ICC Champions Trophy 2013

[kevshat]

The last ever Champions Trophy gets underway on the 6th June. It is staged in England and is all on Sky and the markets are starting to go up so now seems like a good time to start the thread. Hopefully the weather comes good and if it does there should be the chance for some cash to be made. Schedule: [TABLE=width: 630]

[TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%]Thu Jun 6 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 1st Match, Group B - India v South Africa Sophia Gardens, Cardiff [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Fri Jun 7 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 2nd Match, Group B - Pakistan v West Indies Kennington Oval, London [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sat Jun 8 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 3rd Match, Group A - England v Australia Edgbaston, Birmingham [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sun Jun 9 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 4th Match, Group A - New Zealand v Sri Lanka Sophia Gardens, Cardiff [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Mon Jun 10 12:00 GMT | 13:00 local 13:00 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 5th Match, Group B - Pakistan v South Africa Edgbaston, Birmingham [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Tue Jun 11 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 6th Match, Group B - India v West Indies Kennington Oval, London [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Wed Jun 12 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 7th Match, Group A - Australia v New Zealand Edgbaston, Birmingham [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Thu Jun 13 12:00 GMT | 13:00 local 13:00 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 8th Match, Group A - England v Sri Lanka Kennington Oval, London [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Fri Jun 14 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 9th Match, Group B - South Africa v West Indies Sophia Gardens, Cardiff [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sat Jun 15 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 10th Match, Group B - India v Pakistan Edgbaston, Birmingham [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sun Jun 16 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 11th Match, Group A - England v New Zealand Sophia Gardens, Cardiff [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Mon Jun 17 12:00 GMT | 13:00 local 13:00 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 12th Match, Group A - Australia v Sri Lanka Kennington Oval, London [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Wed Jun 19 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 1st Semi-Final - TBC v TBC Kennington Oval, London [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Thu Jun 20 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 2nd Semi-Final - TBC v TBC Sophia Gardens, Cardiff [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sun Jun 23 09:30 GMT | 10:30 local 10:30 BST [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] Final - TBC v TBC Edgbaston, Birmingham [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 I'll get us started - tournament preview: 4pts Australia to win Champions Trophy 6/1 Ladbrokes Australia go into this tournament as my idea of the winners. I think they have an excellent bowling attack for English conditions and in Shane Watson and Dave Warner they have a couple of attack destroyers. With the likes of Adam Voges, Matthew Wade and Mitchell Marsh all able to club a long ball down the order, Australia have the players to take advantage of the fielding restrictions too. Michael Clarke’s back injury is a concern but they can win matches without him and despite their humiliating warm up defeat if the likes of Mitchell Starc, James Faulker, Clint McKay and Mitchell Johnson keep taking wickets I think Australia will take a lot of beating, particularly as they begin in the easier of the two groups. 1pt ew Pakistan to win Champions Trophy 8/1 Paddy Power (1/3 1-2) Pakistan often turn up and play some good cricket in these global events and I think it is worth a saver on them delivering in this tournament too. They won the World T20 in English conditions in 2009 so we know the conditions won’t beat them and like Australia, they have a very potent bowling attack. The likes of Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan and Wahab Riaz all take wickets with the new and old ball while in Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez they have good spin options. There is plenty of experience in their batting line up but also plenty of flair too so Pakistan shouldn’t be ruled out of this carnival of cricket without a trace and should act as a good saver to Australia. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/champions-trophy-betting-australia-can-win-the-champions-trophy-for-a-third-time-in-a-row-20130605

[Westy]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Couple of outrights for me. 1pt ew – New Zealand to win the Champions Trophy – 11/1 (2 places, ½ odds) Sporting Bet Big price on the Kiwis here given their current exploits against England. In every ICC event they are written off by most but more often than not surprise everyone and reach the latter stages so this looks a big price. They have some match winners with the bat in the form of Guptill, Taylor and McCullum and some solid work horses with the ball. They are in the weaker of the two groups and will fancy their chances against all 3 of the other teams. Nothing to suggest they can’t reach the semis and then have another good performance to be in the money here. 2pts ew – Saeed Ajmal Top Tournament Bowler – 16/1 (4 places, ¼ odds) Paddy Power Pakistan should go well in this tournament and have every chance of making the semi final stage. Should they reach the semis and beyond Saeed Ajmal will no doubt play a key role in that with the ball. As we all know he is a terrific bowler with many tricks up his sleeve against most opposition but two of those opponents will be South Africa and West Indies in the group stage. Both these sides struggle against spin and even more so against mystery spin so he could well run through either of these two. So 16/1 with each way terms looks excellent value to me for the Pakistani off spinner. 1pt ew – Dwayne Bravo Top Tournament Bowler – 33/1 Ladbrokes Dwayne Bravo is in good bowling form having bagged the purple cap in the IPL so comes into this tournament high on confidence. He tends to pick wickets in clusters so in this short tournament could well feature in the top wicket takers. West Indies have a pretty good new ball attack and Narine so it could be that teams look to target Bravo but with an excellent Yorker and clever changes of pace that won’t be easy so I’m happy to have a punt on Dwayne to go well in the tournament.

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Top batsman preview: 2pts ew S.Watson Top Tournament Batsman 12/1 BetVictor (1/4 1-5) Shane Watson is someone I expect to go very well in this tournament. The wickets are excellent for batting so he can hit through the line of the ball and there are very few who can hit through the line of the ball like he can. Watson opens the batting so he will be able to take advantage of the fielding restrictions and the distain he treats spinners with can see him rack up the runs at a very quick rate. Australia will need their gun all rounder to get them off to fast starts and if the warm up match against the West Indies is anything to go by he’ll do just that. At 12/1 he looks a very good each way punt for top scorer in this tournament. 1pt ew J.Charles Top Tournament Batsman 50/1 Paddy Power (1/4 1-4) The West Indies have a number of batsmen capable of scoring runs but one man who isn’t spoken about in the same mould as Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels and Kieron Pollard is the other opener, Johnson Charles. Charles comes into this tournament with centuries in his last two ODIs and he has two half centuries in his two warm up innings so he can handle English conditions. While Chris Gayle is splattering attacks at one end Charles can warm to the task and anchor the innings and as time goes on he’ll up his own run rate. He has the potential to score big runs at this level and at 50/1 he could be a tidy each way punt too. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/champions-trophy-betting-shane-watson-looks-a-good-bet-to-be-the-top-runscorer-20130605

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Top tournament bowler preview: 1pt ew M.Starc Top Tournament Bowler 16/1 Coral (1/4 1-4) One man I really like the look of is Mitchell Starc. I think Starc is an excellent bowler with the white ball and he’s rare these days in that he attacks the stumps and he does so with pace and variations in length. What makes him dangerous is he can swing it and swing it late too and given that he bowls at the start, end and in the batting powerplay he has a great chance of taking wickets. He knows English conditions from his time with Yorkshire and I think he’ll be close in the wicket list. 1pt ew J.Khan Top Tournament Bowler 20/1 Ladbrokes (1/4 1-4) With all that in mind I think Junaid Khan is another who can go well in this tournament. His yorker at the end of the innings is devastating but he’s perfectly capable of taking wickets up top too. Like Starc, he bowls at the start, at the death and in the batting powerplay so he should pick up a few cheap wickets in the tournament. I think Pakistan will go well in this event and if they do I would be surprised if he isn’t high up in the wicket lists. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/champions-trophy-betting-mitchell-starc-can-splatter-the-timber-in-the-champions-trophy-20130605

[Westy]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 2pts - Robin Peterson Top South Africa Bowler - 7/1 Bet365 I think the South African left arm spinner is a bit overpriced here. Dale Steyn's fitness is touch and go for the first match so he may well have some catching up to do in the wicket taking stakes when he is back in action. Of course there is Morne Morkel but given that the pitches seem to be dry across the country I think spinners will be having more of a say than initially thought. Happy to back SA's front line spinner at a large price in a fairly open market for this tournament.

