Category: Cricket

Cricket: New Zealand and Pakistan to finally be separated

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A series decider in a tour that has been shared all the way through was somewhat predictable. Nevertheless that won’t make the decider any less intense where the sides have the opportunity to declare themselves the overall victor of the six-month duel.

Neither side has won two games on the trot in the series, so based on that logic the Pakistan side will be brimming with confidence. They deserve to be too, because in all the games they have lost, they have fought hard (even in the seven run loss the last time they played where the side were heavily distracted). Conversely, the Black Caps’ loses have been emphatic. They seem to have an ingrained consistency that prevents them from being a really good side.

This is likely to manifest again tonight, especially with the inexperienced line-up.

The Last Time These Two Met

Kane Williamson scored an impressive hundred to set up a strong NZ total that ultimately proved too much for the Pakistan line-up. A century to Younis Khan – the oldest player to do so in the history of ODI cricket – and some late fireworks from Shahid Afridi were not quite enough for Pakistan who were attempting to become the first side to successfully chase 300 at the ground.

The Teams

Pakistan (likely): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Asad Shafiq/ Nasir Jamshed, 5 Haris Sohail, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), 8 Shahid Afridi (capt), 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Anwar Ali, 11 Mohammad Irfan

Nasir Jamshed may move down the order or he may miss out altogether after he failed in game four; resulting in Mohammad Hafeez returning to the top of the order.

New Zealand (likely): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Dean Brownlie, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Tom Latham, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Adam Milne 11 Mitchell McClenaghan

Daniel Vettori has already flown home, which opens up an opportunity for Nathan McCullum.

The Key Players

Martin Guptill – The lanky New Zealand opener is often the subject of intense debate in his native New Zealand. There are those that feel a fit Jesse Ryder is a better option for the tournament co-hosts, especially given Guptill’s tendency for sluggish starts. He played himself into a little form with 58 in game four and we’ll be hoping for more crease time to enhance his World Cup prospects.

Mohammad Irfan – Irfan has been impressive in a series that has seen fast bowlers get smashed to all parts. His record of 7 wickets at 26 is among the best in the series, but it’s his economy rate of 5.13 that is making us take note. On grounds that are notoriously difficult to defend Irfan has done a tremendous job.

The Odds*

Pakistan – $1.62

New Zealand – $2.3

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Luxbet. Luxbet have a number of cricket specials on at the moment, in particular, the Big Bash League specials. Visit their site for more details.

The Prediction

The two sides are incredibly evenly matched. Both have batsmen in form, both have handy spin options, and both have seamers that have tested the opposition in the relatively benign conditions. That makes it tough to pick a winner here, but we just feel Pakistan have been more consistent and will get home.

Interestingly, we saw awesome odds for a tied amount of sixes hit by the teams. It’s paying a whopping $7.25 and is well worth a fiver.

Cricket: Big Bash League Preview

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The fourth stanza of the Big Bash League gets underway tonight.  We review all the teams; their best players; and their chances of winning the T20 showpiece, with odds from Bet365.

Adelaide Strikers

The squad: Johan Botha, Jonathon Dean, Travis Head, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, Michael Neser, Craig Simmons, Ben Laughlin, Trent Lawford, Tim Ludeman, Kieron Pollard, Gary Putland, Kane Richardson, Alex Ross, Chadd Sayers, Shaun Tait, Adam Zampa.

The player to watch: Kieron Pollard is easily the most destructive batsman in the Strikers squad if not the entire tournament.  He’s warmed up nicely by smashing six 6’s in a recent warm up game and is set to torment opposing bowlers in the coming weeks.  The hugely experienced T20 traveller is also a handy medium paced bowler as well as possessing bucket like catching mitts.

The odds: $8.00

The history: sixth, fifth, seventh

The 2014 chances: The Strikers don’t have the best record in the Big Bash League, but they may surprise if Pollard, Hodge and Simmons can come off. regularly.  In Laughlin and Richardson they have two high quality T20 bowlers but we can’t see them making it into the finals this year.

Brisbane Heat

The squad: Joe Burns, Daniel Christian, Ben Cutting, Ryan Duffield, Jason Floros, Peter Forrest, Cameron Gannon, James Hopes, Mitchell Johnson, Chris Lynn, Alister McDermott, Simon Milenko, James Peirson, Nathan Reardon, Mark Steketee, Dan Vettori, Shane Watson, Andrew Flintoff.

