South Africa v England - 4th Test spread tips

England probably didn't expect the Series to be level after three matches, and neither did spread betting bookmakers Sporting Index, currently licking their wounds after Kallis couldn't stop hitting the ball. We spoke to their senior Cricket Market Maker (who got it so wrong last time) for his opinion on the 4th Test:

Trader's Tips
"Looking at the visitors, Flintoff has declared himself fit to bowl, and as the leading wicket taker in this series the England camp must be praying he won't break down. The "sleeping giant" Harmison has experienced a bit of a dip in form in this series, but if he can find his groove again he is capable of making the difference in the Test. Vaughan also needs to regain his touch with the bat, but before that his priority will be getting the toss right for once.

"For the home side, obviously Kallis is the man of the moment. Once he gets on a roll, he has a tendency to stay there and can prove very difficult to dislodge, as happened last year against the West Indies. With Gibbs back in the side but looking a little rusty, the pressure will be on Smith who's not really on his best form either. However, both Smith and Kallis got centuries at this stadium when they last played here just over a year ago (Ntini bagged five wickets in that same match). They've only lost once here in the last few years, to Australia.

"There's been a bit of rain on the higher velde over the past few days, which could affect this Test. Although it seems to be alleviating now, it has been arriving later in the afternoon so there is a chance we could see some stoppages or shorter days for poor light. Saying this however, I don't think we'll get any significant breaks and expect to see a winner from this match. The cloud cover will give us more of a bowler's wicket, and barring any disasters I think that England will edge this one."

Batsman's runs
One of Sporting Index's most popular markets is based on a prediction of how many runs a batsman will get over both innings. For example, ahead of this 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 is out of form and so won't score many. How much you win (or lose) depends on how right (or wrong) you are!

For example, in the last Test, Kallis notched up a total of 214 runs. The original spread for his runs total in that match was 90 to 97 runs. Anyone betting high at 97 runs would have won (214 - 97) = 117 times their stake. Betting £1 per run would have earned a cheeky £117.

Place your bets
That should give you something to think about. If you are considering having a punt then there is no better time to open an account with Sporting Index. They offer the widest range of cricket spreads and some very generous free bets for new clients. Simply open an account now, and after 10 bets you can claim your choice of: