Vaughan underpriced on Edgbaston spreads?
Sporting Index will be producing some extra-special markets for this week's second Test at Edgbaston as the match approaches, but they've already set out some other intriguing head-to-head markets as they did for the first Test
Simon Cambers
02-Aug-2005
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Sporting Index will be producing some extra-special markets for this week's second Test at Edgbaston as the match approaches, but they've already set out some other intriguing head-to-head markets as they did for the first Test. For example, Sporting set the market on Marcus Trescothick-Glenn McGrath at 4-7 in the Englishman's favour, with one point for every run he scores off McGrath, while 25 points are taken away if the Australian takes his wicket, across both innings.
The key to these markets is the wickets, as 25 points can completely change the result. At Lord's, McGrath had Trescothick's number but he only removed him once and Trescothick performed decently in the second innings. The great thing about these markets is if you side with the batsmen concerned, then you can cheer on every other bowler than, in the example case, McGrath. If Brett Lee, Shane Warne, Jason Gillespie or Michael Kasprowicz gets Trescothick, then it counts as zero.
Of the other combinations, Kevin Pietersen is likely to be a popular selection after his two half-centuries at Lord's. The Hampshire man is rated 7-10 against Warne, who must be itching to get his county team-mate even though he did eventually remove him in the first innings. He's 8-11 against Lee, the man Australia seem to think can trouble him most, while he's 1-4 against McGrath. For the record, Pietersen/Warne made up at 22 in the first Test.
Of the individual markets for the second Test, Trescothick, Andrew Strauss and Pietersen are favourites to score the most runs in the match, with a spread of 73-80. Assuming they bat twice, both Trescothick's and Strauss's averages would put them at around the 90-100 mark, but they have both struggled against Australia, even if Lord's was Strauss's first taste. The price for Pietersen, on the other hand, is probably a good 10 points higher than it would have been before Lord's.
Michael Vaughan is 68-75, which is mostly a result of his recent poor form. However, the captain is the only member of the England batting line-up to actually average better against Australia than his overall mark. Should he perform anywhere near his best at Edgbaston, where he averages almost 48, then he should score well above the 75 mark.
Ian Bell and Andrew Flintoff, both of whom looked rusty at Lord's to say the least, are 60-67 while Geraint Jones is 46-52 and Ashley Giles, who's been talking for England since the first Test defeat, is 28-33.
Predictably, the Australians are priced higher, with Ricky Ponting leading the way on 83-90, closely followed by the two openers Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, who are 80-87. Damien Martyn, who looked in great touch at Lord's, is 75-82, while Michael Clarke, the top-scorer at Lord's, is 60-67 and Adam Gilchrist and Simon Katich are both 58-65. The thing to remember with the Australian batsmen in this market is that if they continue to dominate, then they may not all bat twice.
Having ripped through the Australians in the first innings, Steve Harmison is the top-rated England bowler at 45-50, with 10 points per wicket and a 25-point bonus for a five-wicket haul. Flintoff, who looked great with the ball at Lord's, is 35-40, while both McGrath and Warne are 55-60.
Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.
Simon Cambers is Cricinfo's new betting correspondent