Sportsbet Blog

In an Australian cricket first, leading online bookmaker sportsbet has declared the 2010/11 Ashes Series over and has paid out all bets totaling more than $400,000 on England to not only retain the Ashes, but to win the series after Day One of the Third Test in Perth.

The unprecedented move sees punters collect their winnings with an incredible four days of play left in the Perth Test – and with the Melbourne and Sydney Tests to come.

“Unfortunately for Australian cricket fans the writing is on the wall and we can’t see the Aussies coming back from here,” said sportsbet’s Chief Executive Matthew Tripp.

“We’d be paying out soon enough anyway so punters may as well have their cash now in time for Christmas.

“Cricket punters are normally very patriotic to the Aussies but they also know a good thing when they see it and it seems everyone has backed England to win this series.

“As big fans of our national side we’d love to get this one wrong but we can’t see any hope of them turning it around.”

Just before the First Test in Brisbane, one punter had $50,000 on England to win the series at $3, meaning he has collected $150,000 before the halfway mark of the series.

With their domination so far this summer, England is now paying just $1.30 to win the Ashes. $5.25 is on offer on a drawn series, while Australia has blown out to $8.50 to win the series.

“As with all sportsbet early payouts and refunds, there is no requirement for punters to reinvest their winnings, it’s their money and they can do as they please with it,” said Tripp.

“The bottom line is, why risk betting anywhere else when sportsbet regularly pays out early on big events?”

Sportsbet is generating a reputation for paying out early on big events. In October the bookie paid out more than $250,000 early on So You Think to win the Cox Plate, five days before the race.

However, the bookmaker does not always get it right. Earlier this year, sportsbet paid out more than $150,000 in bets on Richmond for the AFL Wooden Spoon after just four rounds. A mid-season revival saw the Tigers finish two wins clear of West Coast at the bottom of the ladder.

The payout applies to all single wagers placed on England to win the 2010/11 Ashes Series before 11.30am AEDT on Friday, 17 December 2010.

Market courtesy of sportsbet

2010/11 Ashes Series
$1.30 England (in from $3.20 in early market)
$5.25 Drawn Series (in from $5.50)
$8.50 Australia (out from $1.73)

Punters with leading online bookmaker sportsbet are leading a charge with their wallets for Shane Warne to return to the Australian XI during the 2010/11 Ashes Series.
Warne is just $3.75 to play in at least one of the remaining three Tests, with $1.22 on offer for Warne not to return.

“We’ve had dozens of punters ringing us in the past few days wanting to get a bet on Warnie returning at some point during the Ashes Series,” said sportsbet’s Haydn Lane.
“I think the best chance of seeing the great man return is if the Perth Test is a draw. That way we’ll still be down by one Test with two to go and then a date with the MCG beckons.
“He’ll probably win the Melbourne Test on his personality alone with 100,000 screaming Victorians behind him and can then bowl us to victory on a raging turner in Sydney!”

Unfortunately for Warne supporters, most punters also believe the Perth Test will not go the distance.

The odds for Australia to win and for a Draw have reversed since markets opened immediately following the Second Test, with Australia $3.40 into $2.65 and the Draw $2.65 out to $3.75. England has firmed from $2.55 into $2.40.

“At this stage punters clearly think the match will be decided inside five days on a lively pitch,” said Lane.
“Less than 10 percent of bets on the Third Test have been on the Draw, while slightly more money has been bet on England than Australia.”

The chopping and changing of the Australian lineup is expected to continue, with 19 or more players used this series now the $3 favourite, in from $81 at the start of the series.

Markets courtesy of sportsbet
Will Shane Warne play in the 2010/2011 Ashes Series?
$3.75 Yes
$1.22 No

3rd Ashes Test
$2.40 England (in from $2.55)
$2.65 Australia (in from $3.40)
$3.75 Draw (out from $2.65)

2010/11 Ashes Series
$1.45 England
$4.50 Drawn Series
$6.50 Australia

Retain/Regain Ashes
$1.10 England
$6.50 Australia

Total Australian players used in 2010/11 Ashes Series
11 players                   (was $9)
12 players                   (was $3.25)
13 players                   (was $3)
14 players                   (was $3.25)
15 players                   $11 (out from $8)
16 players                   $4.50 (in from $17)
17 players                   $3.75 (in from $26)
18 players                   $3.25 (in from $41)
19 or more players     $3.00 (in from $81)
Players must start in starting 11 to be counted – 12th Men are not included

After one of the most comprehensive  victories in Ashes history, England are now red hot to win the coveted urn at the short price of $1.45 with online bookmaker Sportsbet.

