General

Aussie tails up but sixes too high?

Shane Warne and Brett Lee may have been superb with the ball in this Ashes series but their antics with the bat have helped followers of the Tails of the Unexpected market earn themselves a small fortune this summer

Simon Cambers
XXXXXX © Getty Images
Shane Warne and Brett Lee may have been superb with the ball in this Ashes series but their antics with the bat have helped followers of the Tails of the Unexpected market earn themselves a small fortune this summer. The Australia market, which covers the total runs scored by numbers 8, 9, 10 and 11, began at 280-300 before the Lord's Test, but after their fabulous efforts it is now a massive 532-540. This means that if you'd bought it before Lord's and stuck with it all the way through then you could take a profit of 232 times your stake, which is not bad by anyone's reasoning. Their current total is 442, while England's is 255. Those of you who bought England at 340 early, have seen their price go up and down throughout the series but it's now 336-344, right where it started out.

Loading ...

Click here to spread bet on the Ashes at Sporting Index

Another interesting market features the number of sixes scored in the series. Sixes have been a big feature of the series, most of them coming off the bat of Andrew Flintoff. So far there have been 41 in the four Tests and Sporting Index make their total series sixes market 51-53. That could be a touch high, given the fact that England do not need to win and may be a touch more conservative than they were at Edgbaston, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge. It's asking quite a lot for more than 12 to be hit at the Oval, one of the bigger grounds in use this summer.

High or low?
The highest team score has been hovering in the low 520s for most of the series and Sporting have it as 525-535 going into the Oval. The top score so far is 477, made by England, and although the past few matches at the Oval would suggest that a 500+ score is a possibility, the bowlers have had the best of the series so far. Three of the last four Tests at the Oval have had a total of more than 500, and two of them were over 600, so, if the weather forecast is good, then buyers may be interested. Conversely, the spread for lowest team score, which is 155 so far, is 146-150.

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.

Simon Cambers is Cricinfo's new betting correspondent