Betting Blog
Middlesex 6/1 for title after Lord's miracle
An truly miraculous run-chase at Lord's saw Middlesex beat Yorkshire and now they can be backed at 6/1 to go on and win the County Championship title.
ESPNcricinfo staff
02-May-2014
An truly miraculous run-chase at Lord's saw Middlesex beat Yorkshire and now they can be backed at 6/1 to go on and win the County Championship title.
The batting of Chris Rogers was always going to be crucial to their fortunes this season and in the last round he proved just why with an unbeaten double century to stun Yorkshire and beat one of their title rivals. Rogers is available for the whole summer this year and if he fires yet again, Middlesex should have a strong say in the Championship.
Looking further back in the Yorkshire match, the way Middlesex dismantled the visitors for just 178 in the first innings - an order containing three international batsmen - was another demonstration of their bowling fire power. With Steven Finn returning to his best, 6/1 may not last long for Middlesex to be County Champions this season.
Full postNorthants 11/8 to tip up Lancs
The two promoted sides of last season meet for the first time back in Division One of the County Championship and it's Northamptonshire providing the better value at 11/8 to beat Lancashire at Wantage Road.
ESPNcricinfo staff
26-Apr-2014
The two promoted sides of last season meet for the first time back in Division One of the County Championship and it's Northamptonshire providing the better value at 11/8 to beat Lancashire at Wantage Road.
It is easy to be put off backing Northants after their hammering at Yorkshire but deeper analysis of the defeat suggests they are worth getting behind in this next round of matches. Yorkshire are one of the favourites for the title and Northants won't be the only side they streamroll this season. Back on their home patch Northants can look to the solid performance they put in against county champions Durham where they secured a pleasing draw.
Lancashire's Achilles heel this year is their batting line up - a second-innings collapse nearly opened the door for Warwickshire last week - and the handy Northants attack, including offspinner James Middlebrook who performed well against Durham, should fancy their chances. You should too with Northants 11/8, draw no bet.
Full postRajasthan 6/4 in royal rumble against CSK
Two former winners of the IPL go head-to-head on Wednesday, both having won one and lost one of their opening two games
ESPNcricinfo staff
22-Apr-2014
Two former winners of the IPL go head-to-head on Wednesday, both having won one and lost one of their opening two games. Rajasthan Royals have not had as much success as Chennai Super Kings in recent years, nor is their line-up as dazzling, which explains why they are only 6/4 to win.
Chennai showed their power in a crushing win over Delhi Daredevils, while Rajasthan edged past Hyderabad Sunrisers. Both were on the receiving end against Kings XI Punjab after putting up big scores. Kings XI are already shaping up alongside Bangalore Royal Chargers as the team to beat, with CSK and the Royals keen to stay in contention.
Rajasthan will be relying on captain Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane and India U-19s star Sanju Samson against the might of Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, MS Dhoni, Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin. But anything can happen in T20 and 6/4 offers some value.
Full postHyderabad 8/11 to begin IPL with a bang
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Apr-2014
The Sunrisers Hyderabad are a funny lot. Originally the Deccan Chargers they lifted the second edition of the IPL before being disbanded in 2012. They re-emerged as the Sunrisers last season and finished fourth and can be backed at 8/11 to beat Rajasthan Royals in the opening game of the 2014 tournament.
After a squad overhaul in the latest auction, they can boast Indian opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan who has proved one of the most destructive players in the shortest format. Not content with one blazing top order bat, they also snapped up Australian pair David Warner and Aaron Finch to boast arguably the most dangerous top order in the competition.
Rajasthan enjoyed a solid campaign in 2013 to finish third but cannot boast the firepower that Hyderabad possess. 8/11 is a fair price about the hosts to begin the new season with a bang.
Full postKP 7/1 to lead Delhi to IPL glory
ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Apr-2014
You wouldn't put it past him would you? Sacked by England, a television viewer to their struggles in the World T20, then made captain of the Delhi Daredevils for this seasons IPL, Kevin Pietersen's men are 7/1 to lift the title and further embarrass the ECB.
Despite saying he has nothing to prove in the IPL, Pietersen will be itching to prove his class once again and his credentials as captain. Delhi slipped back last season - when Pietersen was out injured - from their third placed finish in 2012 but a major overhaul of their squad sees them enter the 2014 season with fresh hope.
