Category: Cricket Opinion

The test series between WI and SL began on Wednesday. This becomes only the fourth series between the two teams and the first with more than two matches. Unfortunately Broadcasters have acquired immense power because they are the major source of cricket’s overall revenue. They don’t think that telecasting a fixture between these two teams would be commercially sustainable given the low viewership and time difference.

This fixture had often been called off and postponed (and then never took) several times. You can stay tuned into this series and all the latest news surrounding cricket at BigCricket.

The teams are equally matched and have great potential. Despite WI’s home advantage they are underdogs amongst the bookmakers. That’s why it is very good opportunity to place bets if you want to win some serious cash. If you’re interested in banking upon this opportunity, you could use some reliable betting tips to maximize your returns.

The Context

It won’t be an overstatement to say that this could be the last time a test series is being played between these two teams on Caribbean soil. The fixtures have been few and far between. The last time these two played was in 2008 when Chaminda Vaas, the left-arm swing ace was still playing. SL, led by Mahela Jaywardene, marked their visit with their first victory in the West Indies.

Team News

The SL squad’s preparations received a massive blow due to unfortunate setbacks involving important players. The team will miss opening batsman Dimuth karunarante and pacers Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera through injury.

SL arrived with only Devendra Bishoo as the specialist spinner. Their squad includes two fresh faces. A WK-Batsmen Jahmar Hamilton, and opener Devon Smith both of whom may not get into the starting line-up. Rising batting sensation Dhanajaya de Silva did not travel with the squad due to his father being murdered towards the end of last month. Even though he has reached WI following his father’s funeral it might be too late for the first match.

Team Form

SL will be looking to extend their form in the previous seven matches where they have lost just once. Their last defeat in those matches was to the first-placed India. They registered a remarkable 2-0 victory over Pakistan in the UAE and also defeated Bangladesh at home by the same margin.

Captain Dinesh Chandimal will have to be at his best if SL are to prevail against the Indies. Over the course of his captaincy he has transformed his game to suit other talented players in the SL team. He sort of holds the fort by staying on the pitch for long durations, tries to exhaust opposition bowlers so that other batsmen could take advantage.

As far as WI cricket team is concerned the selectors have failed to give stability to this team as players continue to be taken in and out of the squad. They have ignored several promising stars playing in T20 leagues around the world. Their decisions have received fierce criticisms in the region.

When the England Cricket Board suspended Ben Stokes ahead of the Ashes, hundreds of fans responded by backing Australia to enjoy another whitewash Down Under.

It could have been written off as gallows’ humour, as the odds were an ambitious 9/1, but those England fans may now be laughing all the way to the bank. Joe Root’s men are already 2-0 down in the five-test series and have been well beaten in both tests so far. England need to do something drastic to turn their fortunes around, and could be tempted to reintroduce Stokes to the fold. Could he save the Ashes?

Reinstating him would be a huge decision as he is still being investigated by Avon and Somerset Police on suspicion of assaulting a fellow reveller outside a Bristol nightclub. He was ruled out of the tour of Australia as selectors felt it would send out the wrong message to young fans. To call him up while he is still under investigation might be an ethically questionable move. The tour has already descended into a shambles, with Johnny Bairstow embroiled in a headbutt scandal and Ben Duckett suspended for pouring a drink on James Anderson. The powers that be have to be very careful about how they handle the Stokes situation because it the team is already fast becoming a national embarrassment.

However, he is still yet to be charged for an incident that occurred months ago, suggesting it is not an open and shut case and he may well find that nothing more comes of it. With that in mind, Stokes has been called up to the England ODI squad for the tour of Australia along with Alex Hales, who was with him on the night out.

Stokes was very much a part of England’s future plans then, and it would therefore make a great deal of sense to bring him into the Ashes squad ahead of the third test. A 5-0 whitewash might be even more embarrassing than the off the field farce, so reinstating him could at least help them avoid that.

Stokes is the world’s best all rounder and he would improve any team. Earlier this year he was snapped up for an IPL record fee of £1.7 million and he fully justified it with some sensational performances for Rising Pune Supergiants. It is understandable that Eoin Morgan would be desperate to have him in the 50 overs team as he is equally dynamic in ODIs. But he can also do an excellent job in test cricket and could have a huge impact on the Ashes if parachuted in to save the day

His talent is undeniable. Just last year he put South Africa to the sword with a magnificent 258, breaking a long list of records, including the fastest test double hundred by an England player and the most sixes in an innings by an England player in history. England have struggled to deal with the Australian attack’s pace and aggression thus far during the current series and Stokes would certainly make their batting line-up look a lot more formidable. He is more than capable of the sort of individual brilliance that can win test matches, and he has proved it on multiple occasions. Without him the England tail looks elongated and Mitchell Starc has been slicing through it with glee.