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Opening match preview: 4pts India to beat South Africa Evs Betfred There’s no doubt Dale Steyn is a big loss to the South Africans if he doesn’t play, and all the indications are that he won’t play here. He is the one man who can trouble the Indian batsmen with pace and rip out the top order which you need to do to avoid the carnage at the end of the innings. India’s bowling attack isn’t brilliant but they have the ability to slow down the run rate during the middle of the innings which South Africa don’t have so given how well the Indian batting line up is going at the minute I’ll take them to win this tournament opener. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/india-vs-south-africa-betting-india-can-open-the-tournament-up-with-a-win-over-steyn-less-south-africa-20130605

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Few more outrights. 4pts West Indies Most Tournament 6's 4/1 Paddy Power 1pt New Zealand Most Tournament 6's 9/1 Paddy Power These prices look all wrong to me. Ok there's no assurances either will make the final but both should have pretty decent tournaments and both sides have people who can hit 6's right down their orders. West Indies play all three group matches either at The Oval or Cardiff where the short boundaries are very short and there isn't a player in the Windies side who can't hit a long ball but if Gayle and Pollard have good tournaments they'll have this market sewn up with games to spare. New Zealand have just shown their big hitting exploits and two of their matches are in Cardiff too so I would expect the straight boundaries there to be absolutely peppered in this tournament but them. They face England and Sri Lanka's attacks in the group stages and could catch hold of a few from them. This is a market which looks attractive and these look the two best prices in it. I can't be having India as favourites for the life of me. 1pt ew K.Pollard Fastest Tournament 50 12/1 Stan James (1/4 1-3) 1pt ew J.Buttler Fastest Tournament 50 16/1 Stan James (1/4 1-3) I don't think Kieron Pollard needs any explanation to this bet. If the Windies top order goes well he will have some serious platforms to build on and with the dismal death bowling South Africa and India have he has two immediate opportunities to go bonkers and if he goes ballistic long enough he will take some real stopping in this market. Of course he's got to make a 50 but he only needs around 20-25 balls to get that so he should have a couple of tilts at it at least. If England use Jos Buttler in the right way then he'll have a tilt at it too. He is a glorious straight hitter of a cricket ball and even his ramp shots can go for 6 at Cardiff, as he has shown in the past. We saw what he did to New Zealand's attack at Trent Bridge and if he cops hold of it again there could be carnage there but there isn't an attack which can't be put to the sword if he is batting in the last 10 overs so these two look fair value plays in this market. 2pts C.Ingram Top South Africa Tournament Batsman 6/1 Boylesports Colin Ingram probably hasn't become a household name yet but he is a very solid batsman who should score lots of runs in this tournament. He has the role of being the glue of the innings while the stroke players play around him and he plays it pretty well. In only 22 innings he already has three centuries to his name in ODI cricket, including two against a pretty tasty Pakistan bowling attack and if you can score tons against them you can score them against anyone. Apart from Hashim Amla, who is the clear danger, I expect the rest to contribute more cameos than solid regular performances so at 6/1 Ingram looks good value in this market particularly batting in the top three. 1pt M.S.Dhoni Top India Tournament Batsman 7/1 Boylesports I don't think MSD needs too much of a write up here. He is a class act and with one or two question marks about the very top of India's order I expect him to come in somewhere in the middle overs and as we've seen time again he paces an innings superbly and if he's there at the end and India are batting first his scoring rate will be something ridiculous. I guess the danger in this market is that Kohli gets in and gets off to some fliers but even then I can't be having Dhoni more than double the price to chase him down. MSD is a class act and he likes to take the responsibility himself, especially in run chases and I wouldn't be surprised to see him marching to the wicket as high as four at times. 7/1 is a big price in what should be something close to a two horse race unless Khartik keeps this remarkable recent form up.

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 And some more for the opening match. 4pts India Most 6's 5/4 Boylesports With no Steyn and potentially no AB de Villiers then India will benefit hugely when it comes to the sixes battle. Steyn's 10 overs would almost be banker non six overs unless Dhoni gets stuck in so India will have 10 extra overs to attack while arguably South Africa's cleanest six hitter is a doubt too in de Villiers - another help. India aren't blessed with huge hitters but over 50 overs the likes of Sharma, Khartik, Kohli, Dhoni and Raina can all hit big and so they look a decent price to hit more sixes than a South Africa side whose top three aren't likely to hit too many and whose middle order may not bat long enough to match India's total. 3pts JP.Duminy's Performance Pts 34&Over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch & 20pts per wicket. JP Duminy is back in ODI cricket and he'll want to stamp his mark on things straight away to regain and keep his place in the side long term. This total is well within his reach. He could well clear it with the bat if given the chance but he's likely to bowl a few offies on this Cardiff wicket and he often picks up a bonus wicket or two when he bowls. Add into the mix that he's a superb fielder and we've got a 3D cricketer chasing a target which an average day with bat and ball will cover with a bit in hand. A good day with either and he covers it clearly so I like the overs there. 1pt MS.Dhoni Man of the Match 16/1 Skybet Dhoni is a huge price to be the man of the match here. He's often there at the end when India win matches and quite often he's the one who has won the game for them. I wouldn't rule out a stumping or two to help us out but with Dhoni's record of winning matches and being not out when the game is won I'll take 16/1 on the Indian captain being the man of any limited overs match all day long.

