performances from Sri Lanka and defending champions Australia. Next it will be England’s turn to stamp their authority on the tournament, but of course, one eye will keep glancing back at the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup, when the underdogs pulled off a major shock against England. England now actually look a bit stronger and fitter, with the squad pretty much back to full health. Spinner Graeme Swann has joined them after his paternity leave, but he may not be put straight into the side. The spin duty may fall on Michael Yardy, but there is always the temptation to play two spinners in the sub continent conditions. After struggling to get past Canada in their first World Cup warm up match, England put in a much stronger performance to beat Pakistan comfortably. Thankfully Stuart Broad looks back to his best after missing most of the Ashes series with an injury. He roared back into action taking five wickets against both Canada and Pakistan, with figures of 5-25 against Pakistan. England have also been boosted by the news that Tim Bresnan, who really could be an important part of their World Cup campaign, has returned to full health.

Mercurial batsman Kevin Pietersen has been assigned the role of opening the batting with Andrew Strauss, and made a decent contribution to the score against Pakistan. He may take some time to grow into the role, but time isn’t what England have. They need to come out firing from the off. England are in the tougher Group B in the tournament, alongside South Africa and India, and it is their performances against the minnows which could really determine their outcome. While the Dutch fans will remember fondly the last two runs off the last ball in that opening 2009 Twenty20 World Cup match, they haven’t beaten a Test Nation at a ODI World Cup. They have actually only ever won two of their fourteen World Cup matches played. England should have far too much in the tank to suffer any shocking set back here. While it is only against the Netherlands, it really is a must win game, for confidence and for intent in the World Cup. They have seen stronger nations easily brush aside weaker challenges, and that is what they have to live up to. They have to shake off that horrid 6-1 series defeat at the hands of the Aussies and knuckle straight down to business. England start as 1/20 outright favourites to beat the Netherlands at Totesport, so clearly not much value there. With the Dutch way out at 11/1 with Bet365 to win the match, you are unlikely to get any returns there either.

Best profits will come in looking outside of the match outright prices here. Dip into submarkets such as Top England bowler, where Stuart Broad is 11/4 at Bet365 which does represent value. He is on top form at the moment, he looks rested, fit and hungry. Graeme Swann, who should make a big impact at the tournament is 7/2 but Broad will really get first dibs on skittling out the Dutch. So then you can turn to Top England Batsman for some good potential profit on your cricket betting as well. Kevin Pietersen, given the chance to be in amongst the runs earlier is decently priced at 3/1 with BetFred. You look at Pietersen and Captain Andrew Strauss (10/3 at Bet365) to score the heavy runs really, England don’t have a big rapid scorer beyond that. Jonathon Trott (7/2 at Victor Chandler) has great temperament and class but is a bit slow in building innings, yet he can build up big totals if he gets in. Stick with one of the two openers though, as they should get the most action, and you would hope that England don’t have to go too far down their batting order to get the job done here. After their miserable run against Australia, England are out at 9/1 at Stan James to win the 2011 Cricket World Cup outright.

Just how well will England fare in the 2011 Cricket World Cup? Not well enough to win it probably, even though they have previously been mentioned in the same breath as India and Sri Lanka as potential winners. England’s odds on winning the little gold trophy have drifted way out following their hammering at the hands of Australia 6-1 following the success of the Ashes. Yes, they have bit hit by injury, and while they are expected to have Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan back, it won’t be enough. Their key player in the short format of the game, and the man who has carried them so well over the last twelve months or so with the bat, Eoin Morgan is missing, and that will hurt them badly. You will likely make more profit in betting against England than by backing them. Just saying. While the 2011 Cricket World Cup looks as if it will be a pretty open affair, England look to just have too many cracks in their line up. Sure, Pakistan are too unpredictable and volatile to back heavily. Sure India and South Africa have choker labels on them, so should that put England in the hunt? No. Their struggles against lowly Canada, where Kevin Pietersen was surprisingly deployed as opening batsman, will not have instilled much confidence, winning by just 16 runs. England have one more warm up match to come against Pakistan.