Stokes would also relieve the pressure on Anderson and Stuart Broad, who are being asked to do too much in the bowling department at their ages. Stokes has posted a video of himself bowling into the nets at full tilt this winter, reminding selectors that he is a potent weapon that can be called upon.

In the sports spread betting markets England are underdogs in the remaining matches in the series and that is down to a lack of aggression from the bowlers and a lack of composure from the batsmen. Stokes could help in both departments.

Stokes alone may not be enough to save the series, but he certainly would improve England’s chances and his mere presence could spark greater confidence in his misfiring teammates. England fans must be praying he gets the green light and is called up, as then we could really have a series on our hands.

We’re now less than two weeks away from the first Test match of the 2017-18 Ashes series and cricket fans across the world are expecting another tough, exciting battle between two of the most successful nations in the sport, England and Australia. This year, the Ashes will take place Down Under and it may prove prudent to side with the hosts in the opening Test match of the series at The Gabba later this month.

Brisbane has been a happy hunting ground for Australian cricket over the years and getting off to the perfect start will be Darren Lehmann’s number one priority. Australia’s last defeat in a Test match at this iconic arena of cricket came way back in 1988 – an incredible run of 28 games unbeaten. During that timeframe, Australia have hosted England seven times at The Gabba, winning five of those encounters.

So it would be fair to argue that history is certainly on Australia’s side for the opening clash of the series. Winning the Ashes is always difficult but on home soil, the Aussies have been rock solid for the most part if you look back through the years. England did manage to buck that trend Down Under back in 2010-11 but Australia have won six of the last seven in their own backyard and another successful series looks likely.

Many would argue that Australian cricket isn’t what it used to be but when you look at the Test rankings, Lehmann’s side are still up there as one of the elite cricketing nations. Steve Smith is clear on his own as the top-rated batsman in Test cricket and with good reason. In 56 Test matches, he has been at the crease 104 times and averages 59.66. You won’t find too many players who can match Smith statistically…

His form as of late has been hit and miss, though, and England will take confidence from his struggles. There is no good time to go up against Smith but this certainly isn’t a bad time if he fails to rebuild confidence in the warm-up fixtures. A century against New South Wales in Australia’s most recent encounter may have helped but an early loss of wicket in the first Test will shatter his momentum.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=aN6uAA48M2w

England have Joe Root ranked second in the world but Australia have a second batsman in the top five; David Warner. If both Aussies perform well with the bat, England could find themselves chasing and that is not ideal in the opening Test match of an Ashes series. At the time of writing, the hosts are 8/11 to win the Brisbane clash in bet365 cricket odds and their efforts with the bat could determine the outcome.

The first Test match can often set the tone for the rest of the series and winning in Brisbane would give the Aussies a huge boost ahead of the trip to Adelaide. Darren Lehmann will be quietly confident that his side have enough star quality to get the job done and the onus will be on Steve Smith and David Warner to shine with the bat. With a bit of luck, Australia may leave Brisbane with a dominant win under their belt.

Cricket Australia and the Australia players put their differences aside following a tumultuous dispute over contracts to ensure the Baggy Greens’ will compete for the Ashes later this year.

The two parties had been involved in a bitter battle of words, with barbs exchanged from both sides. However, the deal has been struck and now Steve Smith can begin preparing his side for the challenge of facing England on home soil in an attempt to win back the urn.

Australia first travel to take on Bangladesh in a two-match Test series; and the Tigers will pose questions of the Baggy Greens, with the team not being the pushovers they once were.

England were troubled by Bangladesh’s spinners in their series on tour last year and the Three Lions were unable to secure a series victory, drawing 1-1 with the home side. As a result, the Aussies will need to be at their best on turning tracks to deliver a confidence-boosting outcome.

Smith’s men are backed in the latest cricket betting odds at 2/5 to triumph, but their success is far from guaranteed given their recent performances in Asia.

