Betting Blog
Bumrah's best takes series down to the wire
Jasprit Bumrah's nervelessness at the death delivered India a five-run victory in a thrilling encounter at Nagpur
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-Jan-2017
A couple of solid connections in the closing moments of the second T20, and England could already have wrapped up the three-match series with a game to spare. Instead, Jasprit Bumrah's nervelessness at the death delivered India a five-run victory in a thrilling encounter at Nagpur.
And so, the spoils will be decided in the third and final contest at Bangalore on Wednesday, and in spite of their shortcomings on Sunday, England's stronger showing in the shorter format means it is harder than at any previous time this winter to pick a winner in advance. According to the odds-setters at Bet365, India remain slight favourites at 4/5, with England not far behind at 1/1.
Bumrah's Nagpur heroics have earned him top billing in the top team bowler stakes. He is 3/1 to lead the line for India, with Ashish Nehra, another key performer in the second T20, at 7/2. For England, it's a four-way tie at 4/1 between five players. For a fraction more value, Ben Stokes is available at 9/2.
Full postEngland struggle against India's wall of runs
Leaving aside the shortcomings of their bowlers, it's hard to know what more England could have done to stay competitive in their three-match ODI series in India
ESPNcricinfo staff
21-Jan-2017
Leaving aside the shortcomings of their bowlers, it's hard to know what more England could have done to stay competitive in their three-match ODI series in India.
Consecutive scores of 350-plus - the first a target and the second a chase - were insufficient to stave off the advances of India's turbo-charged hitters, and as a consequence the odd-setters at Bet365 fully anticipate a 3-0 whitewash.
India are 1/2 to complete victory in the third ODI, with England a rather more distant 13/8. Virat Kohli was a rare failure at Cuttack but such is the quality of his current form, he remains the strong favourite at 9/4 to top-score in the final rubber. But what of Yuvraj Singh, fresh from his first ODI hundred in six years? At 6/1, is he worth another punt?
Full postKohli's masterclass leaves England on the ropes
To use the modern gaming vernacular, England were well and truly pwned in Pune, despite posting a formidable 350 for 7 in the first ODI against India
ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Jan-2017
To use the modern gaming vernacular, England were well and truly pwned in Pune, in the first ODI against India. They posted a formidable total of 350 for 7, they had their hosts four-down inside 12 overs of the reply, but then were swept aside by some of the most stunning run-chasing ever produced in one-day cricket.
Virat Kohli's 122 from 105 balls was the sort of mastery that his form had been threatening throughout 2016, and which had left him a towering favourite to be the series top-scorer, but it was Kedar Jadhav's 120 from 76 that truly upset England's apple-cart. Between them they added 200 runs in just over 20 overs, to breeze past their target with 11 balls to spare.
So, what of England's prospects for the remainder of the series. Well, the odds-setters at Bet365 don't rate their chances especially highly - and why would they, if their best batting efforts can be so easily overhauled? India are a punative 21/20 to complete a 3-0 clean sweep, while Kohli is 9/4 to be India's top-scorer in the second match at Thursday.
Full postIndia still strong favourites despite format switch
A new year, a new format for England's cricketers, as they return to India only weeks after being handed a 4-0 drubbing in the five-match Test series
ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Jan-2017
A new year, a new format for England's cricketers, as they return to India for a three-ODI, three-T20 series, only weeks after being handed a 4-0 drubbing in the five-match Test series against the same opponents.
Ostensibly England's prospects ought to be better in the shorter formats. After all, they've shown some impressive form in white-ball cricket in recent months, and their last such engagement in India came at the World T20 in March and April last year, when they outlasted India to reach the final against West Indies in Kolkata. (The less said about what happened next, the better…)
However, India are pretty formidable in the shorter formats themselves, and the odds-setters at Bet365 aren't holding out many hopes of a revival in England's fortunes in the coming weeks. India are a meagre 5/2 to take the 50-over series by a 3-0 clean sweep. England, by contrast, are 12/1 to achieve the same feat.
Full postEngland's players to watch in the Big Bash
As the tournament's profile has grown exponentially in recent years, so too has the involvement of England players
ESPNcricinfo staff
19-Dec-2016
The sixth edition of Australia's Big Bash gets underway tomorrow, and as the tournament's profile has grown exponentially in recent years, so too has the involvement of England players, thanks in no small part to the ECB's reinvigorated interest in white-ball cricket.
So, if you fancy a midwinter flutter, and want an extra reason to pay heed to the contests (which for the most part will be taking place in a very palatable breakfast-time window), then why not lay down a few quid on some of the roving Englishmen in the BBL ranks?
Leading the field is the Big Beast of Melbourne Stars, Kevin Pietersen. Long since banished from England's thoughts, the 36-year-old remains nonetheless one of the drawcards of the world T20 scene, and at 9/1 with Bet365, he is the second favourite, behind Chris "Lynn-sanity" Lynn, to be the tournament's top-scorer.
Full postJennings to the rescue for England and Durham?
Can Keaton Jennings make the most of his unexpected opportunity for a Test debut in Mumbai?