Having not retained any players from last season, Delhi brought in international veterans Ross Taylor and JP Duminy and exciting youngsters Quinton de Kock and Jimmy Neesham. With plenty of quality Indian players in their squad too, Delhi will be a lively option at 7/1 and a large enough to be backed each-way.
Full postHampshire 3/1 to win Division Two
ESPNcricinfo staff
04-Apr-2014
Most eyes are on Surrey's return to the lower tier of the County Championship as Division Two gets underway but Hampshire posses a strong squad and can be backed at 3/1 to gain promotion in style with the Division Two title.
Hampshire have spent long enough adjusting to life in Division Two after their relegation in 2011 and now have an experienced squad that can boast more quality than any other side in the league.
They have added smartly by bringing in Matt Coles and Kyle Abbot to boost their bowling ranks and Will Smith who brings the experience of winning four Championship titles to the Ageas Bowl. Hampshire are the class act in the field and 3/1 is attractive enough.
Full postYuvraj 6/1 to star against South Africa
ESPNcricinfo staff
01-Apr-2014
India are riding the crest of a wave and are huge favourites to beat South Africa in the second semi-final and Yuvraj Singh is nicely priced at 6/1 to be top batsman.
Yuvraj is coming off a fine 60 in the final group match against Australia and can take that form into the semi-final. Bar a special performance from Dale Steyn against New Zealand, South Africa have shown little with the ball and it could be Yuvraj who tucks into their attack.
With the experience of every edition of the World T20, Yuvraj has all the tools to come good in the pressure situation of a semi-final and 6/1 is good value about such a quality player with almost 1000 international T20 runs to his name.
Full postMiddlesex 8/1 for Championship title
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-Mar-2014
They gave a great account of themselves until a late-season slump in 2013 but Middlesex have all the armoury required of a team to challenge for the County Championship title and 8/1 looks a little big about Angus Fraser's side to take the title this season.
To win first-class matches 20 wickets are required and Middlesex have a fine bowling unit - arguably the best in the country. If Steven Finn returns to form he can spearhead an attack that can also boast England Lions seamer James Harris, the highly-rated Toby Rolland-Jones and their leading wicket-taker from the past few campaigns, Tim Murtagh.
Such weaponry with the ball needs runs behind it and in Chris Rogers Middlesex have the leading runscorer in first-class cricket in England from last season. Add in the performance of potential England Test opener Sam Robson and the potential for the likes of Neil Dexter and Joe Denly to improve and you piece together an excellent team, for which 8/1 looks inviting.
Full postEngland 6/4 for Sri Lanka upset
ESPNcricinfo staff
26-Mar-2014
A cruel defeat on the Duckworth-Lewis method saw England get their World T20 campaign off to the worst possible start but they gave a far better showing with the bat than the warm-up fixtures and can be backed at 6/4 to turn Sri Lanka over in what could be a must-win fixture for their qualification hopes.
So weak in both their innings against West Indies and India in the warm-up matches, England rallied to post a very competitive total and that was without any major contribution - a highest score of just 36. There is more to come from what could be an underrated England batting line up and another solid effort can put Sri Lanka under pressure.
The Lankans haven't been on top form in their opening two matches - the rout of the Dutch can be discounted but against South Africa a total of 165 would not have been good enough against many teams. They are too short to back in their third match of the tournament so side with England.
Full postPakistan 11/2 to take Group 2
ESPNcricinfo staff
23-Mar-2014
Despite defeat in their opening match of the World T20, Pakistan showed their ability in the shortest format with a comfortable defeat of Australia and can now be backed at 11/2 to win Group 2.
India sit in pole position at the moment with two wins from two but they face Australia in one of their final two matches and if the dangerous Aussies - the pre-tournament favourites - can defeat India, the door will open for Pakistan to take top spot in the group.
Pakistan should find no problems against Bangladesh but have West Indies to get past. However the showing West Indies gave in their opening match suggests they are not in the form that sent them to glory two years ago. They look vulnerable and if Australia can do them a favour, Pakistan are a live chance to pip their neighbours and win the group.
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