Twenty20

While England polished off their two opening One Day warm up fixtures, with consummate ease, their foray into the realms of Twenty20 did not go quite so well. This was England’s only Twenty20 warm up game ahead of the two-game series against South Africa starting on Friday, and it was nothing short of a disaster. England were dismissed for just 89, with Alistair Cook top scoring on 22. England were skittled out in just over seventeen over, leaving South Africa A to cruise to victory. The South Africans lost 6 wickets in the process of chasing down the poor total, but they still did it with about three overs remaining. This will have been a disappointing effort with the bat especially, with England’s only fit eleven players having to take part.

With Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Graham Onions and needing some time to recover from injuries, with Andrew Strauss not playing in the shortest format of the game, and with the squad awaiting the arrival of Kevin Pietersen after his injury woes, the team that took the field for the warm up match, sort of picked itself. That is no excuse for such a poor showing through, especially after looking very dominant in their two one day matches, beating the Eagles and the Warriors. While the Twenty20 matches against South Africa will pale into comparison of importance against the One Day Internationals and the Test Matches, the dismal showing means that England will need to pick themselves back up again.

Another injury worry occurred after the game with spinner Graeme Swann complaining, but there is good news that the Stuart Broad injury should clear up in time to get back to action against the Proteas when it matters most. This game is not what Twenty20 captain Paul Collingwood would have wanted to see, and now they just have three days to pull everything back together ahead of the first Twenty20 match. Meanwhile South Africa demolished Zimbabwe in their second warm-up One Day match, winning by a massive 212 runs. England will do well to even compete in the Twenty20 and One Day series against a South African side which is still regarded as being the best in the World at the moment, despite what happened at the Champions trophy, where they were beaten by England and Sri Lanka.

South Africa v England Twenty20 Series (two games)
Drawn Series: 6/5 at Totesport
South Africa: 6/4 at Ladbrokes
England: 5/1 at Totesport

South Africa v England ODI Series (five games)
South Africa: 2/5 at Totesport
England: 9/4 at Extrabet
Drawn Series: 37/2 at Betfair

Saved by the rain, well, more likely than not, was all that was needed to be said about Sunday’s first Twenty20 match between England and Australia. After a promising opening spell by the England seamers, Australia got into the bowling and posted a not to shabby score of 145-4. After the Manchester skies opened, England were left with a revised total and set about an instantaneous collapse of being 4-2. Thankfully more rain fell and the game was called off. Debutant Joe Denly fell to a duck, and Ravi Bopara still could not recapture any of the form he showed in the West Indies which earned him a regular England spot.

Paul Collingwood, who wants to remain captain, is looking to claim a victory on Tuesday, so that he can carry on at the helm in the shortened form of the game. That victory may be looking a little unlikely though, with the Aussies looking a little sharper in the first brief encounter. England were keen to shore up the middle order which created room for Denly and Jon Trott to occupy. While inexperienced on the international stage, Collingwood has high hopes still, and worries about fortifying the middle has left the top of the order weakened.

The faces in the teams may be a little different from those which appeared for the Ashes, but the same passion to win is there. The second and final Twenty20 match between the two old rivals will be met with enthusiasm and pride. Already not having a great record in the format, England will not be heartened with the return of pace-man Brett Lee in the line-up, who immediately showed a little of what the Australian bowling attack had been lacking all summer. Pace and accuracy. It may rest on the young shoulders of the openers, not to have to rely too much on the strengthened middle order.

England to win – 5/4 at Stan James
Australia to win – 8/11 at Totesport

BETTING TIP: Money should go on Australia, as you should bet with your head and not your heart. If you want to add a little more interest and spice, try these options, perhaps in a triple with the Aussie win at your regular bookie.
Top England Batsman: Jon Trott 5/1 at Stan James (has faced some of the Aussie bowling)
Top Aussie Bowler: Dirk Nannes 4/1 at William Hill (one of the most economical bowlers in Australia in the format)

After reclaiming the Ashes, England turn to the Twenty20 matches to inflict further pain on the visitors. There are just the two Twenty20 matches between the old rivals, but the Aussies will be looking to claim a little pride back in order to not head back home empty handed. The Twenty20 format gives them a good opportunity to get a series win under their belt, although both sides will still have their World Cup Twenty20 form on their mind.

