Twenty20

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.

Check out Online Bookmaker Stan James for your cricket betting. The popular name in UK betting 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 and provides some great coverage. Not settling for just the one promotion, Stan James are running another Twenty20 cricket betting promotion, and the online bookmaker will pay out on both teams at full odds if the match happens to end in a draw. These are great promotions and all bets to qualify need to be placed before the toss of the match in question. With a welcome bonus of up to a £25 free bet as well to cap things off, following England cricket betting can be done with confidence at Stan James.

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 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 Cricket Betting Preview: England have announced their cricket squad for the forthcoming ICC World Twenty20 and two names are notable by their absence. The selectors have omitted Alastair Cook, who captained England on the recent successful tour of Bangladesh, while established wicketkeeper Matt Prior has also been left out. The tournament, which is being held in the West Indies, starts at the end of April, and England look to have been quite bold in some of their selections. The rise and rise of opening batsman Craig Kieswetter has meant that Prior will take a back seat, as the South African born Kieswetter will also take the gloves as the only recognised wicketkeeper in the 15 man squad. There is no place for specialist keeper James Foster either, who has been repeatedly on the fringes of cementing a place in the senior squad.

Cook has admittedly been working hard on the shorter format of the game, but still, he is not seen as a specialist in the Twenty20 format. While that has been a bitter pill for both players, they have both respectful of the players coming in to do jobs in their place. While Kieswetter has been explosive, making a century against Bangladesh in the ODI series, exciting opening Lions partner Michael Lumb also earns himself a place. Lumb has the perfect balance of aggression with the bat for opening in Twenty20, and can also offer controlled options with his left arm spin. Left hander Lumb is currently proving his Twenty20 worth with the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL. The IPL is also the scene of an increase in form from Ravi Bopara, who looked out of place for England for most of last year in all formats. Bopara has been putting bat to ball with some aplomb for the King’s XI Punjab.

In the bowling department, James Anderson has been selected after missing the Bangladesh tour through injury, as has Ryan Sidebottom. Ajmal Shahzad brings his pace to the side after debuting for England on the Bangladesh tour, and Tim Bresnan, after continuously good work, earns his Twenty20 place. England have selected a heavy bowling attack, and they have plenty of options for the tournament, which may need some quality spin on the slower Caribbean tracks. Stuart Broad and all-rounder Luke Wright gives England good depth with the bat as well, and it looks to be an exciting, versatile and strong fielding side.

Paul Collingwood will captain the side in the Caribbean, while other England players left out along with Cook and Prior, are Owais Shah, Jonathan Trott and Joe Denly. Batsman Michael Yardy gets a surprise call up, and again provides some spinning options when needed, with James Tredwell and Graeme Swann in as the spinners. With Kevin Pietersen looking as if he is rediscovering some of his form in Bangladesh, the inclusion of short format specialists, Eoin Morgan, Kieswetter and Lumb look to be the backbone of a potentially explosive batting line up. It has been the performances of the England Lions team which has been far more promising than what the senior side has produced in Twenty20 in recent times, and England will look to carry good momentum and individual form into the competition. England have been drawn alongside hosts West Indies and qualifiers Ireland in their group stage.

England ICC World Twenty20 Squad
James Anderson, Ravi Bopara, Tim Bresnan, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood (cpt), Craig Kieswetter (wk), Michael Lumb, Eoin Morgan, Kevin Pietersen, Ajmal Shahzad, Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann, James Tredwell, Luke Wright, Michael Yardy.

England are 12/1 at Boylesports to Win the ICC World Twenty20
England are Evens at SportingBet to Win Group D
Kevin Pietersen is 17/2 at BetFair to be Top Batsman
Craig Kieswetter is 21/2 at BetFair to be Top Batsman
England are 5/6 at Ladbrokes to beat West Indies in Group D Match
England are 1/10 at Paddy Power to beat Ireland in Group D Match

Alastair Cook, who is leading England at the moment on the tour of Bangladesh at the moment, was dealt a blow as he was left out of the England Twenty20 Squad for the ICC Twenty20. While only the provisional squad has been named, the England opener’s name was not one of the thirty, and is something of high profile omission. This is somewhat of surprise, as Cook’s form, which was under some debate for most of 2009, has picked up dramatically, with his scoring heavily and regularly with the bat during the tour of the UAE and Bangladesh, both in Twenty20 and One Day Internationals.