The visitors’ total domination in Adelaide has given them a crucial lead meaning Australia somehow have to win two of the three remaining Tests, a task that seems almost impossible on form and has seen their price blow out to $6.50.

“Santa’s on the way but he’ll need to open with the Tooth Fairy and have the Easter Bunny batting at four if you believe in fairytale comebacks. It’s not going to happen,” said sportsbet.com.au’s Matthew Campbell.

The loss of Stuart Broad is a blow for the tourists but that hasn’t had any effect on the odds for the Third Test starting in Perth next week.

“We’ve opened Australia at $3.40 for Perth, don’t be surprised if they blow out to $4.00. The ‘Balmy Army’ are cashed up after Adelaide” said Campbell.

The shift in the market for England to retain the Ashes has been even more dramatic with their price now into just $1.10.

Get a $200 free bet from Sportsbet to place on the Ashes, checkout the $200 offer here for more info.

Market courtesy of Sportsbet
3rd Ashes Test – Perth
$3.40 Australia
$2.50 England
$2.65 Draw

2010/11 ASHES SERIES
$6.50 Australia (out from $1.73)
$1.45 England (in from $3.20)
$4.50 Drawn Series (in from $5.50)

Retain/Regain Ashes
$1.10 England (in from $1.87)
$6.50 Australia (out from $1.98)

Cricket season is upon us, and it is time for Australia’s first international test of the summer. The first test of the series against the West Indies, held at the Gabba, has been proclaimed a “walkover.” On paper the Australian team quite easily outranks the West Indian, but you can never judge a match just by statistics. The weather looks excellent in Brisbane, so you can definitely expect a result from the match, and while that is most likely an Australian win, there are plenty of other things to bet on.

Betfair has a huge range of betting options – from top scores to the day when the test match will finish, to the amount of runs scored in the opening partnership. You won’t be bored watching the test, and there are plenty of good value bets.

Australia is $1.27 with Betfair to win the test, while the West Indies are right out at $15.50. The Australian odds are too short for a hobby punter like me, though expect them to be snapped up by many.

There are also odds for the top scorer for each team. For the first innings, Ricky Ponting is favourite in the Australian camp at $4.20, but the two I’m looking at are Shane Watson and Mike Hussey. Both are at $6.00, and both are top-quality batsmen. Watson has been batting well, and Hussey, despite calls for him to resign earlier in the year, has hit some good form in the One Day form of the game. They are both at $3.00 to score a century.

The West Indian team is harder to judge, so I’d stay away from betting on the top scorer unless you are feeling confident. Shivnarine Chanderpaul is at $4.10, while all-rounder Dwayne Bravo provides some value at $7.40.

It’s tough to tell on what day a test match will finish, but there are juicy odds if you can tell. The odds for the test to finish on Day 1, 2, or 3 are $2.50, while the favoured session is the Afternoon of Day 5 at $2.12. I like Day 4’s odds. Each session is at $5.10, and while it is difficult to pick a particular session, I think the Afternoon is looking the most likely.

There are a few things that stick out in my mind as good bets. The first is Shane Watson as top scorer for Australia at $6.00. The second, perhaps a little hopeful, is that the West Indies’ opening partnership will score more than Australia at $2.32. The third is the $2.02 for Watson to score more than Simon Katich.

Now everybody loves the smell of freshly mown grass, the sound produced as leather hits willow and the thrill of being in a crowd as everyone screams HOWZAT! The 2009/10 Australian domestic cricket season is set to begin this Sunday as Western Australia and Queensland meet at the WACA in the opening game of the Ford Ranger Cup.

With spring time now well upon us, everyday people from all around Australia will be shifting their attention from the AFL over to the domestic cricket season.

As far as sports betting goes, the odds at Betfair are currently suggesting that Victoria is the team most likely to take home the Ford Ranger cup. New South Wales is currently being tipped as the team likely to be second while the odds for Western Australia suggest that are most likely going to be the third-placed team this season. South Australia and Queensland are not expected to put up much of a challenge for the Ford Ranger Cup.

Western Australia and Queensland will meet for a second time a couple of days later on Tuesday the 13th for their opening game of the 2009/10 Sheffield Shield season. This match will also be played at the WACA. On the same day the South Australia Redbacks will also play host to the Tasmania Tigers as they also make a start to their first class cricket season at Adelaide Oval.

