Betting Blog
Cook to bow out with one final masterpiece?
The final Test of the summer is set to become the Alastair Cook valedictory special
ESPNcricinfo staff
07-Sep-2018
The fifth Test against India at The Oval might have been shaping up as a series-decider while Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane were in harness in their run-chase at the Ageas Bowl. But now, after England's series-sealing 60-run win, the final Test of the summer is set to become the Alastair Cook valedictory special.
Perhaps it's sentiment, perhaps it's a reflection of Cook's legendary bloodymindedness. Either way, a man who has averaged less than 20 in 2018, and who announced last week that this week's match will be his 161st and final Test appearance, has been installed as the second-favourite in the Man-of-the-Match stakes for The Oval, at a tempting 8/1.
Cook slots in behind Virat Kohli, who at 13/2 has been the outstanding batsman on either side this summer, even if his efforts have been overshadowed by England's scrapping tendencies at the key moments of the series.
Full postKuldeep the key as England and India face shoot-out
This could be the antepenultimate meeting between two sides who might expect to challenge for the World Cup final
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Jul-2018
Mark Wood says that England will be treating their deciding ODI against India as if it was a World Cup knock-out match, and with good reason - seeing as this could be the antepenultimate meeting between two sides who might be expecting to encounter each other in the final stages of the 2019 tournament.
And if their potential knock-out next year is as closely fought as Tuesday's contest is set to be, we ought to be in for a treat. After a thumping loss in the series opener at Trent Bridge, England bounced back with an improbably handsome win at Lord's on Saturday, which leaves them inseparable at 10/11 each in the pre-match stakes for the final.
However, if India are to win, then there's little doubt as to who the bookies expect to have made the difference. Kuldeep Yadav's left-arm wristspin claimed 6 for 25 in the series opener at Trent Bridge, and though he was less economical second-time out, he still picked up a further three wickets at Lord's.
Full postChallenge about to get stiffer as India take on England
After a one-sided start to England's white-ball summer, the challenge is about to get ramped up rather higher with the arrival of Virat Kohli's India
ESPNcricinfo staff
02-Jul-2018
After a one-sided start to England's white-ball summer, the challenge is about to get ramped up rather higher with the arrival of Virat Kohli's India. A focussed squad has just dispatched Ireland with dismissive ease in two T20s, and will rock up at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening where the baking summer heat and improbably dry surface is bound to make them feel more at home than might ordinarily have been the case.
But England are on a roll nonetheless - six wins in a row over Australia has given them form and focus, while the promotion of Jos Buttler to open the innings in T20 was an instant success at Edgbaston. Their form has been erratic in T20s since they reached the World T20 final in Kolkata in 2016, but it is rare that they have been able to put out a full-strength side in that time. No doubt they will be on the ball for this one.
For that reason, England are slender favourites to take the three-match series - 4/6 to 6/5, while they are equally wafer-thin market-leaders for the opening match itself - 8/11 to 11/10.
Full postEngland scent whitewash as Australia search for answers
Stock up on Dulux and creosote the fence. There's a whitewash looming in the fifth ODI
ESPNcricinfo staff
22-Jun-2018
Stock up on Dulux and creosote the fence. There's a whitewash looming in the fifth ODI between England and Australia at Old Trafford. And if the odds-setters at Bet365 are any indication, there's not a lot of prospect of it not occurring.
England are 2/5 to seal their fifth win of the series, with Australia a slightly more generous 2/1 to avoid it. But the evidence of the first four matches is that not even Australia's best efforts are likely to derail a team with quite so much power and confidence to fall back on.
And that is reflected in the market for the individual honours. Each of the first five picks for Man of the Match are English - with Joe Root leading the odds at 8/1, despite having had a reasonably quiet time of it while his bigger-hitting colleagues have taken centre stage.
Full postEngland odds-on to take advantage of Australia's woes
Never write off the Australians. It's a pretty solid rule of thumb, but if ever there was a reason to doubt that theory, it is now
ESPNcricinfo staff
08-Jun-2018
Never write off the Australians. It's a pretty solid rule of thumb, but if ever there was a reason to doubt that theory, it is now - in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, which has led to the banning of their two star batsmen, David Warner and Steve Smith; in the absence of their three star bowlers - Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, and when their opponents, England, are the No.1-ranked side in ODI cricket.
That's certainly the view of the odds-setters at Bet365, who have made England overwhelming favourites in the two-horse race that gets underway at The Oval on Wednesday. England are 1/3 to seal victory in the five-match series, with Australia at 12/5. More specifically, the prospect of England winning the series 5-0 is a not-outlandish 5/1, whereas the price for Australia to do likewise is a rather more improbable 50/1.
And given that England have been passing 350 for fun in recent outings, and two seasons ago posted 444 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge, they are also favourites to post the highest score of the series - they are 4/9 compared to Australia's 13/8.