England have named five newcomers to the full international Twenty20 fold, with four spinners and one batsman looking to earn spots in the team at the tournament. Bowlers Steven Finn, Peter Trego, Chris Woakes and David Wainwright have been drafted, along with another South African born batsman, Michael Lumb. Whoever makes the final 15 will be under the captaincy of England stalwart Paul Collingwood, who keeps going and going, and still delivering for his nation, in all formats of the game. Collingwood remains one of the most decidated cricketers to the England cause, never seemingly taking a break from international cricket.

Perhaps this is not as much of a knock on Cook’s confidence as it may first appear to be. To be fair he has not really excelled at the Twenty20 game, looking more of a patient player. But his form at the moment, may just have seen him turn the corner in both of the shorter formats of the game, and there will be time, if he continues his fine form, to make his mark on the international Twenty20 scene. The young players being called into the provisional squad, have been looking impressive and making strides with the England Lions, and Craig Kieswetter showed that breaking into the full England team can be done.

Someone who may be missing from the ICC Twenty20, which begins at the end of April, is Kevin Pietersen, who could be away on paternity leave, during the crucical stages of the tournament. England are in a three team group along with hosts West Indies and qualifier Ireland. England’s first match of the tournament is against Ireland on May 1st, something which former Ireland star Eoin Morgan will be looking forward too, as he continues to impress for England with the bat.

England’s tour of Bangladesh continues, with the visitors holding on to their unbeaten record against the sub-continent nation. Eoin Morgan came to the rescue in the second of three ODI’s, with a cracking 110 scored from 104 balls, which saw England home. Paul Collingwood was the stand out performer with the bat in the first match of the series, in which England started as strong favourites to win. With series now secured, England will look to head into the Test Match series against Bangladesh with a 100% record.

Bangladesh vs. England Third ODI Outright Betting
England to win: 1/4 at Boylesports
Bangladesh to win: 4/1 at Bet365

ICC World Twenty20 Outright Betting
Australia – 9/2 at Totesport
South Africa – 9/2 at SkyBet
India – 5/1 at Ladbrokes
Sri Lanka – 6/1 at Boylesports
Pakistan – 7/1 at Blue Square
West Indies – 12/1 at 888Sport
England – 12/1 at Boylesports
Bangladesh – 80/1 at Bwin
Zimbabwe – 300/1 at Victor Chandler
Ireland – 500/1 at Bet365
Afghanistan – 1000/1 at Ladbrokes

A brilliant batting performance by Eoin Morgan, ably backed up by Kevin Pietersen, helped England to a convincing win in the first of two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan. After some great bowling from Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann, England put in one of their great fielding performances, to restrict Pakistan to 129 for 8 after their 20 innings. Things didn’t start well in England’s riposte, as openers Jonathan Trott (4) and Joe Denly (1) both fell incredibly cheaply. Fortunately, coming to England’s rescue was Kevin Pietersen, who has looked nowhere near his immaculate best since returning from injury on the tour of South Africa. He looked steady though, getting back to what he does best, creaming the ball all over the park, scoring 43 from 43 balls. It was Eoin Morgan’s heroics though, coming in after Captain Paul Collingwood had gone for a duck, that really pushed England along. His blistering attack, scoring 67 from 51 balls, was full of control, composure, and some fine stroke play. He won the game for England, with two fours and a six, with an over and a half to spare.

The seven wicket victory by England, will boost the players, who haven’t exactly showed a lot of promise in this abridged version of the game. These are warm ups ahead of the tour of Bangladesh, and good practice ahead of the ICC World Twenty20 Championships in April. There are, evidently, still problems in the opening positions, but England have tinkered and juggled players around the top batting order so much, they look to be sticking with this duo. But that will only last as long as they are performing. Waiting in the wings is Craig Kieswetter, who is on tour with the England Lions, and is tearing up the bowling which is being thrown at him, even helping the Lions to defeat the senior England squad in a warm up match.