England will do well enough to be in the quarter finals for the knockout stage. They are in the tougher Group B of the draw, and have to negotiate matches against South Africa and India (who are potential tournament winners). A good run of three wins would push any team through to the knockout stage, so that leaves victories against the Netherlands and Ireland as being essential, and there is a very tricky match against the rapidly improving Bangladesh. There’s not a lot of certainty around England here, and they looked a bit tired and beaten up in the one day series against Australia. England do not have a solid opening partner for Andrew Strauss, they are missing Morgan, and Kevin Pietersen cannot be relied upon so much as he has been throughout his career to fire England to victory. Graeme Swann should be able to make a big impact with his spin bowling, and will be happy to get into conditions which will suit him after the dry flat tracks Down Under. There probably isn’t enough in the bowling attack to really damage the top level opponents in this tournament, and the batsmen are not the best players of spin. Tim Bresnan is being eased back into things but will miss the opening matches, Broad has just returned from injury (although he is suffering from an illness at the moment), Ajmal Shahzad is nursing a hamstring injury, England are short on fully fit bowlers at the moment. There is not the explosive batting which you can rely on from England, and once they get bogged down against spin, it is hard to see them running up large unassailable totals really.

So, are we looking at an early exit for a somewhat beleaguered England? You can take the price of for them not to qualify, and when you break it down, there is the possibility of it happening. Of course, they won the 2010 Twenty20 World Cup as complete dark horses, but you look at the 50 over format and see so much potential elsewhere.

Let’s picture England squeezing through as one of the top four teams in the Group (and they could be pressed hard by Bangladesh), then a quarter final exit for England will fetch 15/13 at Bwin. If you don’t think that they will even get that far, there is a lot of value in taking England for an early exit from the group stage for a price of 13/2 at SkyBet.

The top England batsman market may as well fall on Kevin Pietersen, now he is getting a run out as opener. Who knows with him, as he still have the most talent and the most to offer in the batting line up. Decent return on Pieterson for 4/1 at Unibet. This would have been the ideal category to back Eoin Morgan, but England have been robbed of him. Other potential big scorers really are only Matt Prior (12/1 at Unibet) on his day, Andrew Strauss (4/1 at Totesport) and the more plausible figure of Jonathan Trott (7/2 at Totesport). Trott scores heavily, but scores slowly and that is why he isn’t a natural one day player. But he has great temperament, sticks around and will get valuable runs on the board.

The top wicket taker for England will likely be pushed by James Anderson (7/2 at Bet365) and Graeme Swann (5/2 at Boylesports). Swann will get a lot more action with the conditions favoring him, and Anderson is the go to guy, Mr. Reliable when it comes to swing. Bresnan really would have been a top contender here, as he is so dangerous at the top of the innings and at the end. Not sure what level of participation he is going to be able to offer, so stick with the two main men.

Head to Victor Chandler for your Cricket World Cup betting for outright winner. If England win the tournament, then all losing bets placed on the outright winner market will be refunded. This is well worth doing your cricket betting at Victor Chandler, because you just never know, and it provides some kind of coverage. With great prices available right now on favourites Sri Lanka and potential outsiders of South Africa and even the unpredictable Pakistan, it’ll be worth picking up your odds now at Victor Chandler. Victor Chandler offer a free £25 bet for new customers opening an account with them.

The Ashes continues in just a few day’s time, with England one up in the best of five series after two Test Matches. After some superlative batting in the second innings of the First Test from Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott to save England from potential defeat, it was the bowlers turn to shine in the Second Test, skittling out the Aussies in Adelaide for just 245 in their first innings. Jimmy Anderson did most of the damage, taking 4 for 51. Then it was the turn of the England batsmen to show the Aussies just how it is done. Opener Alistair Cook continued his fine form with a second century in successive innings, by knocking off 148, but the star of the show was Kevin Pietersen, who emulated Cook’s efforts in the First Test by hitting a double century. It is ironic that these two players have made the biggest impact with the bat, as they were the two who were being specifically targeted by the Australians as the potential weak links in the England batting line up. It was a return of the old Kevin Pietersen, as he hit 227 in just 308 balls, including 33 fours and one six, before falling to spinner Xavier Doherty. That set up England for a massive 620 declared in their first innings, putting the pressure firmly back on the Australians. England needed their bowlers to perform again, with threats from the weather to deprive them victory, but Graeme Swann and James Anderson again, took down the Australians for just 304, giving England an innings and 71 run victory. That is massive in the Ashes, and now puts England in the driving seat.