[ani_lfc]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 One for me for the opening game although I also have the century in match as per my glory hunt thread 5 points MS Dohni Performance Points 45 & Over @ 1.83 Bet365 I cant really add to what Kevin has said regarding the MOTM. Dohni will most likely get a couple of catches and maybe even a stumping and I'm sure we will see him at the crease with a few overs to Bat where he should hopefully get 20+ runs. Even if we dont see many India wickets fall I wouldn be suprised to see him promote himself and start the copter and hit it all over the Swalec Stadium.

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Friday preview: 4pts Over 7.5 6's 5/6 William Hill I think this is a tough match to call purely because you never truly know what on earth you are going to get from either of them. One thing I think we’ll get whatever happens is quite a few sixes. If Chris Gayle gets going any sixes line will be covered but this looks a favourable line at 7.5. If the West Indies bat first then you’ve got to think they will go close to covering this on their own but Pakistan have enough hitters in their ranks for me to believe we’ll see at least eight maximums here. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/pakistan-vs-west-indies-betting-expect-to-see-plenty-of-sixes-at-the-oval-20130606

[Carlisle Blue]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Normally I would row in with Kev blind, but for me both of these teams batting line ups have the ability to go down like a pack of cards a bit too often. Which if it happens to the team batting first could create an issue with boundaries bets. So, although at slightly shorter odds I'm going to back "Century in the match" - No (Ladbrokes or Victor) at 8/13. Across 44 ODI's played in this country since 2000 by these teams only 1 century has been scored by a current player.

[kevshat]

Two more for me here. 3pts Dwayne Bravo's Performance Pts - 41&over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch and 20pts per wicket. Dwayne Bravo us captaining this West Indian side these days and with that comes responsibility and so I think we'll see a good performance from the Trinidadian today. He may well promote himself up the order in the quest for setting up a platform for a slogathon or he could tonk a few himself. As Westy quite rightly highlighted earlier in the thread his bowling has come on leaps and bounds and he is now a strong wicket taker at this level. Add in the fact he's a stunning fielder and we've got three scoring options. As a general rule I don't like taking lines over 40 but I'll make an exception here given how strong Bravo's scoring options are. 0.5pts W.Riaz Top Pakistan Batsman 66/1 Ladbrokes Wahab Riaz is capable with the bat and as CB points out above nobody would be drastically surprised if Pakistan's batting folds under pressure so with that in mind it might be worth a small punt on Wahab top scoring. Wahab won a game for Pakistan with the bat against Ireland recently and if the top order is shot out the chances are he'll be facing the medium pacers rather than the top level bowlers. We saw yesterday Ryan McLaren scoring well down the order and Wahab can do that for Pakistan. Whether its enough to top score remains to be seen but it is worth a small punt at 66/1 to find out. Sent from my HTC Desire HD A9191 using PL Forum

[ani_lfc]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 One for me along with the century in a match... 5 points Over 14.5 Wides @ 1.83 William Hill With the amount of spinners that Pakistan have and the fact that both wicket keepers arent exactly the best I think we can see 15 wides here today. If West Indies bat well im sure the Pakistan bowlers may get a bit to cute and end up bowling it down the leg side.

[Westy]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Nice calls yesterday Kev! 4pts - Pakistan to beat West Indies - Evens Coral I have to take Pakistan now that they've drifted out to evens. Of course WI have a very dangerous line up and if they fire it will be difficult for Pak to win this game but I don't fancy them to fire against this Pakistani bowling outfit. In the past we have seen the West Indies come unstuck against good quality spin and in Ajmal and Hafeez you have two very good spinners here. Gayle will probably just look to see off the threats but the likes of Pollard and even Samuels at time dont usually know which way Ajmal is turning it. Overall as has been said in this thread both teams could capitulate but I fancy Pakistan to prevail today.