Tasmania and Victoria are the strong favourites to win this season’s Sheffield Shield and you can find great odds for either side at Betfair. The New South Wales Blues are currently tipped to take third place in the Sheffield Shield, but I have my doubts on this as many of their players will be on the international tour. Once again South Australia and Queensland are considered unlikely to challenge for the title.

Players to Watch

This season there will be quite a few players to watch as some of state teams will be playing a few overseas international stars.

Ajantha Mendis, a 24 year old international for Sri Lanka will be playing for the Redbacks this season which will hopefully give them a bit of extra talent.

Dwayne Bravo and Muttiah Muralitharan will both be playing for the Bushrangers and I would expect that both of these international stars perform at their best to help the Bushrangers go one step better than last season.

West Indian powerhouse Chris Gayle will also be featuring in the Australian domestic cricket season when he takes to the crease for Western Australia.

The ICC Champions Trophy Final is now what every cricket fan from both Australia and New Zealand are waiting for. The trans-Tasman clash for the Champions Trophy is set up to be a thriller of a match and will begin on Monday in South Africa at SuperSport Park, Centurion.

Australia

Well what can I say? After an appalling Ashes series they were able to win the following one-day series against England 6-1. Since then they have had an impressive win over the West Indies in the ICC Champions Trophy Group Stage followed by a close victory over Pakistan and then another win over the struggling England side in the semi-final.

In the semi-final we didn’t really see a lot of the batting line-up for the Aussies as Shane Watson and Ricky Ponting put down a 252-run partnership to seize a comfortable 9 wicket victory. Both batsmen scored centuries. The Australian cricket team also played a decent game in the field. Although it wasn’t the best fielding side we have ever seen, they did do a good job. Siddle took 3 wickets and Lee and Watson both bagged 2.

The Aussies have been in fantastic one-day form of late and are proving that even with he changes to their international team they have what it takes. I would expect that the batting line-up continues their fantastic form again and they will definitely make things difficult for the Kiwi’s.

New Zealand

New Zealand has been a bit of a surprise in the 2009 Champions Trophy and now they have the final to look forward to. During the tournament they have taken an expected loss to South Africa followed by impressive wins against England and Sri Lanka. In the semi-final against Pakistan the kiwi’s certainly showed that they know how to play cricket.

There were a few stars for the New Zealand side in the semi and they will be expected to perform again.  Elliot played a fantastic game with the bat and finished on 75 not out. Butler did the best with the ball for the kiwi’s taking figures of 4/44 from 10 over’s. Daniel Vettori also played well taking 3/43 (10 over’s) and knocking up 41 with the bat before being stumped.

The Kiwi’s were never expected to challenge for the Champions Trophy and have surprised many punters with some good form. If they can play well as a team in the final then they will definitely have a chance.

My Opinion

Unfortunately the chance that New Zealand has is only slim. Even with the loss of major players like McGrath and Hayden, Australia continues to show why they have been the best for so long. There are only two things that can happen here.

Either we see the came come down to the wire and the Aussies win with a couple of over’s to spare or the match becomes a complete white wash with the Aussies dominating from start to finish.

ICC Champions Trophy Final prediction – Australia ($1.48 at Betfair)

The 2009 ICC Champions Trophy is drawing nearer day by day and is all set to begin on Tuesday 22^nd September. The tournament will showcase the strongest 8 international cricket teams in the world in one hell of a battle for pride and glory.

The Group Stage has been broken down as follows.

Group A

India

Australia

Pakistan

West Indies

Group B

South Africa

Sri Lanka

England

New Zealand

India is tipped to be the winner of Group A. They are coming off of a great run of one-day victories and have recently had some well deserved success over Sri Lanka. They will come up against Pakistan for the first time in over a year and this is bound to be one of the best matches of the tournament.

Australia is currently in England finishing off their one-day series after an Ashes defeat. They have shown some good form in their last few matches to win the one-day series which is currently sitting at 5-0. They will be looking to retain their title and will be hard to defeat.

Pakistan is one of the most unpredictable sides in cricket today. The Twenty20 champions will be looking for more glory, but I don’t believe that they will find it in the Champions Trophy. They are a great team on their day and have the potential to beat anyone however bad days are far more common for Pakistan.

The fourth team in Group A, the West Indies, will be unlikely to make any real challenge for the trophy. I would be surprised if they are able to defeat any of their group competitors. Recently their second string team was defeated at home to Bangladesh in both the test and one-day series.