The Australians are all over the place, it has to be said. After failing to win at the Gabba in the First Test, which is their fortress, they weren’t at the running in the Second Test either. With their bowling attack looking confused, disjointed and uncertain, there have been rumours that legendary spinner Shane Warne would come out of retirement and into the remaining three games of the Ashes. That, realistically is not going to happen, and captain Ricky Ponting has to find a different way to dig his nation out of a hole. The Australian media are turning on him and his side, as with all the hype of a Warne return, really is just playing into England’s hands. It shows just what a mess Australia are in at the moment. If England needed any further signals that they are in the supremacy, then they just have to look at the selections Australia have made for the Third Test. The Aussies have brought in left arm spinner Michael Beer, who has played just five first class matches in his career. This is clutching at straws time, as the selectors are turning to a journeyman who really doesn’t look as if he has the qualifications to be playing at this ultimate cricket test. Again Australia have changed up the bowling attack, after dropping Doug Bollinger and Xavier Doherty, along with Marcus North, a potential future captain who is having a rough time. In the squad of twelve for the Third Test, Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson, both of who were dropped after the First Test for underperforming, come back in, along with leg spinner Steve Smith. At the top of the batting order, Phillip Hughes is likely to come back to replace Simon Katich, who has been ruled out because of an Achilles injury.

The Australians don’t look as if they know where to turn too, but while England have enjoyed a settled side, they will have to go with a different eleven when the Third Test starts on December 16th in Perth, because Stuart Broad has been ruled out of the Ashes with injury. He couldn’t bowl in Australia’s second innings, and now the England selectors have an interesting decision to make, as to who will replace him. In a Tour Match this week against Victoria, none of the back up crew really seized upon their chance to replace Broad in the attack, as Chris Tremlett, Tim Bresnan and Ajmal Shahzad failed to take a wicket between them. Tremlett posted the most economical figures out of the trio, but Bresnan may be the man England turn too, just because has that little bit experience in the England side. He has performed well for England, but he has never really threatened to look like a top class elite wicket taker on the international stage. But, if England are looking for dependable and solid, then they will probably just slot him into the line up. If they are braver, then Shahzad may get more out of the Perth track. This may not affect the chances of England remaining unbeaten in the Third Test, because Jimmy Anderson, Steve Finn and Graeme Swann should have enough to really take the game to the Australians.

You could visibly see it in action, England growing in confidence. Wrapping the Second Test up in such an emphatic manner has really seen them take the initiative. They just need one more win out of the three remaining fixtures to secure the Ashes, as the Australians won’t be able to beat them. As for the Australians, they need to at least win two and draw one of the remaining three matches to take back the Ashes. For them to lose on their home turf would be one of the most stunning outcomes in an Ashes series for many, many years. Australia simply do not lose Test Series at home, but England came into the event full of confidence after a strong year, and very united as a team. There really was no threat of another 5-0 whitewash happening, such as it did the last time they went Down Under to contest the Ashes, and now their fate is really in their own hands. There is still a lot of cricket to play, and you really would have to expect England to have a bad match as some point in the series, it is just the way things go. They still have much work to do and cannot be complacent about the task ahead. Although the Aussies aren’t in great nick, you should expect a comeback, a bit of a fight back at some point. It is hard to see England losing in Perth though, where they should enjoy a bit of shorter bowling at the Aussies, with Steve Finn perhaps a big key.

Ashes Third Test Outright Odds

England to win: 13/8 at BetFred
Draw: 23/18 at Bwin
Australia to win: 39/19 at Unibet
England have Australia on the ropes, and they need to press home this advantage. They can’t let their foot off the gas and let the hosts get back into this one. For the first time England are favourites at the bookies to win a Test Match in the Ashes series. Worth a punt.

Top England Batsman

Kevin Pietersen: 7/2 at Totesport
Andrew Strauss: 4/1 at SkyBet
Alastair Cook: 4/1 at Bet365
Jonathan Trott: 9/2 at Boylesports
Ian Bell: 11/2 at Bet365
Well, who to punt for here? The England batsmen are in fine form, with Cook going so strongly and Pietersen weighing in heavily. His experience is crucial, along with that of captain Strauss. England look strong at the top of the order, and Strauss really is due to come up big for his side as top scorer.