The player to watch: Andrew Flintoff. The Heat’s recruitment policy is clearly to opt for older overseas players.  The ageing Daniel Vettori has been joined by English import Andrew Flintoff for the 2014 edition of the BBL.  Once a fearsome fast bowler also capable of giving it a decent whack, Flintoff is now 37 and played just three of Lancashire’s T20 matches last season back home. Flintoff is expected to have a heavy workload especially after Samuel Badree’s recent injury – that makes him our player to watch.

The odds: $7.00

The history: fifth, fourth (winners), fifth

The 2014 chances: Much like the other sides in the competition the test for the Heat will be whether their fringe players and domestic warriors can cover the loss of Watson and Johnson on Australia duty.  Cutting, Lynn and Christian are now vastly experienced players at this level and will need to perform exceedingly well to match their efforts in 2012/13.

Hobart Hurricanes

The squad: George Bailey, Travis Birt, Tim Bresnan, Cameron Boyce, Xavier Doherty, Ben Dunk, Evan Gulbis, Alex Hales, Ben Hilfenhaus, Joe Mennie, Dominic Michael, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Jake Reed, Darren Sammy, Timm van der Gugten, Jonathan Wells, Beau Webster, Michael Hill.

The player to watch: Alex Hales. The Englishmen is no stranger to the attention of the Big Bash League.  He marked his arrival to the competition by smashing 89 in BBL2 and has since gone on to become the third ranked T20 batsman in the World.  He’s nit in the best form but this format suits him to a tee as he showed during the World T20 earlier in the year, becoming the first Englishman to score a century in the format.

The odds: $6.00

The history: second, sixth, fourth

The 2014 chances: The Hurricanes have recruited four overseas players to fill the gaps in their squad but we are of the view that none of them are of the quality needed to win the competition.  They still have power don’t get us wrong, Dunk, Bailey and Birt are all proven at this level, but we can’t see them being a factor at the end of the tournament.

Melbourne Renegades

The squad: Fawad Ahmed, Thomas Beaton, Dwayne Bravo, Tom Cooper, Alex Doolan, Callum Ferguson, Aaron Finch, Jayde Herrick, Peter Nevill, Aaron O’Brien, James Pattinson, Nathan Rimmington, Ben Rohrer, Andre Russell, Matthew Short, Peter Siddle, Matthew Wade, Nicholas Winter. Overseas replacement player: Jesse Ryder

The player to watch: Aaron Finch is one of Australia’s most important limited overs players. He captains the T20 side and is also a mainstay of the ODI team.  His excellent performances against South Africa in the recent series outlined his importance to the Renegades.  Expect big things from Finch.

The odds: $7.50

The history: seventh, first, sixth

The 2014 chances: Pretty good.  Perhaps a little light in bowling which may come back to haunt them throughout the Big Bash League.  However, they have recruited well, all of their overseas players are capable of match winning innings.  Worth a punt to take it out.

Melbourne Stars

The squad: Michael Beer, Jackson Bird, Scott Boland, James Faulkner, Luke Feldman, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, David Hussey, Alexander Keath, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Kevin Pietersen, Rob Quiney, Clive Rose, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron White, Daniel Worrall, Luke Wright

The player to watch: Glenn Maxwell. Anyone in the side really but we’ve earmarked Glenn Maxwell for greatness this time around. The “Big Show” is an innovative strokemaker with an impressive strike rate wherever he bats.  Even his off spin has the x-factor required to win games so he is quite obviously the player to watch.

The odds: $4.33

The history: fourth, third, first

The 2014 chances: If their fellow city goers the Renegades are a pretty good chance, then the Stars are an excellent chance.  They have a formidable line-up and have performed well in all previous BBL’s.  Wright and Pietersen should be available for much of the tournament to help deliver the much needed trophy for the glamour franchise.

Perth Scorchers

The squad: Ashton Agar, Yasir Arafat, Jason Behrendorff, Michael Carberry, Hilton Cartwright, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Brad Hogg, Michael Klinger, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, James Muirhead, Joel Paris, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam Voges, Sam Whiteman.

The player to watch: If injuries and Australia commitments don’t prevent Marsh form turning out for the Scorchers then expect him to clear the boundary on more occasions than anyone else in the competition.  Marsh is one of the biggest hitters of a cricket ball in the country and has also been one of the main reasons for their success in the Big Bash League thus far.

The odds: $6.50

The history: first, third, third (winners)

The 2014 chances: It would be stupid to write off a side that has hosted each of the three Big Bash League finals.  The Scorchers get tremendous support at the WACA and will again go close this year.  One thing they have always done well is their slow bowling, and this year should be no different with Agar and Hogg supporting the death bowling nous of Yasir Arafat.