[Westy]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 And one top bat. 1pt - Dwayne Bravo Top West Indies Batsman - 10/1 Ladbrokes Against Pakistan I immediately think of Dwayne Bravo to come to the party with the bat. He is an excellent player of spin and that will be very much needed against 20+ overs of spin that Pakistan will bowl. He's quick on his feet and can play the lofted shot over extra cover which will be very handy against Ajmal's doosra. Not entirely sure what number he'll bat at but if West Indies collapse and its not an impossibility then it won't matter as a cameo will seal the deal. All in all 10/1 looks a big price for the new West Indies captain.

[Berlington Bertie]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 5pts England to bt Australia 4/5 sky bet Think England are value here at the prices would personally have them shorter.Australia must be reeling from being bowled out for such a low total in thier warm up game and with Clarke ruled out that leaves a massive hole in their batting.England have a pretty decent record at Edgbaston and you have got to feel they will be the more confident side right now so with all things considered i fancy the hosts to get off to a winning start.

[Charlie Wong]

Eng Vs Aus Australia highest 15 over total @10/11 Ladbrokes. Too tight to call a winner but I like this market, Fat Shane, Warner and Hughes like to play their shots and will look to capitalise in the PP overs, For England, Bell looks in touch but Cook is likely to be cautious against a decent attack and Cooks been vulnerable to left arm seam up front, brings Starc & Mitch into the equation, if a wicket goes down early, then you can always rely on Jonathan 'strike rate' Trott to use up a few overs as he plays himself in.

[NoFear]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 sunny forecast for edgbaston 2morrow. I was in birmingham this past week and it was very hot and sunny every single day of the week. maybe thats why england has been drifting the past few hours since if the wicket flattens out due to the sunshine, it could take away the edge england has in the pace dept. as the ball wont do much (like it did in India). Just wanted to point this out cos someone above posted a decent 5point bet on england. (Of course england could win easily, but would advise to wait till tommorrow to place any bets as otherwise you be just be taking a coinflip)

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Do England even have an edge in the pace department? If they do it is miniscule at best. England are basically 4/5 because there's no Michael Clarke. Question is can a number five batsman be *that* influential on the game. He shouldn't be but this is Michael Clarke we're talking about. As for the Edgbaston wicket, it will be flat, it has been all season. Warwickshire's absent batting line up nearly chased 240 down there in a YB40 game. Was at The Oval today. Was as high a quality game of cricket as I've seen in a long while. Saturday preview: 4pts Over 6.5 6's 5/6 Stan James These two sides are going to see plenty of each other in the next eight months and it all starts here. Both will want the early momentum in the battle between the two and this promises to be an exciting game. In both warm up matches at Edgbaston there were 11 sixes in each and I expect plenty more here on the Birmingham road. Both sides have big hitters in their ranks and the boundaries here aren’t the biggest since the new pavilion and stand went up so I think we’ll see a 6.5 line covered. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/england-vs-australia-betting-expect-to-see-some-big-hits-at-edgbaston-20130607

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Sunday preview: 4pts New Zealand to beat Sri Lanka 11/10 Ladbrokes New Zealand always do well as underdogs in these tournaments and they are underdogs for this match too. That surprises me though because as much as spinners might fare better in Cardiff you still need a pace attack to take wickets at the start of the innings and Malinga aside I’m not sure Sri Lanka have them. New Zealand’s attack bowled very well on three pretty flat wickets against England and can go equally as well here and nick a high scoring win. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/new-zealand-vs-sri-lanka-betting-new-zealand-can-go-well-as-underdogs-once-again-20130608