South Africa will be the team to watch and the most likely to take the Champions Trophy. The tournament is being played on their home turf and they will be keen to win a trophy here after missing out on the 2003 World Cup and then the 2007 Twenty20 World Championship.

Sri Lanka has recently defeated the Pakistan side and will look to continue their impressive form. They are more than capable of winning the Champions Trophy, but will need to keep up their consistency if they are to do well.

England has not been playing well in their last few one-day matches and has been smashed by the Aussies in the one-day series after winning the Ashes. I would not expect them to challenge.

New Zealand is another team that I would not expect to provide much of a challenge. Although at times, they do play rather well and may surprise.

For all the most up to date odds for the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy I would recommend Betfair. They have fantastic odds for all the group matches and many other things to bet on such as opening partnerships and first method of dismissal.

The 5th and final test match of this year’s Ashes series is set begin this Thursday evening (Australian Time) and will be played at the Oval. It is set to be a thriller as Australia and England will both be looking to push for a win. Although Australia only requires a draw to take home the series win, past performances would suggest that the Aussies will not settle for anything less than a win. Meanwhile, England will be looking to press home any advantage they can after taking the first win of the series and then losing their lead in the 4^th test. I believe that the fifth test will definitely be the best match of the Ashes series this time around and both teams will be faced with stiff competition.

Breakdown of Australia ($2.40 @ SportsBet.com.au)

Needing only a draw to take home the Ashes, the Australian’s are finally beginning to find form as the fifth test is set to begin.

Long gone now are the days of questioning who is to open the batting. Also long gone is the conundrum over the bowling line-up. The decision that was made to play Shane Watson instead of a struggling Phil Hughes proved to be a stroke of genius while getting Stuart Clark back in to the first eleven has paid off well for the tourists. His similarities to McGrath are astounding with his near perfect line and length and his first innings display at Headingley really provided the spark to get Australia going after breaking the back of the English batting line-up.

Another spark for the Aussies is Mitchell Johnson finally getting into what resembles good form. For the first three test matches of the series, Johnson had very much underperformed and has shown signs of improvement in the 4^th test at Headingley.

Overall, the playing eleven for Australia is beginning to resemble a real team for the first time this series. All the players are coming together just at the right time to possibly take home the Ashes.

Breakdown of England ($5 @ SportsBet.com.au)

This series, England has been an exact opposite of the touring side. The upper-hand that they earned through playing some great cricket in the first three test matches was thrown away in the fourth test after 2 innings of senseless batting.

There is now talk of panic in the English dressing room. The media is predicting the dropping of Ravi Bopara for the likes Mark Ramprakash and the selectors may even go for the likes of Jonathon Trott. The very thought of the selectors putting Ramprakash into the side really shows the negative mindset of the home side. A foolish move like his could not suit the Aussies more.

With the news that Andrew Flintoff will be fit enough to play, there is a small amount of confidence for England’s bowling line-up. With Flintoff retiring after the final Ashes test, England may very well rally behind a stunning performance by the all-rounder as they have done so many times in the past. The problem that the English selectors face is who will he replace? Steve Harmison is the likely choice, but with the Oval providing a bouncy wicket, the quick bowler’s may be vital for success. With Stuart Broad having found a bit of form, Graham Onions may be the man on the sidelines for the fifth test.

When it comes to batting for England, Alastair Cook really needs to find his touch quickly. I dare say that Andrew Strauss will be looking to smash his way back into the form that we have seen of late with a century. The dismal performance of the middle order will need to be rectified if England is to have any chance.

My prediction is an Aussie win here. The Aussies dominated the fourth test and I really believe that they will do the same at the Oval. If England is able to bat well enough to stay in the game then a draw ($2.25 @ SportsBet.com.au) may be on the cards.

Sportsbet is the place to go for ricket betting. They cover all markets including next man out number of 6′s and method of dismisal’s. They will give you a $50 free bet just for making a new account with them. Checkout their site for more info on this offer and to checkout the lastest odds for the 5th Ashes test.

Australia ($4.75 @ SportsBet) will be looking to get themselves back into the running for the Ashes by posting a win in the third test match at Edgbaston in Birmingham. After winning at Lord’s to take a 1-0 lead in the series, England ($7 @ SportsBet) will be looking to enhance their advantage and they have an excellent chance of doing so given the inclement weather throughout the preceding week.