But Pakistan, who should have all the tools in place to be a great side, will welcome the return of Shahid Afridi on Saturday. Afridi was banned for two games after being caught biting the ball in a match against Australia recently. Pakistan are also without their star bowler Mohammed Asif for the games in Dubai, as the UAE won’t let him in after being stopped for opium possession in 2008. There should be some kind of fight back from Pakistan on Saturday, and although they have not been in great form since winning the Twenty20 World Cup last year, they are still an awesome threat with some quality players. Recent infighting and discipline problems in the team though, won’t have helped either.

Second Twenty20 International
Pakistan to win: 10/11 at Boylesports
England: Evens at Totesport

England are set to play Pakistan in back to back Twenty20 Internationals, on Friday and Saturday. These are warm up matches ahead of the tour of Bangladesh, which runs from February 23 to March 24. The two matches are a stern test against one of the best exponents of the shortened format of the game. Although England do not play Bangladesh at Twenty20 during the tour, there is a matter of three ODI’s and two Test matches. England’s first team warmed up against the England Lions, a match which the selectors should have been casting a good eye over, as the Lions, essentially England’s B team, beat the star studded main team.

The Lions’ success was largely down to South African born wicket keeper Craig Kieswetter, who is having a remarkable tour with the Lions. His average in his matches on tour? 93. Yes, 93. That’s stark contrast to the England senior top five, who all went cheaply in the friendly contest. But England have ruled out any place for Kieswetter in the two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan, simply because they are trying to build a top order around Joe Denly and Jonathan Trott. England apparently want to put trust in gaining some kind of continuity. This will of course mean that keeper Matt Prior will be under severe pressure to perform. Spinner Adil Rashid always made a claim for his future in the senior England squad after taking 3-22.

But as England’s next endeavour in Twenty20 doesn’t come until April in the ICC World Twenty20, England are choosing not to switch up the order again. There is of course no Andrew Strauss on the tour of the UAE and Bangladesh, as controversially he has decided to take himself a break away from the game after a long year. The tour of Bangladesh should be England’s easiest contest in another action packed year of cricket, but Strauss’s decision has left pundits scratching their heads as to how the England captain can walk away from leading his team at his leisure. The England captain’s argument is that he wants to be sharp and ready for the year ahead, which includes the defence of the Ashes. Opening batsman Alistair Cook takes over the captaincy for the Test Matches in Bangladesh, while Paul Collingwood will carry on captaining the Twenty20 side.

England 2010 Tour of Bangladesh Dates

One Day Internationals v Bangladesh
February 28th, Mirpur
March 2nd, Mirpur
March 5th, Chittagong

Test Matches v Bangladesh
March 12th to 16th, Chittagong
March 20th to 24th, Mirpur

BANGLADESH v ENGLAND BETTING

First ODI (3 matches)
England to win: 1/4 at Totesport
Bangladesh to win: 15/4 at Bwin

ODI Series Betting
England to win: 2/7 at SkyBet
Bangladesh: 4/1 at Blue Square

PAKISTAN v ENGLAND BETTING
1st Twenty20 International
England to win: 6/5 at Totesport
Pakistan to win: 10/11 at SportingBet

SERIES BETTING: England v Pakistan Twenty 20 (2 Matches)
Pakistan to win: 11/5 at Stan James
England to win: 7/2 at Totesport
Drawn Series: 11/10 at Ladbrokes

While England gear up for the two Twenty20 matches against Pakistan on February 19th and 20th, there has been some fascinating cricket going on in the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers. What is this you may ask? It is a competition for the associated cricket nations (those nations who are yet to gain Test status) to gain entry into the ICC World Twenty20 Championships in April. Eight teams started the competition, Afghanistan, Canada, Ireland, Kenya, Holland, Scotland, USA and hosts United Arab Emirates. Looking at the list of nations, it would have been easy to assume who the group winners would have been. After making their mark in the last Twenty20 World Cup by beating England, the Netherlands, in a group with Kenya, Canada and UAE, started out as favourites. Likewise in the Group A, Ireland, who beat Bangladesh in the World Cup, should have been a lot stronger than USA, Scotland and Afghanistan.