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Couple of poor days for me. Hoping for better on Sunday. Two more to add to the above bet. 4pts Over 6.5 6's 5/6 Paddy Power In days gone by you would camp on the unders whenever Sri Lanka were playing because there was nobody to hit sixes. That's not the case these days though as they now have quite a few six hitters. Kusal Perera, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera and Dinesh Chandimal can all smoke a long ball and then there's the sloggers down the order too who give it a big of long handle. With that in mind the overs here look a good thing, particularly as hardly any of those I've mentioned slog to cow corner. You'll find they all go straight and it's a flick for six straight on this ground. New Zealand have bags of six hitting mite in their side to contribute, in fact on a good day they'll cover this line on their own so between two attacking sides on a good surface I'd expect this line to be covered purely straight down the ground let alone someone taking on the longer square boundaries. 3pts K.Perera (-2.5 runs) to beat L.Ronchi 5/6 Ladbrokes I really like what I've seen of Kusal Perera so far in his career and I think he'll be at least three runs too good for Luke Ronchi. Ronchi has done the square root of very little with the bat so far on this tour of England and the biggest problem he has is that his bat doesn't come down straight and when that happens in English conditions good luck to you because you won't make many. Sri Lanka have a couple of bowlers who nibble it off the seam and make it swing a bit and I would be very surprised if they don't find the edge of Ronchi's bat early on. Perera has no such weakness. He'll just clear the front leg Jayasuriya style and swing from the hip and in McClenaghan and Mills there are two opening bowlers who don't do an awful lot with the ball so there's no reason why Perera should struggle to get into his stride. With that in mind I'll take him to beat Ronchi by at least 3 runs here. And one further outright bet too. 2pts K.Perera Top Sri Lanka Tournament Batsman 11/2 Sportingbet As I said above I like Kusal Perera and what I like about his chances is there isn't a bowling attack which do a lot with the ball in this group so he should be able to prosper on these good wickets for batting. Perera is an unknown for most people which automatically makes him a danger and I really think he can go well. Opening the batting with the powerplays in place is perfect for his style and if he can get in then he will score very quickly throughout the innings and he only has to come off big once and he'll probably put half the batting line up out of this market such is the speed he scores and the fact he'll always bat. Perera has already shown in the warm up matches that he has no issues with the conditions in this tournament so while the main three are all class acts Perera, the unknown man, could be the one to trump the three of them and top score for Sri Lanka throughout this tournament.

[Carlisle Blue]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Outright straight forecast 1st Sri Lanka 2nd India 33/1 @ Ladbrokes. In Group A India for the most part have already faced their most difficult opponent against a Steynless South Africa. Pakistan and the Windies are very hit and miss. I totally respect Kev but think that NZ's appearance might have been flattered by a poor England team, and Australia are a shambles. Sri Lanka are rested, they have prepared for this tournament , have an aggressive batting line up and seam and spin options.

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 One more outright.... 1pt ew Pakistan to win Champions Trophy 14/1 Bet365 (1/3 1-2) I've already backed Pakistan to win this tournament but I've no problem topping up on them after what I saw on Friday. Their bowling attack looked amazingly good and they will win them matches on their own. Ok their batsmen didn't deliver against the West Indies but sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say Kemar Roach's spell of bowling was better than world class. The Pakistan batsmen won't find anything like that on their travels again in this tournament unless they face the West Indians in the final, by which time the place money will have already been banked. Pakistan's batsmen aren't as bad as they looked in the first match. Perhaps the best thing to have happened in that match was Misbah scored runs as he is a man for a crisis should they get into another one but they face a South Africa attack which looks rotten without Steyn and that should give their stroke makers the chance to find their feet and their confidence and if they start batting well they are massive runners for this tournament at a decent price.

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Monday preview: 4pts Pakistan to beat South Africa 11/10 Bet365 I really like Pakistan here. I don’t think their batting will crumble against this bowling attack unless Steyn makes an incredible recovery and plays and I expect their bowlers to enjoy the conditions at Edgbaston. Pakistan have the knowledge that they could probably defend 250 on this track whereas South Africa will wonder whether they can defend 300. That’s a massive difference and with the quality of their bowling attack I have to take Pakistan here. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/pakistan-vs-south-africa-betting-pakistan-look-a-big-price-at-odds-against-at-edgbaston-20130609