In the World Cup, the laughing Ricky Ponting saw his Australia team crash out in the Group Stages. England suffered a somewhat humiliating defeat at the hands of Holland, despite doing enough to progress beyond the first stage. England has not seen a great deal of success in this shortened format of the game. If nothing else they will provide some exciting warm ups ahead of the One Day Series.

Less than half of the players named for England in the Twenty20 side were present for Ashes duty, and the side will be led by Paul Collingwood. Ravi Bopara will have the chance to reclaim some of his form after being less than inspiring in the Test matches. Matt Prior, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and James Anderson make up the six players from the victorious Ashes side. For the Aussies, Ricky Ponting takes a rest, leaving the captaincy to Michael Clarke.

The Bookies still fancy the Aussies to take the series, with England’s far from impressive form in the 20 over game.

MATCH ODDS TO WIN
Australia 20/21 at Boylesports
England 5/4 at SportingBet

TWENTY20 SERIES WIN
Draw Evens at Ladbrokes
Australia 2/1 at Paddy Power
England 3/1 at Stan James

Tuesday sees the second match of the series being played at Old Trafford.

Ah…the sound of willow and leather, usually followed by the sound of leather on tarmac! The Twenty20 World Cup must be one of the few international events in which spectators have as much chance of being involved in the action in the car park as inside the ground! This is a big tournament for the England And Wales Cricket Board. The first time the UK has staged an international championship since the disastrous 2004 Champions Trophy. The World Cup in 1999 was hardly a rip-roaring success either so ECB officials will be keeping their fingers crossed for a sunny June and, perhaps, a surprise challenge from England. Paul Collingwood‘s side have certainly built up a head of steam over the last couple of months, recovering from the Sanford Million debacle to win the one-day series in the Caribbean and slaughtering the Windies on home soil in both the test and one-day series. Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad are developing into a fearsome new-ball partnership and Twenty20 specialists Robert Key, Eoin Morgan and Graham Napier should provide plenty of support for star batsman Kevin Pietersen but they are likely to end up in a tough Super Eight group with India, Australia and South Africa and there is still no Andrew Flintoff. England can be backed at 12-1 with Ladbrokes to win the tournament and are 5-1 with Ladbrokes and Skybet to make the final. Australia, 11-2 with extrabet and Paddy Power, can be forgiven for having one eye on their Ashes defence but no Aussie team ever begins a tournament believing they can’t win and, in Shane Watson, they have one of the world’s best all-rounders. Should Yuvraj Singh cut loose then India (a general 3-1) will take all the beating but I believe the English conditions will suit South Africa (9-2 with totesport and William Hill) and also New Zealand. In Brendon McCullum, the Kiwis have a player that’s taken to Twenty20 like a duck to water. The wicketkeeper/batsman can fashion boundaries out of thin air and, backed by a strong all-round limited-overs squad and a wily skipper in Daniel Vettori, New Zealand may be a decent bet at a general 10-1 as they are only 7-2 to reach the final with 888sport and Blue Square. McCullum can be backed at 25-1 with Ladbrokes to finish leading run-maker.

It’s probably fair to say the England And Wales Cricket Board isn’t exactly overflowing with innovators. But whoever came up with the idea of a Twenty20 Cup thoroughly deserves a large pat on the back. Regarded, at its inception in 2003, as little more than a short-term exercise to get more people through the turnstiles, the competition has grown out of all recognition and is now a key part of the English summer. It gave birth, of course, to the IPL and a massive earner for the world’s top one-day players but the Twenty20 Cup is the template from which all international competitions are structured and it’s still pulling in massive crowds, attracted by the dancing girls, rock music and, of course, the big hitters. Very defintely one of the latter is Australian David Warner, who has been signed by Durham specifically to play Twenty20. Warner has a spectacular strike-rate in 20-over cricket and looks poised to make the current County Champions a major force in the most shortened version of the game this year. Lancashire, too, have a big gun in their armoury in the shape of VVS Laxman, who has been starring in the IPL, while holders Middlesex will be hoping Murali Kartik can reproduce the form he showed last year. Twenty20 also has a habit of rocketing relative unknowns into the limelight as well, however, as the likes of Graham Napier at Essex and Dawid Malan at Middlesex proved in 2008. But the team I like the look of this year is Kent. They have a wily skipper in Robert Key and young talent coming through like opener Joe Denly, surely an England international of the future in the one-day game. They’ve made a solid start to their County Championship season and, if they carry that confidence forward, could be a decent bet at 15-2 with totesport, 888sport and Blue Square to triumph on finals day at Edgbaston in August.