England v India - spread betting preview

Looking for a bet on the Natwest Challenge? Most bookies are slightly behind England, but there's not much in it and consequently it's hard to find any real value.

For an alternative perspective on the match, why not spread bet with bookmaker Sporting Index. They've got a pretty good range of spreads markets, which will add plenty of excitement to your viewing. We spoke to their Cricket Market Maker for his take on the first match ...

Who to follow?
"Personally, I'm with India on this match. England's excellent Test match summer has been marred by failure in the ODIs whereas India, despite having no Tendulkar, are still more than competitive. A lot of people are backing Freddie Flintoff to put in another cracking performance, but my tip would be to follow Sehwag as it's going to be a batsman's day and he can punish anything. In addition, Pathan is strong, quick and takes wickets; he had a very good Asia Cup and will be dangerous if still on form."

Batsman's runs One of the most popular markets to spread bet on is based on a prediction of how many runs a batsman will get. For example, ahead of the first match, below is a sample of some of the opening spreads currently offered:

To bet on these markets, you either "bet high" at the higher price if you think he'll score a bunch of runs, or "bet low" if you think that player will have a nightmare and not score many. How much you win (or lose) depends on how right (or wrong) you are

Free £100 cricket spread bet
Best of all, Sporting Index are offering a free £100 per wicket spread bet, or £100 cashback, for everyone who opens an account and places just five bets.