Australia have lost on their last three trips to the sub-continent, beginning with their defeat to Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in 2014.  Few teams have success playing the Green Shirts in the UAE and the Baggy Greens were no different under the leadership of Michael Clarke, suffering two heavy defeats.

Their fortunes did not change under the tenure of Smith last year when the Baggy Greens travelled to Sri Lanka. Australia had won their first three series under the 28-year-old’s captaincy, but they were absolutely hammered by the Lions, failing to cope with the left-arm spin of Rangana Herath.

Herath took 28 wickets to confound the Aussie batsmen, with the smallest margin of defeat for the tourists a 106-run loss in Kandy in the opener, highlighting Sri Lanka’s dominance.

Source: FoxCricketLive via Twitter

The Baggy Greens had a point to prove in India and produced a brilliant performance in the first Test in Pune as Steve O’Keefe guided his side to a 333-run victory, taking 12-70 in the contest.

Nathan Lyon put Virat Kohli’s men well and truly on the back foot by taking 8-50 in the second Test, putting Australia in a match-winning position. However, a second-innings’ collapse caused by Ravichandran Ashwin allowed India to level the series.

From that point, the Baggy Greens were on the back foot but did show resolve to avoid defeat in the third Test. However, Smith’s men were eventually condemned to a series loss in the final Test, falling to an eight-wicket defeat in Dharamsala as Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja loomed large.

Bangladesh don’t quite have the same calibre of bowlers as India, although Mehedi Hasan had England rocking in the second Test in Mirpur, leading to the Tigers’ 108-run triumph. He took 12 wickets in the match for the cost of 159 runs, should Australia fail to adjust to his quality then they could be a world of trouble.

Their batting unit outside of Steve Smith and David Warner lacks experience, especially in turning conditions. Even Warner struggled against the spin in Sri Lanka and India, meaning that the fortunes of the Aussies could once again rest on the shoulders of their captain.

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India’s 2011 world cup success was the second in the national side’s history. India are currently joint-second with the West Indies in terms of world titles – although the Windies have not won the World Cup since 1979.

While the Indian team of 2011 had no amateurish connotations, as they did when they triumphed in 1983, their second world cup victory was no less impressive, especially when one considers Australia’s dominance over the tournament in the past two decades. Thus, grounds exist for a fair comparison of the two Indian sides.

Naturally, the main difference between the two eras is the presence of a codified Indian Premier League, and the influence of Indian superstars such as Sachin Tendulkar. To gain a truly balanced view as to which title-winning Indian team would prevail, it is important to look at the backstories of each Indian side, from 1983 and 2011, and the challenges faced on their respective paths to glory.

In the first two editions of the World Cup, India failed to progress beyond the group stage. Psychologically, this could have given India a disadvantage in 1983, particularly when one considers that the tournament itself was held on hostile British ground. It was in India’s first game of the tournament, against champions West Indies at Old Trafford, which the world saw an early sign of events to come.

‘Old Trafford, Lancashire Cricket Club’ – WeLiveCricket via Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)

For their part, the Windies had never lost a world cup match before their 1983 opening game. In Winston Davis, they also boasted a lethal bowler – who would later dismiss seven Australian batsmen at the cost of just 51 runs. Yashpal Sharma, however, proved his nemesis in the 1983 encounters that stunned the world.

By 2011, India had evolved into a formidable side which was always given short odds by bookmakers such as bet365 ahead of major tournaments. Yet, it was still a side with its doubters, given Australia’s vice-like hold over the game at that time.

In contrast to 1983, though, India’s opening match was a widely expected victory, against Bangladesh. Even with the advantage of home turf in their second match, against England, India endured a disappointing draw. On that occasion, they showed no shades of the 1983 side at all.

‘Sachin Tendulkar’ – Coolgama via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Twenty-eight years later, the format would involve one extra knockout round to negotiate, meaning that there is argument in favour of the 2011 side in this unique – albeit hypothetical – battle. Yet, once the men in blue had disposed of champions Australia, the psychological gravity of the semi-final (vs Pakistan) and the final (vs Sri Lanka) was much reduced.

With those backstories taken into account, the 1983 Indian side arguably wins this battle. While the 2011 side – with a worldwide media presence and modernised fitness regime – would have an obvious advantage, it is worth remembering that the basic rules of the game have never changed.

As the 1983 tournament showed the world, it is ultimately team spirit and strong leadership that determine the winners and losers in cricket.