Sydney Sixers

The squad: Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Carters, Trent Copeland, Ed Cowan, Benjamin Dwarshuis, Brad Haddin, Josh Hazelwood, Moises Henriques, Brett Lee, Michael Lumb, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O’Keefe, Jordan Silk, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc.

The player to watch: Jordan Silk is no that well known in Australia cricket but he should be.  In fact he’s probably best known for his catching and fielding more than his batting.  But on his day he is a talented player and an exciting prospect for the future.  Could the BBL4 be the time for Silk to shine.

The odds: $8.00

The history: third (winners), seventh, second

The 2014 chances: If you won the toss and had Abbot, Bollinger, Copeland, Halewood, Henriques, Lee and Starc in your team what would you do?  Exactly, bowling is the strength of the Sixers and they’ll need to knock over teams cheaply to get anywhere near qualification for the Champions League T20.

Sydney Thunder

The squad: Ahillen Beadle, Aiden Blizzard, Patrick Cummins, Jake Doran, Christopher Green, Chris Hartley, Nathan Hauritz, Daniel Hughes, Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Usman Khawaja, Josh Lalor, Andrew McDonald, Eoin Morgan, Dirk Nannes, Kurtis Patterson, Gurinder Sandhu, Christopher Tremain.

The player to watch: Jacques Kallis never actually had the best T20 career for South Africa or for Kolkata in the IPL.  Nevertheless, the soon to be 40-year old still brings an element of quality that the Thunder have always been lacking.  News yesterday is that Khawaja is out for nine months increasing the pressure on Kallis to perform.

The odds: $13.00

The history: eighth, eighth, eighth

The 2014 chances: Excellent chance….of registering a fourth consecutive eighth placed finish.  Not enough quality; too much pressure on Hussey, Kallis, Morgan and Cummins; and a lack of confidence in the Big Bash League.

Cricket: South Africa start as favourites in WI series

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When you scratch names like Kallis and Smith from the team sheet and also throw in injuries to names like Duminy, the South African test cricket side starts to take a very unfamiliar shape.  New names like van Syl, Elgar, Bavuma and Rabada replace the mainstays and carry the burden of a new era of cricket.

The new era begins tonight with a test match series against the enigmatic West Indies team.  Centurion hosts game number one in what many are tipping to be a one-sided contest.  Despite the personnel changes South Africa go into the match and series as heavy favourites.  They still possess enough quality in de Villiers, du Plessis, and Amla to trouble even the best in World and should enjoy the home conditions against a West Indies attack lacking in out and out quicks.

What the tourists lack in quicks they make up for in reliable professional cricketers.  Most of the squad are now comfortable in the international environment, fitting in well around the experience of Samuels, Chanderpaul, and Ramdin. They played nicely in their only warm up game against an invitational XI and will be hoping to reprise similar form as they step up to the test arena.

The Last Time These Two Met

The two teams play for the Sir Vivian Richards Trophy.  The last time they met to contest the trophy was in 2010 when South Africa won the series 2-0 in the West Indies.  South Africa had big wins in Bridgetown and Port of Spain while the match at Basseterre ended in a draw.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Alviro Petersen, 2 Dean Elgar, 3 Faf du Plessis, 4 Hashim Amla (capt), 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Stiaan van Zyl, 7 Quinton de Kock (wk), 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Kyle Abbott/Robin Peterson

West Indies (likely): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Leon Johnson, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 7 Denesh Ramdin (capt & wk), 8 Jerome Taylor, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Sulieman Benn/Shannon Gabriel

The Key Players

Alviro Petersen – A catchy tagline describes Petersen’s recent form.  23 innings and 23 months without a century.  It’s a worrying statistic for South African cricket who have lost a host of big names with big cricket experience.  Being heavily scrutinised might suit Petersen though as he often plays some of his best cricket under pressure.

Kraigg Brathwaite – The 22-year old is unlike many West Indian batsman.  He doesn’t bat with any of the traditional flair, instead he accumulates using his immense powers of concentration.  He was in sublime form against Bangladesh in September (212, 4*, 63, 45) and has carried that on with some handy knocks against Sri Lanka A.  Brathwaite is an accomplished back foot player so he should be able to cope with the South African attack on South African pitches.

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.33

Draw – $4.00

West Indies – $12.00

*International Cricket odds courtesy of TopBetta.

The Prediction

South Africa will have too much quality for their opponents in this match and in the series.  The seamers in particular are expected to be a difficult prospect on the quick and bouncy surfaces.