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 2 more for tomorrow. 4pts Pakistan Most 6's 6/4 BetVictor Pakistan and South Africa have met six times in 2013 in ODI's, five in South Africa and one in a warm up match at The Oval prior to this tournament. The match results are now 3-3 but the six hitting is 6-0 in Pakistan's favour and that's no surprise because their bowling attack is good, very good. I've watched cricket all my life and as a bowling unit I've not seen quicker than what I saw on Friday. Irfan, Junaid and Wahab were all hitting 90mph with good lengths and lines and seeing balls from them is hard enough let alone hitting them for six. You might be able to hit Saeed Ajmal for six but you've got to pick him first, ditto Mohammad Hafeez. In the warm up match for this tournament South Africa used all their batsmen and didn't hit a single six. I wouldn't be surprised if they don't hit one here either. Pakistan aren't blessed with a natural big hitter like Afridi but they have enough who hit the ball cleanly that when they attack they can clear the ropes. Jamshed, Hafeez, Misbah and Kamran Akmal for example. This run of Pakistan hitting the most sixes against South Africa is no fluke, it is the difference in the way the two sides play the game. Pakistan have just hit more 6's than a West Indies side who hit everything out the park so if they are doing that then they are a massive value price to beat South Africa at 6/4. 3pts W.Riaz's Performance Pts - 34&Over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch & 20pts per wicket. Wahab Riaz was very impressive against the West Indies. He was bowling 93mph and faster and that's good heat. He was getting movement and bounce too as Kieron Pollard can testify and a spell like that in this match could see this target covered with plenty in hand. I don't expect him to score points through catches but anyone can catch a ball I guess, it would be a bonus though. He will score with the bat should he get in though. He looked to have a good technique and given the situation against the West Indies he played cleverly too and was unlucky to be run out backing up at the non-strikers end. There's nothing you can do about that. If he's in with a few overs to go then he can get the 14 runs which means he only needs one wicket but having taken three wickets against South Africa in the warm up match I think he's more than capable of the two wickets he needs to cover this total with the ball. This line looks very low actually and is worth hitting the overs on.

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 Tuesday preview: 4pts West Indies to beat India 11/8 Bet365 I thought the West Indies were really good on Friday with bat and the ball. That Pakistan attack isn’t easy to repel so having done so West Indies should take a lot of confidence from that. Their own bowling attack looks in good form and they will bowl better than South Africa did which gives them every chance I think. If Gayle or Pollard comes off then this will be a tough ask for the Indians so I think West Indies are worth a go here. Full preview here: http://www.punterslounge.com/india-vs-west-indies-betting-all-round-solid-west-indies-look-good-value-at-the-oval-20130610

[kevshat]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 3 more for Tuesday's game. 5pts Over 7.5 6's 5/6 Sportingbet I just don't see how this game can be a low scoring one, try as I have. Both sides have power right through their batting line ups and both have bowlers who you can get after. Throw in a decent Oval wicket with very short straight boundaries and I expect to see a lot of sixes hit. The likes of Gayle, Pollard, Samuels, Dhoni, Kohli, Raina and Sharma are all clean six hitters and there are others on both sides who can clear the ropes too. Both sides will bowl a bit of spin which I'm sure will be attacked so I expect to see the ball fly over the ropes in this match. 3pts K.Pollard's Performance Pts - 34&Over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch & 20pts per wicket. Kieron Pollard should go well in this match. He scored 30 in the Pakistan game so we know he can bat on this wicket and he will probably bowl a few overs too. Throw in the fact he's a stunning fielder and I think we've got ourselves a very low line. Pollard can cover this with the bat or in the field with a good day with either and he can cover it too with an average day with both so I like the overs here. 1pt R.Jadeja Top India Batsman 16/1 Sportingbet Ravindra Jadeja made an unbeaten 47 in India's last match and he has been batting well for a while now and I see no reason why he won't go well again here. There's a chance that India might lose a wicket or two at the top of the innings so Jadeja could well get to bat for longer than he did in Cardiff. He can play the nudge and knock it around innings or the wig wam bam innings which appeals as it is good to have either string to a bow. If the Chennai Super Kings man is in early enough the 16/1 on him top scoring could look a very big price by the time he's dismissed.

[ThemanwiththeSTATS]

Just your usual whinge when u lose buzz ? You don't add anything but after event whining. Contributions would be nice.

[fezzik]

Re: ICC Champions Trophy 2013 India v West Indies - India 1.64 888sport these are slightly skinny odds, but I just think India have too much for WI today. Both teams won't fancy a damp morning, so the chasers might have advantage. WI are forced to change due to Ramdin debacle and not sure this will help team morale. India have so much firepower batting and I think just enough nous in their bowling. Think the combo of in-form batters and their spinners Ashwin, Jadeja and Raina will be too much for the WI, who I'm not sure have the 50 over staying power to win. Good luck all!