online sports betting news

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.