4-1 Shahzad is ready to click

SPORTS BETTING: ENGLAND’S one-day international bowling attack has been exposed during the absence of James Anderson (rested) and Stuart Broad (injured), but it was still disappointing to see the team beaten in the first ODI against Australia in Melbourne.

After posting 294, England were in the driving seat, but an unbeaten 161 by Shane Watson gave the Aussies an unlikely victory.

Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett and Ajmal Shahzad are decent bowlers in the one-day game, but they do not have the one-day expertise of Anderson and Broad who, all being well, will return to the England squad for next month’s start of the World Cup.

That squad was named today and England are justifiably 5-1 joint second favourites to add this competition to their Twenty20 World Cup success last year.

The tournament is being hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and, not surprisingly, the first-named are 7-2 jollies, with Sri Lanka alongside England as joint second favourites.

Bangladesh are a progressive cricketing nation, but 50-1 just about sums up their chance.

Anyway, back to England v Australia and match two of seven fixtures in Hobart on Friday.

The bookies can barely split the two teams, with Australia marginal favourites at 10-11 and England evens.

Pitches in Tasmania can often be quite sporty, with plenty of seam movement, while England’s warm-up game over there a couple of months ago saw the bowlers derive quite a bit of swing.

Shahzad was particularly impressive in that match against Australia ‘A’ and, boosted by being named in the World Cup squad, can be top wicket-taker for England at 4-1.

He will get his chance with a fairly new ball and, as a death bowler, with a reversing old one, so the potential for taking wickets is there.

As for top England batsman, have a little on Eoin Morgan at a generous 6-1.

With the wicket likely to do a bit, he could get in quite early despite his number six position in the line-up.

Admittedly, he has struggled in the last two England games, but he is a class act in one-day cricket and the Aussies will not be able to keep him pinned down for any length of time.


MANCHESTER United remain odds-on at 10-11 for the Premier League title after picking up a valuable point at Tottenham on Saturday.
Arsenal, 3-0 winners at West Ham, are into 3-1, while Manchester City are 13-2 and Chelsea just behind on 15-2.

As for Athletic, they are 14-1 for promotion from npower League One despite beating Plymouth 2-0 at Home Park and being on the fringe of the play-off places.


GOLF’S European Tour shifts into overdrive this weekend with the staging of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the first leg of the Desert Swing.
Reigning Order Of Merit winner Martin Kaymer is the 8-1 favourite to win this prestigious event, with the ever-consistent Lee Westwood 9-1, Rory McIlroy 11-1 and a host of British and Irish players close behind.

It is a little early in the season to be betting on golf, but I was tempted by the 16-1 about Graeme McDowell following some solid performances in America.

US Open champion G-Mac is up to joint fourth in the world rankings and is starting to match Westwood and Kaymer for consistency.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Second ODI, Ajmal Shahzad to be top England wicket-taker, 4-1 (Sporting Bet); Eoin Morgan to be top England batsman, 6-1 (Boylesports, Sporting Bet).