But the tournament threw up some major surprises with Afghanistan winning Group A, and the United Arab Emirates winning Group B. Yes, really. Both of those nations won all of their three group games (including a fascinating tussle where Afghanistan beat the USA) to progress to the Super Four league stage, along with runners up Ireland and Netherlands. In the Super Four stage, Ireland already have one foot in the door of the final, but need a win against the Dutch on Saturday to book their place at the full tournament to be held in the West Indies. With all four teams winning one and losing one match in the Super Four, it all boils down to a semi final shoot out really, with the winner of Ireland v Holland, playing the winner of Afghanistan and the UAE. Both of those games and the final will be played on Saturday.

Super Four Final Round of Matches
Afghanistan v UAE (started at 8am GMT)
Ireland v Netherlands (12:00 GMT)
Final (4pm GMT)

The top two teams in the Super Four stage will play a Final for the honours of winning the tournament, but both teams will qualify for the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Championships which are being held in the West Indies at the end of April. The winner of the Qualifier tournament, will go into a three-team group in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Championship, along with South Africa and India, and the Runner-Up of the Qualifier tournament will go into Group D, which includes hosts West Indies and England.

Super Four Match Price:
Ireland to win: 4/7 at Paddy Power
Netherlands to win: 5/4 at Paddy Power

Groups for 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Championships
Group A: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Australia
Group B: Sri Lanka, New Zealand, Zimbabwe
Group C: South Africa, India + Winner of Qualifier
Group D: West Indies, England + Runner Up of Qualifier

Outright 2010 ICC World Twenty20 Championships
South Africa: 9/2 at Totesport
India: 5/1 at Ladbrokes
Australian: 11/2 at Boylesports
Sri Lanka: 11/2 at Boylesports
Pakistan: 6/1 at Victor Chandler
West Indies: 9/1 at Victor Chandler
England: 12/1 at Boylesports
New Zealand: 12/1 Totesport
Bangladesh: 60/1 at Bwin
Zimbabwe: 2501/ at Coral

With so much cricket having been enjoyed this year, and plenty to enjoy at the moment, we take a look at some good cricket bets, which will hopefully guide you towards some profits. Again the cricketing world will be busy next year, and we look at some of the current action, as well as towards 2010.

1) South Africa vs. England Drawn Series
The Proteas are favourites to take the series, but with the inclement weather on show so far on the tour, taking the series to draw 7/2 at Bet365 is not a bad shout at all. Still, if you would rather get off the fence and back either the home nation or the visitors to win, consider placing the stake instead on a Draw No Bet. England are 3/1 at Bet365 for that option, while South Africa are 4/9 at William Hill. This a Test Match Series of four matches, not the usual five, so the chances of a drawn series are increased a little. Sports fans are always happier when a definitive result is produced, but if England can manage a draw, then they will be relatively happy with the tour, especially after surprisingly winning the One Day International Series.

2) Sri Lanka To Win Twenty20 World Cup.
They are joy to watch at Cricket, and have made steady progress towards the top of the World Rankings, and they still have a lot to prove in order to silence critics who think they are lacking a little something when it comes to major tournaments. They are however, one of the most complete teams in terms of all-round skill, along with Pakistan. The Twenty20 World Cup takes place next April in the West Indies, and Sri Lanka should be a major factor in the tournament with players like Dilshan, Sangakkara, Jayawardene, Mendis, Muralitharan and Malinga, in their current series against India, they are proving they have good depth coming through the ranks too. A force to be reckoned with. Early prices has them at 5/1 at Ladbrokes to win the Twenty20 World Cup in 2010.

3) Durham To Win County Championship.
Winners of the County Championship Division One title, by some stretch, will start next season’s campaign as favourite. Currently providing Paul Colllingwood and Graham Onions to England, Durham look set to continue their reign, but will probably be most closely challenged by Nottinghamshire. With Ryan Sidebottom, Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad on their books, Nottingham also have some good international experience to call upon, not that the England players get to enjoy much county cricket. But Durham got the better of the encounter with Nottingham last season, and will be hoping to build upon that success. Early days yet until the season starts, but a good time nonetheless to get an early punt on them, even if it just each way. Durham are currently 2/1 at Boylesports to retain their title.

