Betting Blog
Essex tipped to put up a strong title defence
The teams are under starters' orders, the weather is intermittently foul. It must be the start of the 2018 County Championship season
ESPNcricinfo staff
05-Apr-2018
The teams are under starters' orders, the weather is intermittently foul. It must be the start of the 2018 County Championship season.
It's a notoriously tricky competition to second-guess - a season-long campaign, chopped into two parts in early and late summer, and subject to the vagaries of weather, international call-ups and evolving pitch conditions.
But at this early stage of the betting, the odds-setters at Bet365 aren't looking far beyond the reigning champions Essex, who stunned the top flight with a runaway victory last year, after several seasons of underachievement in red-ball cricket.
Full postRabada absence may tip scales in Australia's favour
South Africa's six-wicket victory in the second Test at Port Elizabeth means that this series is destined to go to the wire
ESPNcricinfo staff
12-Mar-2018
Two Tests down, two to go, and the odds remain as closely fought as ever. South Africa's six-wicket victory in the second Test at Port Elizabeth means that this series is destined to go to the wire one way or another. South Africa, extraordinarily, haven't yet won a home Test series against Australia since readmission, and 2/1 says that they aren't about to do so this time around.
Those are the odds on the 2-2 series draw, which is understandably the bookies' favourite after two matches of vastly fluctuating fortunes. Overall, however, Australia remain ever so slightly more likely to close out the win - they are 3/1 to claim a 2-1 series scoreline, and 11/4 for 3-1, compared to 5/1 and 8/1 for South Africa to secure the opposite result.
Much of that may be put down to the absence of Kagiso Rabada - South Africa's 11-wicket spearhead in the second Test has been banned for the remainder of the tour after racking up the demerit points in his altercation with Steve Smith.
Full postEngland in position to turn the one-day screw
England have the chance to seal a keenly contested ODI series in New Zealand when the fourth match gets underway in Dunedin on Wednesday
ESPNcricinfo staff
05-Mar-2018
England have the chance to seal a keenly contested ODI series in New Zealand when the fourth match gets underway in Dunedin on Wednesday, and according to the odds-setters at Bet365, they are slender favourites to close out the rubber with a game to spare.
Admittedly the odds are not overwhelmingly in their favour - England are 8/13 for victory, compared to New Zealand's 13/10 - but the manner in which England got across the line at Wellington no doubt aids the impression that they've got the measure of this series.
They've been criticized in recent times for failing to knuckle down when the pitch conditions are not in their favour, but England's batsmen gutsed it out to reach a passable total of 234 at the Cake Tin, then closed out the game in no little style - ripping the heart out of New Zealand's batting thanks to the spin twins Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, before a nerveless bout of death bowling from Tom Curran and Chris Woakes.
Full postNothing between the teams ahead of SA-Aus showdown
Australia's Test tour of South Africa gets underway in Durban on Thursday, and there is next to nothing to split the teams
ESPNcricinfo staff
26-Feb-2018
Australia's Test tour of South Africa gets underway in Durban on Thursday, and there is next to nothing to split the teams. Two of the most powerful seam attacks in the world, set to go head to head on some of the sportier decks you could hope to encounter in the five-day game. It promises to be a show to savour.
On paper at least, Australia are ever-so-slender favourites, according to Bet365. They start the series at 5/4 for overall victory, against South Africa's 6/4, with the draw arguably the value bet at 7/2 (especially when you consider how few draws there have been in contests involving these two teams recently).
But if you're in the business of predicting a correct score, then good luck picking the bones out of this one Australia and South Africa are both 40/1 to win the series 1-0. Australia are 5/1 to win 2-1, compared to South Africa's 11/2. A 3-1 win is 13/2 and 15/2 respectively; 4-0 is 16/1 and 20/1. It really is too close to call at this stage.
Full postBattle of the biffers at Eden Park
The two tri-series finalists, Australia and New Zealand, are in hard-hitting form going into Wednesday's showdown at Auckland
ESPNcricinfo staff
19-Feb-2018
The inaugural T20 Tri-Series hasn't been the most competitive of initiatives so far, thanks largely to a lacklustre display from the third wheel in the partnership, England. However, the two finalists, Australia and New Zealand, are in hard-hitting form going into Wednesday's showdown at Auckland.
And not surprisingly, given their fireworks in Friday's group-stage contest against the same opponents, Australia start the match as 4/7 favourites. New Zealand thought they had the game sewn up when they posted a hefty 243 for 6 in their 20 overs, only for David Warner and D'Arcy Short to tear Eden Park to shreds as their team hunted down a world-record chase with seven balls to spare.
As you would expect, both Warner (8/1) and Short (10/1) feature prominently in the Man of the Match stakes, but it is the roundhouse slugging of Chris Lynn (15/2) that is the market leader. That said, New Zealand pack plenty punch of their own in the top order, with Colin Munro (8/1) and Martin Guptill (17/2) both eminently capable to taking a game to the cleaners.
Full postStanlake a tempting price for repeat performance
England confirmed their white-ball credentials in the recent ODIs against Australia, but the bookmakers aren't entirely swayed when it comes to the 20-over format
ESPNcricinfo staff
05-Feb-2018
England confirmed their white-ball credentials with an emphatic 4-1 series win in the recent ODIs against Australia, but the bookmakers aren't entirely swayed when it comes to the 20-over format just yet. After two months of preparation in the Big Bash League, the Aussies laid down a hefty marker for the T20 Tri-series by flicking aside New Zealand in their opening match in Sydney on Saturday, and are 6/5 favourites to see off England as well to claim the inaugural Trans-Tasman title.