 

Cricket: Smith leads Australian team full of changes

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The Gabba is the new WACA as far as Australian cricket pitches go.  It’s full of pace, bounce, and for the Indian batsmen, fear.  Fresh from a modest paced and decidedly easy batting surface in Adelaide the Indians now face a much sterner test on the more bowler friendly Brisbane strip.  The surface is expected to be much more like the surfaces the Indian batsmen have historically struggled on; the recipe is the WACA from 2012 where India were bundled out for 161 and 171.

That puts India on the back foot immediately, but there could be silver linings in the return of their inspiration leader and the vast number of changes to the opposing side.  Both sides have new captains at the helm for game two; one with all the experience under the sun, and the other with zero – thrust into the spotlight as the third youngest captain in Australia’s test history.  If Steven Smith’s batting is any indication as to captaincy ability, he’ll be fine, but the World will be watching in earnest as to whether he can command the respect of senior players like Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Warner who all would have had their own captaincy ambitions.

MS Dhoni certainly commands respect and he’ll also bring a more conservative game plan to his teams approach; he’ll likely be a little more defensive / pragmatic than Virat Kohli.  The Gabba surface won’t only favour the home side; Ishant Sharma, Varun Aaron and Mohammed Shami could find assistance in the bouncy deck if they pitch the ball up and don’t get carried away bowling short stuff.  They will, however, need to bowl a much tighter line to David Warner if they don’t want the game to get away from them in the first session again.

The Last Time These Two Met

Game one will go down in history as an absolute classic, not only for the emotional ties to Phillip Hughes’ but also for the scintillating individual performances.  Two players scored hundreds in both innings (David Warner and Virat Kohli) and Steven Smith scored an unbeaten hundred followed by an uneaten fifty.  Then there was Nathan Lyon.  In fairness Australia were the better side through most of the game and will take more momentum and confidence into this one.

The Teams

Australia: 1 Chris Rogers, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Steven Smith (capt), 5 Shaun Marsh, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Nathan Lyon.

Injuries to Michael Clarke and Ryan Harris sees Shaun Marsh and Josh Hazlewood given a chance to prove their wares.  Marsh is well tested at this level and should suit the lower order more than his previous struggles at 3.  Exciting quickie Josh Hazlewood earns his baggy green on the back of some impressive one day form.  Mitchell Starc replaces the ineffective Peter Siddle in the other change.

India: 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Cheteshwar Pujara, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Ajinkya Rahane, 6 Rohit Sharma, 7 MS Dhoni (capt,wk), 8 R Ashwin, 9 Varun Aaron, 10 Ishant Sharma, 11 Umesh Yadav.

MS Dhoni is expected to return to captain the side.  He’ll add some middle order stability that was lacking with Wriddhiman Saha in the side.  Ravichandran Ashwin is also added at the expense of Karn Sharma.

The Key Players

Steven Smith – Everything Smith does in this test will be questioned.  The toss, the bowling rotations, the field placements and his batting.  He can probably withstand the heightened attention on his batting and the quality of the Australian team should paper over any cracks in his captaincy.  Much like the coaching of John Buchanan when he inherited such a strong side nothing could go wrong.

Rohit Sharma – For someone that has two ODI double hundreds (including a top score of 264) Sharma hasn’t exactly excelled in the test environment.  Admittedly he has been in and out of the squad and also frustratingly waiting patiently for a chance while Dravid, Laxman, and Tendulkar finished their careers.  However, his record needs to improve.  He needs to kick on from the starts.  He needs a big score.

The Odds*

Australia – $1.55

Draw – $4.25

India – $5.00

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Luxbet.

The Prediction

Australia will be far to strong on the bouncy surface.  The bounce tests the Indian batsmen techniques too much and all of them are susceptible to defending with their hands and half a bat outside off stump.  Expect the Australia seamers to have a field day and win this one by an innings.

Cricket: Sri Lanka humble England in epic farewell

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Sri Lanka yet again proved too powerful for a disappointing England side in the final one day international in Colombo overnight.  Tillakaratne Dilshan was the cricketing star of the match scoring 101 and taking 3-37, but Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene were the sentimental stars, playing their final match on home soil.  Neither set the World on fire in this particular game but both are so fondly revered in these parts that it hardly mattered, all that mattered was the farewell and the Sri Lankan win.

For the record, Sri Lanka destroyed England in game seven by 87 runs.  Batting first, the hosts amassed 302-6 from their allotment thanks to the aforementioned Dislhan knock and rollicking fifties from Dinesh Chandimal and Thisara Perera.  The old guard and captain Angelo Matthews added useful contributions and in unison with Dilshan always had the home side heading towards a large total.  Sangakkara did not reach the lofty heights of earlier in the series but when he got to 6 he broke Ricky Ponting’s record of most runs in a calendar year across all formats (FYI, Ponting had 2833 in 2005).

Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan – as he has done through most of the series – were the pick of the England bowlers.  Unfortunately, Ali couldn’t bring the bowling form to his bating.  His premeditated swipe at a straight, innocuous Dilshan ball set the tone for a collapse that would soon become 78-5.  Only Joe Root – again, as he has done all series – showed some fight.  Only the lack of partners got in the way of him putting up another ODI century.  His performances along with those of Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes (notwithstanding the tap he got in this game), and Chris Jordan are the major triumphs of England’s series.

Still of major concern is the form of Alastair Cook.  BBC analyst Simon Hughes commented after the game that the Sri Lankan players appeared to “feel sorry” for the England captain when he was dismissed after a scratchy 32, and even Cook himself has softened his position on whether he’ll captain at the World Cup.  He has hinted that he can have “no complaints” if he is stood down as he has not scored the runs or had the wins he would have liked.

To cap off the farewell and to send the crowd into a fits of joy, Jayawardene and Sangakkara combined to have James Tredwell stumped in the final act of the game.  It wasn’t his first ODI wicket but will probably go down as the most memorable.

Sri Lanka 302 for 6 (Dilshan 101, Chandimal 55*, T Perera 54) beat England 215 (Root 80, Prasanna 3-35, Dilshan 3-37) by 87 runs

Cricket: Cook still the focus of Colombo dead rubber

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The series may have already been lost but that hasn’t eased the pressure on England’s captain Alastair Cook.  Despite assurances from the England Cricket Board, Cook is under immense pressure to turn both his own form and that of his team around.  His own form is woeful, he’s scored just the 87 runs in the series thus far (interestingly, vice captain Eoin Morgan has only scored 86 as well) and his strike rate of juts 67 is worrying.  He needs runs or a win, preferably both.

Sri Lanka on the other hand have a settled captain and a settled middle order.  The evergreen pair of Kumar Sangakkar and Mahela Jayawardene are set to play their last one day international match at their home ground of the Premadasa.  A huge crowd is expected to farewell the two legends and it is only fitting that Sri Lanka deliver them a win for their troubles.  After all 4-2 sounds a lot more commanding than 4-3, and in truth, a more accurate reflection of the gulf between the sides.

The Last Time These Two Met

Kumar Sangakkara gave Sri Lanka the series win the las time the two teams played.  His scores have gradually increased throughout the series, but it would be difficult to expect more of the same from him this time around.  Instead a Jayawardene classic is in the script as he celebrates his last home appearance.

The Teams

Sri Lanka (likely): 1 Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne/Dinesh Chandimal, 3 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4 Mahela Jayawardene, 5 Angelo Mathews (capt), 6 Lahiru Thirimanne, 7 Seekkuge Prasanna, 8 Thisara Perera, 9 Sachithra Senanayake, 10 Suranga Lakmal 11 Lakshan Sandakan

Sri Lanka need to find an opening solution quickly so will likely give either Dimuth Karunaratne or Dinesh Chandimal a go at the top.  Chandimal’s run in the previous match could give him the edge.

England (likely): 1 Alastair Cook, 2 Alex Hales, 3 James Taylor, 4 Joe Root, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ravi Bopara, 8 Ben Stokes, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 James Tredwell, 11 Harry Gurney

England could use the dead rubber to give games to other members of their touring squad in a bid to find out more about them including Alex Hales, Harry Gurney, Ben Stokes or Ian Bell, mind you, there’s little more they could find out about Bell.  That could see Moeen Ali and the impressive Chris Woakes miss out.

The Key Players

James Tredwell – The unheralded spinner does not elect much praise for his work but he should.  He’s building a nice reputation as an accurate and economical spinner, and his series numbers thus far stack up well.  His 4 wickets have come at an average of 42, but the impressive stat is the economy rate of 4.33.  An entire run per over better than the second cheapest England bowler (Moeen Ali).

Mahela Jayawardene – Whether he bats four or at the top the right hander is a dangerous prospect.  In this dead rubber he has an excellent chance to audition for a permanent World Cup opening spot, which will in turn solve a difficult conundrum for the Sri Lankan selectors.

The Odds*

Sri Lanka – $1.59

England – $2.36

*International Cricket odds courtesy of BetEasy.

The Prediction

England to steal a pride saving win by 2 wickets. Oh an Alastair Cook is paying $20 to score a century for anyone who is brave enough.