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Have England finally found Freddie’s replacement?

English cricket is always looking out for the next great all-rounder, and in Ben Stokes they may well have found it. After spending a long time looking for the man to take over from Ian Botham as England’s swashbuckling batsman and aggressive fast bowler, Andrew Flintoff fill the role to perfection during his colourful Test career. Following Freddie’s retirement from international cricket in 2009, a number of players have come and gone as England have looked for their next great all-rounder, albeit one they hope isn’t found floating out to sea in the middle of the night.

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One of those players given the chance to establish himself in the Test side was Ben Stokes. While it took time for the big-hitting Durham star to adapt to life on the international stage, Stokes’ role in the recent Ashes success has ensured English fans have a new all-rounder to really get behind. Having played a starring role in the encouraging Test and ODI series against New Zealand, Stokes was named in England’s team for the opening match of this Ashes series in Cardiff. And it’s fair to say it’s a decision the selectors got right.

Following a strong start with the bat, recording scores of 52 and 42, the all-rounder hit a sensational 87 at Lord’s before playing a crucial role in England reclaiming the urn by taking a gob-smacking catch off Stuart Broad in the first innings and collecting 6/36 as the Aussies collapsed in the second innings in Nottingham. As well as bringing some real power into the middle of the England batting order, an area that has been crucial to the hosts’ victory in this series, Stokes has added plenty to the bowling line-up, and his six-for at Trent Bridge proved he has what it takes to be the fourth member of this pace attack.

This Ashes series has come as something of a shock to many who bet on cricket, and it’s been England’s young players who have perhaps been the difference between the two. As well as experienced heads James Anderson, Alastair Cook, Stuart Broad and Ian Bell all playing key roles, the performances of the team’s younger players has been the real success story of England’s summer. While Stokes has enhanced his reputation as a Test all-rounder, Joe Root climbed to the top of the batting rankings following a sensational series, with Mark Wood, Jonny Bairstow and Jos Buttler all doing their case for continued involvement with the squad no harm.

For Stokes, though, the battle is for him to now build on his Ashes success and really cement his place as England’s all-rounder. With a number of players all vying for that number-six spot, the 24-year old knows he can’t afford to let his performances slip just because he’s played an important role in winning the Ashes. On the evidence of the past couple of months, though, England will be confident that they have an all-rounder in place who could be just what they’ve been looking for.

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Cricket Betting

England Return to Bopara to End Slide

To say that England are in poor ODI form heading into November’s series in Sri Lanka and the World Cup next February would be an understatement. This summer Alistair Cook’s men were comprehensively beaten first by Sri Lanka and then by India and they have not won an ODI series of more than three games against a test playing nation since beating Australia back in 2012. Having briefly reached the top of the ODI standings a couple of years back England have now dropped down to fifth and questions are being asked of the selectors and captain Cook. In an attempt to arrest England’s decline the selectors have turned to a familiar face, naming Essex’s Ravi Bopara in their 16-man squad for the tour to Sri Lanka, and he is confident that he can make a real difference ahead of the World Cup.

With England’s odds to win the tournament currently between 6/1 and 10/1 with the likes of Bet365, Sports Bet and 32Red Sports there is good value available for those who are willing to a gamble on Bopara hitting form and adding backbone to England’s batting line-up. Those punters that do get lucky on a world cup bet could consider transferring their winnings over to the online bookies’ casino sections to boost their account balance. Online bookmakers such as Bet365 and 32Red Sports also offer a casino section. 32Red Casino, for instance, make it easy for players to turn their cricket earnings into chips and new players can $10 in casino chips on a free, no-deposit sign-up. Other sites offer similar promotions so it’s worth shopping around to get the most out of your bet.

Bopara initially made a name for himself as both a test and ODI player, making his debut in both forms of the game back in 2007. In recent years, however, he has come to be seen as more of an ODI specialist and his three test centuries in 13 matches are easily overlooked. His promise as a limited overs player even saw him signed by the Kings XI Punjab in the IPL back in 2009 but his recent form has not attracted so much attention and he was ignored in the 2014 IPL auction.

Bopara last appeared for England in this summer’s series against Sri Lanka, playing in all five games of the 3-2 defeat before being dropped for the series against India. In dropping Bopara it became clear that the England selectors did not see a place for him in the team, opting to go with more specialist batsmen and bowlers than to stick with Bopara as a bowling all-rounder able to hold down one end with his military medium style. The decision to go with a fifth specialist bowler backfired on England, as they lost the India series 3-1, but Bopara holds no grudges; “It’s never nice seeing England lose,” he said. “A lot of my mates I’ve played with for a long time play in that side and I know how it feels because I’ve been on the end of it before. But we’ve got to put that behind us and work on the things we’ve spoken about – like playing spin,” he added, hinting at the England top order’s difficulty in getting to grips with the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja and part-timer spinners Suresh Raina and Ambati Rayudu.

The biggest criticism for England’s recent performances was saved for their batsmen, with the team passing 250 just once in their four ODIs against India and with Joe Root notching England’s only century (113 in the fifth ODI at Headingley). Similarly to the test team earlier in the summer, captain Alistair Cook came under the microscope and his personal top score of 46 was not enough to stop the calls from pundits and former colleagues alike suggesting that he should stand down. Despite the series defeat against India, Cook is standing firm and will remain as captain for the World Cup. For his Essex colleague Bopara that can only be a good thing. “I think they’ve made the right call,” he said. “It’s difficult now to bring in someone new – it would have been a brave decision. But he’s got a lot of experience behind him and we’ve seen Cooky go through tough patches before and come through the other side,” the 108 ODI veteran added. As for Bopara himself, he will need to find some form with the bat, having made just one half century in his last 13 England ODI innings and averaged just 19.5 in the series against Sri Lanka.

The decision to bring Bopara back in to the fold so quickly after dropping him could be viewed in a number of ways. It could be viewed as a sign of weakness from the selectors and an example of them not having the courage of their convictions to stick with the new faces or it could, in a more positive light, be viewed as an acceptance that they got things wrong against India and that they are willing to lose face to put them right. Either way it will not take long to find out whether the decision to recall Bopara will give England the boost that they need, the first ODI against Sri Lanka takes place in Colombo on 26th November.

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