Full postAbbas offers value but Pakistan remain outsiders to wrap up series win
After England's shocking performance in the first Test against Pakistan at Lord's, they need to regroup strongly
ESPNcricinfo staff
31-May-2018
The odds-setters at Bet365 seem reasonably content that lightning will not strike twice at Headingley this week. After England's shocking performance in the first Test against Pakistan at Lord's, they need to regroup strongly to claim a share of the two-Test series. But they are backed at 8/13 to do just that, with Pakistan's odds of sealing a 2-0 win a slightly more distant 10/3.
The draw - which would seal a 1-0 Pakistan series win - is at 4/1, which seems improbable given how effective their bowling proved in the first Test and how fallible both sets of batsmen can be. Then again, the rain in Yorkshire can generally be relied upon to make an appearance.
England were forced to ring the changes after the Lord's loss - or rather, the change, with the out-of-form Mark Stoneman jettisoned in favour of a recall for Keaton Jennings. But at 16/1, Jennings is not exactly a hot bet to be the Man of the Match, albeit he did star with a century on debut against India in 2016-17. Who knows whether he can replicate that effort on his second coming to the side.
Full postEngland backed to return to Test winning ways
After a chastening winter, Joe Root's Test team reconvenes at Lord's this week, hoping to return to winning ways
ESPNcricinfo staff
21-May-2018
After a chastening winter in Australia and New Zealand, Joe Root's Test team reconvenes at Lord's this week, hoping to return to winning ways against an opponent that has got the better of them at crucial moments of the past two English seasons.
Pakistan are never more dangerous than when being under-estimated. They proved that in their last Test series in England in 2016, when they won handsomely at Lord's and The Oval to claim a 2-2 draw and the accolade of the No.1-ranked Test team in the world.
And they were at it again in white-ball cricket in the ICC Champions Trophy last summer, swiping the title from both England in the semi-finals, and their arch-rivals India in a glorious final at Lord's.
Full postChennai march on to yet another knock-out
The group stage of the IPL is rapidly drawing to a close, and the race for the play-offs is starting to get especially hot
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-May-2018
The group stage of the IPL is rapidly drawing to a close, and the race for the play-offs is starting to get especially hot. Of the eight teams in the competition, only one - Delhi Daredevils - is completely out of the reckoning, while only Sunrisers Hyderabad and those seasoned final-four campaigners, Chennai Super Kings, are guaranteed their place in the knock-outs.
Of those, it is Chennai who are currently the bookies' favourites at 7/4. They endured a ban from the competition in recent years, but on every single occasion in which they've made the starting grid, they've been there in the closing stages, and despite being long in the tooth as a squad, MS Dhoni's side have displayed timeless brilliance when it matters.
Close behind them in the betting are Sunrisers, who made light of the loss of David Warner as their franchise captain in the wake of the ball-tampering scandal, and have marched with serenity to the top of the table.
Full postEngland remain favourites for 2019 glory
There is now barely a year to go until the 2019 World Cup, the first to have been played in England since 1999
ESPNcricinfo staff
23-Apr-2018
Time is marching on, and there is now barely a year to go until the 2019 World Cup, the first to have been played in England since 1999, and the long-range odds point squarely towards a home triumph.
Eoin Morgan's men enhanced their white-ball credentials with a pair of series wins this winter - 4-1 against Australia and 3-2 against New Zealand - and are now a prohibitively skinny 3/1 to break their 50-over drought and lift the World Cup for the first time, after featuring in three previous finals.
The current holders Australia, England's next ODI opponents in June, remain second-favourites at 10/3 - even though their plans in the build-up have been thrown into disarray by the ball-tampering bans imposed on their captain and vice-captain, Steve Smith and David Warner. Both men will be eligible for selection in good time for the tournament, but it remains to be seen how the squad reconfigures itself in the interim.
Full postSunrisers the rising force in 2018 IPL
Three matches into this year's IPL, and it is Sunrisers Hyderabad who are making the early running - victorious in all three outings
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Apr-2018
Three matches into this year's IPL, and it is Sunrisers Hyderabad who are making the early running - victorious in all three outings and now setting the pace at 7/2 to be crowned champions for the 2018 season.
Sunrisers' success to date has been built on the spin twins of Shakib Al Hasan and Rashid Khan - from Bangladesh and Afghanistan respectively - who squeezed the life out of Rajasthan Royals in their opening encounter, before Rashid served up a ridiculous 18 dot-balls en route to figures of 1 for 13 in his four overs against Mumbai Indians.
Royal Challengers Bangalore haven't quite had the same returns - just one win in three so far - but they remain heavily in the reckoning at 4/1, due largely to their obscenely power-packed batting line-up. Brendon McCullum, Quinton de Kock, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers is a quartet that you'd back to come good in the long run, not to mention power-hitters such as Mandeep Singh and Washington Sundar lurking down the order.
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