4) New South Wales To Win Sheffield Shield.
As most England cricket fans won’t really pay too much attention to the domestic cricket scene down under, their domestic levels are nothing short of fantastic. As a sporting nation, Australia often puts England to shame, and the wealth of top class cricketers they produce, all stem from a great domestic setup, from the youth stages to the organisation of their top flight leagues and tournaments. Everything is done to condition and promote the development of players, and it is what keeps Australia on top of the cricketing world. New South Wales won the inaugural Twenty20 Champions League earlier this year, and have some famous international names on their books, such as Simon Katich, Michael Clarke, Muralitharan, Phillip Hughes, Brad Haddin, Nathan Brackan, Nathan Hauritz and Nathan Bracken. They are a good solid side and a really good price to win the Sheffield Shield, which is a round-robin league format of First Class cricket (which is the 4 day format). They will likely need to overcome the stronger team of the Victorian Bushrangers, but they stand in good stead. They are 36/5 at BetFair to win the Sheffield Shield.

5) Sri Lanka to Beat India.
Yes, again, but this time some current action. They are currently involved in a five game One Day International series against India, with the score level at 1-1. Both games have been incredibly tight, dramatic and some of the most entertaining cricket seen all year. Hopefully that will continue throughout the series. A great price at the moment for Sri Lanka to nick the series, is 6/5 at Coral. There really is not much to chose between the two teams at the moment, and while India do have home advantage in front of some of the most passionate cricket fans in the world, Sri Lanka are more than happy to roll up and play party poopers. India had the upper hand in the Test Match series between them, but Sri Lanka’s dynamic and enviable batting power will come into play more in the ODI’s.

England’c cricketers actually put on a decent, entertaining and exciting Twenty20 game for once, as they faced South Africa in the first of two Twenty20 internationals. Helped by a bit of English luck, otherwise known as the rain, England held on a victory via the Duckworth/Lewis method, winning the game by one run. England batted first and they posted their highest over Twenty20 total of 202-6. Man of the moment for England was Eoin Morgan, who has had his critics but now and again shows what he can do with the bat. His 85 not out, came in just 45 balls, and was the highest individual score by an England player in Twenty20. Jonathan Trott, made an early apperance as opener Joe Denly was skittled out first ball of the match, and Trott made a steady 33 to get the innings going.

Captain Paul Collingwood also led with a fine display, hitting 57 from 32 balls, and the performance with the bat was a marked improvement from their only Twenty20 warm up match in which they failed miserably against South Africa A. Whenever England do well with the bat on a wicket, there is always a thought at the back of the mind, that if England can score a lot, then what will a genuinely good team like South Africa do? Despite it seeming a huge total, South Africa started firing away quickly. They reached just short of a hundred in only nine overs and if the match had been stopped one over earlier, they would have been ahead on the Duckworth/Lewis.

But it wasn’t to be, and they needed 8 off the 13th over to keep their noses in front. Jimmy Anderson was the man bowling for England, and he managed to contain the South African batsmen, who were AB de Villiers and big hitting Albie Morkel to just six. That left them on 127-3, one run short of salvaging a tie. Although it did not really play out to a satisfying conclusion, it did at least produce a pulsating and exciting match for the spectators, something which bodes well for the rest of the winter tour in South Africa. England, historically are not a good Twenty20 or ODI team, and maybe that spark will be the one that is needed to really contest against the best in the world with a settled team.

South Africa v England Second Twenty20 Match
South Africa: 8/15 at Stan James
England: 9/5 at Sporting Bet

Eoin Morgan top England batsman: 6/1 at Stan James

Betting Advice: South Africa won’t have taken that result lightly, as there seemed to be some misunderstanding by the men out in the middle as to how many runs they needed. Regardless, there will be a plan to get rid of Trott and Morgan especially on Sunday. The Proteas will come out firing to try and stop England building any kind of momentum ahead of the ODIs. This is where the South Africans are probably at their most dangerous.