Top England Bowler

James Anderson: 5/2 at Totesport
Graeme Swann: 11/4 at Stan James
Steven Finn: 7/2 at BetFred
Anderson and Swann have to perform if England are going to succeed, so they should be in the running. However, the pitch in Perth may suit Finn well as he can pump the ball in shorter with his speed and height. Good odds, worth a punt.

Ashes Outright Odds

England to win: 10/21 at Bwin
Draw: 7/2 at Bet365
Australia: 6/1 at SkyBet

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 v Pakistan 1st Twenty20 International Cricket Odds

England to win: 8/15 at Stan James
Pakistan to win: 6/4 at Stan James

Hopefully the start of the Twenty20 International match between England v Pakistan on Sunday, will get the focus on the game back where it is supposed to be. There has been much uproar over the allegations made towards three Pakistan players, including their captain Salman Butt, about spot fixing during their victory over England in the third Test Match recently. Now the Twenty20 World Champions take on England, looking to restore some kind of pride to the sport, which they have besieged with controversy over the past couple of years. But that is not to be focused on here from a betting point of view, all it may well influence in the fact that the Pakistan team by be completely unfocused for the match after yet more disruptions to their tour. But big major allegations like this do not just affect one team, it will affect the moral of the other team, who have to also try and stay focused, which may not be an entirely easy thing to do with all of the media spin and attention being thrown towards the game for all of the wrong reasons.

Online Bookmaker Stan James provide some great cricket betting promotions to back up your wagers. If you place a Top Batsman bet on any Twenty20 match with Stan James and your player hits 50+ runs but still doesn’t end up as the top scorer in the match, then the online bookmaker will refund your lost stake as a free bet. This is valid up to the sum of £250, which makes your Top Batsmen cricket betting at Stan James just a little more comforting. In a new Twenty20 cricket betting promotion, Stan James will pay out both teams at full odds if the match happens to end in a draw. This is a great promotion and all bets to qualify need to be placed before the toss of the match in question. So, with the limited overs series coming up between England v Pakistan, Stan James makes a great stop for your cricket betting needs.

England captain Paul Collingwood though has ensured fans that England are ready for Sunday’s first Twenty20 match, which is being held down in Cardiff. The captain believes that his side are ready and focused, concentrating on the game and the task at hand, and not the media circus. Clearly nobody wants to see such a fine sport dragged through the mire, but there is an exciting Twenty20 match to be played, and that means that some serious cricket betting opportunities are ready to be pounced upon. England may be without Stuart Broad who has been nursing an injury, so England have called up Ajmal Shahzad as cover. England have a lot of faith in the youngster, who is still trying to break his way fully into the international set up. Any chance the seamer does get, needs to be grabbed with both hands. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises in the England set up, is that Kevin Pietersen has been dropped from both the Twenty20 series and the One Day International matches against Pakistan. Pietersen, who has moved to Surrey in order to try and add some spark and form back into his career, cracked a century on Saturday for his new county just to remind selectors that he is a class act.

England v Pakistan Top Batsman Cricket Odds at Stan James
Ravi Bopara: 7/2
Craig Kieswetter: 7/2
Eoin Morgan: 4/1
Stephen Davies: 4/1
Paul Collingwood: 5/1

There is not much doubt about Pietersen and his Test Match place though, as England will need him firing, fresh and fit for the Ashes series against Australia at the end of year. England’s successful Twenty20 side will be favourites to take down the tourists in Cardiff in the first of two Twenty20 Internationals against Pakistan, as Craig Kieswetter and Michael Yardy get another chance to impress with their explosive short form batting. Eoin Morgan is likely to be the batting stalwart and Mr Dependable in the side, while the bowling duties will be resumed by Graeme Swann, Jimmy Anderson, Ryan Sidebottom and Stuart Broad (if he is fit). It is worth backing England in your cricket betting, as things are largely in their favour with home turf, home conditions and a settled side. The three Pakistan players at the centre of the allegations, Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif all miss out naturally, and the tourists will also be without Abdul Razzaq who injured himself in a recent tour match victory over Somerset. In something on an ironic twist of fate, Shahid Afridi, the former Captain of Pakistan who resigned under scrutiny and scandal at the start of the year, now regains captaincy of his nation. Afridi only joined the tour party after Pakistan fell heavily behind in the Test Match series.