Their first encounter takes place in Hobart on Wednesday, before a rematch in Melbourne on Saturday, and though England and Australia are 11/8 to be the two finalists, these two matches will go a long way towards establishing a pecking order ahead of the New Zealand leg of the tournament next week.
In keeping with a run-dominated BBL, most of the stand-out contenders for Man of the Match in Wednesday's contest are batsmen - Aaron Finch, Chris Lynn, Jos Buttler and David Warner lead the field at 8/1, with Jason Roy and Alex Hales tucked in behind them on 9/1 and D'Arcy Short - the hard-hitting Player of the Tournament in the BBL - at 10/1.
Full postEngland begin to walk the World Cup walk
However, England began the 2017 Champions Trophy as favourites to lift their maiden 50-over global title, and, well, that didn't turn out so well.
ESPNcricinfo staff
28-Jan-2018
Memorably, England began the 2017 Champions Trophy as favourites to lift their maiden 50-over global title, and, well, that didn't turn out so well. A crushing malfunction in the semi-final at Cardiff, against the eventual winners Pakistan, condemned them to another year as also-rans, despite the huge strides they have been making in ODI cricket in the past three years.
So, what are we to make of the long-range World Cup odds at Bet365, especially hot on the heels of England's formidable 4-1 series win in Australia? Well, they aren't favourites yet - though at 7/2 they aren't exactly long odds either. But, seeing as it is the Aussies, the five-times World Cup champions, who top the charts at 10/3 despite the World Cup being contested in England's back yard? That's food for thought.
Any more barnstorming performances, such as Jason Roy's England-record 180 in the series opener at Melbourne, or Tom Curran's stunning display of reverse swing to swipe a cliffhanger in Perth on Sunday, and it will be hard to keep England from assuming the mantle of favourites. But for now, it seems, the bookies just can't quite bring themselves to believe what they are seeing. Or perhaps England's collapse of 8 for 5 at Adelaide on Friday is all the evidence they need to defer outright judgement...
Full postSouth Africa on course for 3-0 whitewash?
Despite showing a competitive spirit in both of the first two Tests, the market has lost faith in the ability of Virat Kohli's India to avoid a whitewash
ESPNcricinfo staff
22-Jan-2018
Despite showing a competitive spirit in both of the first two Tests, and occasionally setting the agenda with both bat and ball, the market has lost faith in the ability of Virat Kohli's India to avoid a whitewash when the third Test against South Africa starts in Johannesburg this week.
According to Bet365, India are a distant 6/1 in a two-horse race to win the Test and secure a 2-1 series defeat, compared to South Africa's odds of 8/11. The draw is 2/1, although given the strength and incision of both team's bowling attacks, not to mention the Wanderers' reputation for pace and bounce, all the signs point to a positive outcome one way or another.
The identity of the Man of the Match is also deemed to be a bit of a two-horse race, certainly where the team's star batsmen are concerned. AB de Villiers, who made a crucial 80 to shore up South Africa's advantage at Centurion, is 6/1 to pick up the match honours, just ahead of Kohl at 7/1, in the wake of his brilliant first-innings hundred in the same game.
Full postRoy puts England on the front foot at last
Jason Roy's tub-thumping 180 at the MCG on Sunday lifted England to an emphatic five-wicket win in the first of five ODIs
ESPNcricinfo staff
15-Jan-2018
Rejoice, rejoice! England are off the mark on their tour of Australia, and in no uncertain style as well. Jason Roy's tub-thumping 180 at the MCG on Sunday lifted England to an emphatic five-wicket win in the first of five ODIs, racking up England's highest ODI individual score in the process, as well as the highest run-chase ever achieved at Australia's grandest venue.
It means that England are now ranked as favourites to prevail in the ODI series, though admittedly by a sceptically slender margin - which is understandable seeing as they haven't won an ODI tournament in Australia since 2006-07. England are currently 4/6 to seal the series, compared to Australia's 6/5, which means there's not a lot of value to be found either way.
Australia, however, are backed by the bookies (8/13 to 13/10) to bounce back at the Gabba, their favourite venue for pom-baiting. And the men who are expected to do so are a familiar pairing. Steve Smith and David Warner dominated the batting stakes during the Ashes, and their class is expected to translate across formats.
Full postSmith expected to restore Australia's status quo
It was an improved showing from England in the fourth Test at Melbourne, but the bookmakers aren't fooled that they are back on an even footing
ESPNcricinfo staff
03-Jan-2018
It was an improved showing from England in the fourth Test at Melbourne, but the bookmakers aren't fooled that they are back on an even footing as they head for the series finale in Sydney. Australia's hopes of a 5-0 whitewash were dashed on a dead deck, but they remain 8/13 favourites to wrap up a 4-0 series win, with England and the draw both a way back at 7/2.
The reason for that Aussie favouritism is the wealth of potential matchwinners in their ranks. Steve Smith, the nailed-on Man of the Series after his three centuries to date, is 4/1 to secure his third Man of the Match award of the series, with Mitchell Starc backed to impress on his return from a heel injury - he is second-favourite at 7/1.
David Warner, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are all considered better bets to thrive than England's two likeliest lads, James Anderson and Joe Root, both of whom are at 12/1. So too is Nathan Lyon, who might be worth a flutter, given Sydney's traditional assistance for spin, not to mention his exemplary displays in the series so far.
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