With the bowling squad that Australia has at its disposal, it is difficult to envision a tie of 1-1 in the series at the end of the game. The Aussies may very well want to rethink their attack and probably get in an extra bowler in place of a frontline batsman for such a conclusion to happen. When looking at things from the other side if conditions play out as expected, there will be a lot of swing and seam, both through the air and off the pitch. These conditions will favour England. What may not favour England is the weather which may end the game early.

In my opinion, the inclusion of Steve Harmison is a must, especially with the lack of fitness that Andrew Flintoff has shown. The pair both bowl at a similar length, and they both have a tendency to extract bounce where few others have been able to in the series so far. If Phil Hughes is once again going to be batting at the top for the visitors, then the selection of Harmison becomes even more valuable, especially when you consider the hold that he had over Phil Hughes in the tour game.

If the Aussies are to hold any chance of out-batting the hosts it will have to be a combination of Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Simon Katich who do the damage. So far in the series, Katich has done well without lighting the stands on fire, as where both Ponting and Clarke have a century to their names. Michael Hussey scoring the runs he has been used to and shrugging his poor form will be just what the Aussies desire.

England will once again bank upon their top order, especially given their fragile middle order, with an intensely nervous Ian Bell, a replacement for Kevin Pietersen and an out of form Ravi Bopara. Instead it will be up to Andrew Strauss to get England off to a start like he did in the second test at Lord’s where he played some great cricket. Alistar Cook will need to support him as much as possible. Matt Prior’s aggression has stolen games from the opposition on more than one occasion in the past and Paul Collingwood is often overlooked, but is an effective middle order test match player. In the lower order, Flintoff will be a vital batsman for England.

Having been declared unfit, Brett Lee probably will not play in the test match. This leaves the other four pace bowlers and Nathan Hauritz to fight for the four bowling spots in the first eleven. In my opinion, Hauritz should unquestionably be in the eleven. If Mitchell Johnson is rested for the game due to his sporadic form, then it will be Stuart Clark who should walk into the Aussie first eleven. To me, it looks almost certain and he should even open the bowling for the Australians.

My bet is on the draw ($1.40 @ SportsBet), but if the weather holds off England should take the win.

Sportsbet gives new members a $50 free bet (that can be used for betting on the cricket) just for signing up, checkout their site for more info and to see the latest cricket odds.

The Twenty20 World cup is only a few days old and already we have seen some fantastic matches and some stunning upsets.

First New Zealand survived a scare in a shortened 7 over match against Scotland and then Australia got off to a terrible start losing to the West Indies by seven wickets. The Australians were put on the backfoot in the first over when Jerome Taylor took the wickets of all rounder Shane Watson and Captain Ricky Ponting. The Australians struggled to get up any sort of momentum after that and they laboured to a pretty measly total of 169 on what was a good batting pitch. It could have been much worse though if David Warner (who is a total superstar in the making) hadn’t come in and hit his 63 runs, the Australians total was also helped along by some terrible out fielding from the West Indies. But when they came in to bat there were no such mistakes, and a fantastic laid back 88 from Captain Chris Gayle helped the West Indies wrap this game up in just 16 overs. While this will put the Australians under lots of pressure to win their next match you can never right them off. Warner has already showed that he is in good touch and if the likes of Ponting, Wastson and Mitchell Johnson can all start to fire then they can certainly still win the tournament, and with bookies now paying out $9.00 for them to do so they are certainly worth a punt. Go to sportsalive.com and sign up to recieve your free bet.

By far the biggest upset of the tournament and maybe of all time was Englands 4 wicket defeat against Holland. England went in to the match with out Kevin Pietersen, who is still resting an achilles injury, and Andrew Flintoff but they seemed not to miss them and were crusing when they lost their first wicket in the 12th over with a score of 102. A mini collapse followed and England finished on 162 thanks mainly to a fantastic 71 runs from 49 balls by Luke Wright. The total still looked beyond Holland, but thanks to a 49 off 30 balls by Tom de Grooth and mistakes by Stuart Broad and wicket keeper James Foster they found themselves going in to the last over needing just 7 runs for victory. A run a ball and an over throw by Broad on the last ball of the innings was enough for Holland to seal an amazing victory. England may have one eye on the up coming Ashes series but there really is no excuses for such a loss. England are paying $16.00 to go on and win the tournament at sportsalive.com, but with Pakistan up next for the Poms I really wouldn’t waste my money.

At sportsalive.com they are also offering great odds on individual matches, as well as top run scorers and who will hit the most sixes. Get your money on David Warner to score the most tournament runs for Australia.