ICC World Twenty20 Betting Preview: England’s rise through the ranks of the ICC World Twenty20 tournament in the West Indies, gathered pace on Monday, as they booked themselves a semi final berth, thanks to Pakistan’s victory over South Africa. That was South Africa’s second defeat in the Super 8’s after falling to an inspired England side. Kevin Pietersen has been the backbone of most of England’s success so far in the tournament, but now the team will have to do without him as he flew back to the UK to be with his wife and newborn son. Naturally that will diminish the England batting line up somewhat, and the most likely candidate to come in will be Ravi Bopara. Bopara largely disappointed in England colours during his career, after showing a lot of promise to be an explosive, if unorthodox batsman. His recent good performances in the IPL though has put him on the brink of re-inclusion to the squad.

England’s first group stage was somewhat disrupted, even controversially, by rain, as the Duckworth Lewis system allowed the West Indies to beat England in the group opener, but England responded with a rain effected win over Ireland to progress. The Super 8’s competition started with a great victory over Pakistan, and now backing that victory up with a triumph over one of the tournament favourites in South Africa, England have already confirmed their place in the semi final. They still take on New Zealand in the last of their Super 8 matches, and finishing off nicely with another win, would secure top spot for them, and means that they would probably avoid Australia, who are topping the second group in the Super 8’s. After these round of group matches, the tournament heads for a straight knockout, with England one of the unexpected faces in the last four, with a poor record in the format of the game.

Australia are looking favourites to win the second group of the Super 8’s ahead of Sri Lanka, who demolished the West Indies to pick up their first group victory. Sorry news for India again, as they have failed to deliver when it mattered most on the World Stage, losing their first two matches, and looking unlikely to mount any kind of challenge for second place. Betting on England at the ICC World Twenty20 is still an outside bet, as the Aussies and Sri Lankans are established powerhouses in the game. Still, this is a much different England side to the one that turned out at the last tournament, with a lot of power and flair at the top of the order. How much will the disappearance of Kevin Pietersen disrupt their flow though? Fortunately they have one last group game against New Zealand, for Ravi Bopara to come in and get a taste, before the pressure of the knockout.

ICC Twenty20 World Cup Outright
Australia: 11/8 at Blue Square
England:10/3 at Totesport
Sri Lanka: 8/1 at Totesport
Pakistan: 9/1 at 888Sport

The Final of the 2010 IPL Season will culminate in Sunday’s showdown between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Chennai ran out comfortable winners of the Deccan Chargers in the second semi final, largely helped by Australian bowler Doug Bollinger, who notched up great figures of 4-13, after posting a total of 142-7 in the first innings. Not a great total, but all things considered after a rocky start, it was challenging enough, and proved more than comfortable in the end, as Bollinger’s efforts with the ball, restricted Deccan’s chase to just 104 all out in the nineteenth over. Deccan would have been expected to have chased down Chennai’s average total, as they have looked strong and powerful throughout the tournament, but the Super Kings bowlers put paid to that. The Deccan openers Adam Gilchrist and Herschelle Gibbs didn’t help their own cause though, as they were far to cautious in the swinging conditions, putting pressure on themselves.

In the first semi final, the Mumbai Indians put on a fine batting display, as they put up 184-5, with Saurabh Tiwary top scoring with 52 not out, to beat Kevin Pietersen’s Bangalore Royal Challengers. Mumbai batted first and stood at 107 after 15 Overs, and then went run crazy in their last five Over to post a challenging total. Bangalore, who were probably one of the heaviest hitters in the competition couldn’t match that final onslaught. The scores actually stood even after 15 Overs in their run chase, but with more wickets down, they could only post a total of 149 under pressure. There is doubt over whether Sachin Tendulkar will appear in the final for Mumbai Indians, as the great man injured his right hand in the semi final.

IPL Cricket Final
Chennai Super Kings to win: 6/5 at Totesport
Mumbai Indians to win: 17/20 at SportingBet

Mumbai Indians: P14, W10, L4, Net RR +1.084
Chennai Super Kings: P14, W8, D6, Net RR+0.274

2010 IPL Meetings
Mumbai Indians won by 5 Wickets
Chennai Super Kings won by 24 Runs

Third/Fourth Place PlayOff
Royal Challengers Bangalore: 8/11 at BetFred
Deccan Chargers: 6/5 at SkyBet

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