Friday, November 13
Johannesburg
4pm GMT

England have been bolstered by the news that three of their front line bowlers have recovered from injuries ahead of the first of two Twenty20 International matches against South Africa, which takes place on Friday in Johannesburg. James Anderson, Graham Onions and spinner Graeme Swann have all be declared fit enough to play, which will be something of a relief to Twenty20 skipper Paul Collingwood. England lost badly to South Africa A in a Twenty20 warm up in the week, in which England could field the only 11 fit players they had with them. Only Swann took part in that match, in which he picked up his injury, but has been given the all clear to resume action.

England will however, be without two names still. Stuart Broad has not managed to regain his full fitness after injuring himself in the first One Day warm up of the tour, and Kevin Pietersen, who joined up with the squad, is not ready for action just yet. Pietersen, England’s most powerful and potent batsman, may not make an appearance in the Twenty20 games, but the South African born player, has been training hard to keep his fitness levels up while recuperating from his Achilles problem. Pietersen has not played for three months or so, dropping out of the summer Ashes series against Australia halfway through. Seeing him back will be a welcome sight for One Day and Test Match skipper Andrew Strauss, and also the travelling Barmy Army who will no doubt be making their vocal presence on the tour.

Alistair Cook, one of England’s opening batsmen, is struggling to be fit, after coming down with a sore throat, which may keep him out of the first Twenty20 match. That could give South African born England player Jonathan Trott another great chance to prove himself, after making a fine 88 in England’s first One Day warm up game. Trott, who has been a nice fringe element to the England squad, is possibly, like Pietersen and Strauss (who is also South African born), one of the players who could actually break into a very strong South African batting line-up. Trott knocked off a century in his first full appearance for England in the fifth and deciding Ashes match, after being called up as a late change to boot a poor Ravi Bopara out of the line up. Trott can be taken at 11/2 with Betfred to finish as England’s top batsman for the first Twenty20 match.

As a unit in South Africa, the England batsmen will need to be on their top games in order to compete against the Proteas in all formats. The Twenty20 contents represents a chance to gather some momentum and to get a feel for the opposition. England defeated South Africa in a one day game during the Champions Trophy earlier this year, but taking on and defeating South Africa in their own backyard over a series of games is going to be a tall order. England though, do have things to work with. They were not great in the Summer in beating Australia in the Test Matches, but they got the job done, being a far better Test Match side than in either of the shorter format of games. That was emphasised in the drubbing Australia handed them in ODI series following the Ashes series. The post-Ashes euphoria is not quite there this time around, like it was in 2005, when England went into a sharp slump from hitting that triumphant pinnacle, struggling to hit any form in Pakistan. This time there is more pragmatism, a view to avoiding past mistakes.

On their day and fully fit, England have the power to put up a good contest. Andrew Strauss is in great form though doesn’t partake in the Twenty20 games, Alistair Cook can produce important innings, Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior can all chip in with great scores, Kevin Pietersen will score, and the tail end is probably a lot stronger than it has been for years. If the likes of Jonathan Trott and Joe Denly can build on experience, England will be heading in a good direction for batting. It is to the bowling department which there is probably the most criticism aimed at, due to lack of potent wicket takers. Jimmy Anderson on his day, is one of the best swing bowlers in the world, but England lack a powerful force without Freddie Flintoff charging in down the wicket. Stuart Broad is supposed to fill that role, but, while a good player in his own right, has not filled the massive boots left behind by Freddie. Swann has proven very useful in his role, but England are lacking a fast bowler in the great Australian Glen McGrath’s role, who can metronomically take wickets on any surface and in any condidition.

South Africa v England First Twenty20 International
South Africa to win: 8/15 at SkyBet
England to win: 7/4 at William Hill

Twenty20 Series (Two games)
Drawn Series: 5/4 at Bet365
South Africa to win: 11/8 at Ladbrokes
England to win: 5/1 at Bet365

Betting Advice: England have won just 8 out of 21 Twenty20 Internationals, so it doesn’t bode well for them. That is compared to South Africa’s 66% record of having won 18 out of 24. That, combined with England’s poor showing in the warm up, and with South Africa’s guns blazing well in their one day format warm ups, South Africa should breeze through these two Twenty20 Internationals. If these were the Test Matches, there would have been a little more confidence in England.