ESPNcricinfo staff
07-Dec-2016
It's all over bar a bit of shouting and lots of mopping-up afterwards, according to the odds-setters at Bet365, who reckon India are 10/11 to complete a 4-0 scoreline with victory in both of the remaining Tests against England.
Mind you, it was only three Tests ago that England were actually setting the agenda in this series, having pushed India to the brink in the opening match at Rajkot, only to be muscled out of the key moments in each of the subsequent fixtures at Visakhapatnam and Mohali.
And for that reason, there is still some value in taking a stab at an England fightback in the closing stages of this series. They are a distant 20/1 to complete a 2-2 scoreline (the same odds, in fact, for back-to-back draws and a 2-0 win to India, which doesn't speak much for England's batting resilience). But India are 10/3 for a 3-1 win, and 12/1 for 2-1.
Full postResults aplenty if you want a long-range Ashes flutter
Exactly a year from now, England and Australia will be resuming hostilities as the first Test of the 2017-18 Ashes series gets underway
ESPNcricinfo staff
29-Nov-2016
Exactly a year from now, England and Australia will be resuming hostilities as the first Test of the 2017-18 Ashes series gets underway, and to judge by both teams' form in their respective series against India and South Africa, there will be plenty of batting collapses on both sides and plenty of results.
That's certainly how the folk at Bet365 see it, with Australia a not-outlandish 22/1 to repeat their 5-0 whitewashing of England in the 2013-14 tour, but only 125/1 to win the series by a 1-0 scoreline.
England are deemed even more unlikely to emerge from the tour with a 1-0 series win - they are priced at 175/1 to achieve that feat, and seeing as the last such scoreline was way back in 1975 (Australia were the winners on that occasion), this seems entirely fair.
Full postCan England overcome the odds and stage an India comeback?
Business as usual, it would appear, for India and England in the ongoing five-Test series. A crushing victory, by 246 runs in the second Test, has given India a 1-0 lead with three games to come
ESPNcricinfo staff
22-Nov-2016
Business as usual, it would appear, for India and England in the ongoing five-Test series. A crushing victory, by 246 runs in the second Test, has given India a 1-0 lead with three games to come, and restored their hegemony after a scare in the opening contest in Rajkot.
If you take the odds at face value, the series already seems to be in the bag ahead of the third Test in Mohali. India are an ominous 1/14 to seal the deal, with England a distant 22/1 to stage enough of a comeback to turn the scoreline on its head.
Nevertheless, we've been here before with England - four years ago in Ahmedabad, when India won the first Test of the four-match series by nine wickets, only for England, inspired by their skipper Alastair Cook, to regroup with victories in Mumbai and Kolkata.
Full postOdds unmoved by England's strong start to series
England's improbably strong showing in the first Test at Rajkot hasn't shifted many preconceptions about the eventual outcome of their series against India
ESPNcricinfo staff
15-Nov-2016
Perhaps the bookies have been too busy ogling Australia's stunning meltdowns in Perth and Hobart, for it's fair to say that England's improbably strong showing in the first Test at Rajkot hasn't shifted many preconceptions about the eventual outcome of their series against India.
The 5-0 whitewash may now be out of the question, but India remain 1/5 favourites with Bet365 to seal the series victory. England, at 17/2 in what is now a four-match shootout (they were 11/1 this time last week) remain a tempting option given the success of both their batsmen and spin bowlers in the series opener.
On that note, the market for Man of the Match at Visakhapatnam throws up some interesting odds. Adil Rashid swiped the spoils at Rajkot with his haul of seven wickets, and he is 12/1 to repeat that feat - not a bad shout if he can bounce to the crease with the same verve that he displayed in the series opener.
Full postSouth Africa favourites to complete rare Aussie hat-trick
The shockwaves are still being felt Down Under after a truly seismic South Africa victory in the opening Test of their three-match series against Australia
ESPNcricinfo staff
07-Nov-2016
The shockwaves are still being felt Down Under after a truly seismic South Africa victory in the opening Test of their three-match series against Australia. After battling their way to a 177-run win at the Waca in Perth, in spite of losing the services of their veteran strike bowler Dale Steyn to a shoulder injury, they have given themselves an extraordinary shot at winning a remarkable third consecutive series win in Australia.
Bet365 certainly reckons they are on course to pull it off. South Africa are currently 4/7 to complete their series win, with Australia an distant 11/2 to turn the contest on its head. Even so, precedent says that they should never be written off - the Aussies have lost only three home Test series in 23 years, two to South Africa and one to England in 2010-11.
How seriously will Steyn's absence affect South Africa's chances, though? Not significantly, if the bookies are to be believed. Kagiso Rabada and Vernon Philander remain a formidable strike pairing, and are both 5/2 to be their country's leading wicket-taker in the second Test at Hobart. For Australia, Mitchell Starc is 15/8 to be Australia's leading wicket-taker, at a venue where he claimed a matchwinning 5 for 63 in his last outing, against Sri Lanka in 2012.
Full post