Cricket Betting

Current Matches

2009-01-17T00:00:00.001-08:00

Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Final)
January 16, 2009 at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Australia v South Africa (1st ODI)
January 16, 2009 at Melbourne Cricket Ground

Bangladesh v Sri Lanka
January 14, 2009 at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

New Zealand v West Indies (5th ODI)
January 13, 2009 at McLean Park, Napier

Australia v South Africa (2nd Twenty20)
January 13, 2009 at Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane

Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe
January 12, 2009 at Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur

Live Cricket Beat

2009-01-16T23:57:00.001-08:00

Basketball Betting

2009-01-16T23:54:00.001-08:00

Hi Pops - we know you went to the States for treatment after your contract playing in Spain for DKV Joventut got ended because of a shoulder injury, so how's that coming on?

It's good. I just got fit to play again maybe two weeks ago. The shoulder is 100 per cent now and I'm just working out in the gym to get fit and back in shape. I feel like I've got to do whatever it takes to get back to the NBA.

You went to University in Washington so we assume you've got friends there to help?

Yes that's right. There's been people here who have been real helpful both with sorting out the injury and getting me training properly again. I learned a lot when I was here and not just about playing basketball because I also did my major in psychology.

Was that sports psychology then? If so you must be treating yourself to get through the hiccup you've had in your career because of the injury?

Well that was part of the course but it was much bigger than just sports. And yes, it helps me in my everyday life, you know, so I can apply it to my career and I can apply it to how I interact with people. It's helped me understand how people deal with things, and how people are, so it's been a great help to me.

It must be important to have a positive attitude at the moment about what's coming next?

Definitely. You know I feel real confident about me being in the NBA this year, I definitely have high hopes. and I'm very positive about what's going to happen to me. You know the last time I played basketball I was playing pretty decent, and before I got hurt I was playing at a high level. I've got some things lined up, and I feel real confident in the next month or so I should be back in the NBA. I feel very positive about that.

That's great news for you, is there anywhere particular you can tell us about?

No, it's kind of up in the air right now, but I definitely feel sure that I'll be back.

Of course you played NBA for Dallas a couple of years ago and then had some time in Europe, how big a difference is there in standard?

I wouldn't say there's that big a difference now. A lot of NBA players have been coming to Europe, and you know if you saw the Olympics last year the Spanish team was not too far off the USA team, and the USA team won convincingly. You have teams like Argentina, Lithuania, Serbia, these teams are very good and half of those players are in the NBA anyway. The rest of the world is catching up. But that said the NBA is still the place to be. The difference might be getting smaller but it still exists and you want to play at the highest level that you can.

How will that all fit with your commitment to the Great Britain team? There have been positive signs about what's possible in the next Olympics?

The aim is to combine it all. I just feel like next two or three years are very important for British basketball. I am trying to do whatever it takes to put us in the best position to compete in 2012, and I'm looking forward to it, and I think we can have a real strong team. Things are coming in place and I feel like we can be very competitive.

The domestic game in England is going through a lean time, though...

Yes, but I feel like with the British team emerging, and some of the national players getting accepted to play in the NBA, some of the younger generation can look up to those players. They can see what they have been able to accomplish and get a positive outlook, and they will be able to have something to look forward to. They should be saying to themselves: 'If those guys can make it to the NBA, or make it big in Europe, there's no reason why I can't.' That's only going to help the squad and if we do well that will help interest in the sport which will be good for everybody

You were still in your teens when you first took the decision to go to America to follow your dreams of making it in the sport. How do you look back on that?

I maybe didn't realise too much what it was about when I just came over to go to High School first, but then maybe a year or two later I started taking it more seriously and I never looked back. I think when I turned 16 or 17 I started playing real organised basketball, and the love of the sport grew and I've not looked back since. I feel like I improved and grew as a player - and of course grew physically too and that all helped me.

What would you say to other kids who would fancy the same chance?

Do it. That's where the positive outlook has to be. When they see guys like me, I used to be walking around Tottenham maybe not that many years ago in the same position as they are now. But since then I've played in NBA, I've played in high level European basketball, and I intend to be back in the NBA soon. I don't see any reason why those kids are any different from me all the while. If they look in that light there's no reason why they can't be in the same position.

You mention Tottenham - bet that's the one thing you were missing from England this week?

I'm definitely missing that. I was searching for somewhere to find the semi-final against Burnley on the TV here! I always tell anybody I'm the biggest Spurs fan you are going to find, and that's both figuratively and literally! I've been a fan since I can remember, I know a couple of the players, I know they were struggling early but I know they are playing better now.

Tennis Open Betting

2009-01-16T23:52:00.000-08:00

Roger Federer has spent five years as world number one, considered every step of the way the gentleman of tennis. Good mannered, respectful, a player with grace on court and class off it.

That was until this year, when suddenly his place at the pinnacle of the sport was under threat. And slowly, quietly, and in a softly spoken way to make you barely realise it was happening, the claws have come out.

I realised it the day before last summer's Wimbledon final when both Federer and Rafael Nadal gave their pre-match press conferences. Federer appeared looking immaculate, talked about his growing rivalry with the young Spanish star, and was generally the picture of how to uphold the values of sport.

And then I asked him about the amazing amount of time that Nadal takes to serve when he's under pressure, and his tactic of slowing the match right down. Pat Cash on the radio the day before had called it 'cheating'. It was one of those questions you ask more in hope than expectation of an interesting answer. I thought Federer would follow his normal bland tactics and avoid discussing it. Instead he took the chance to dabble in the sort of pre-match mind games that would have made Sir Alex Ferguson proud.

"It's obviously a fine line," he said. "When Rafa gets into position to serve he takes his 20 seconds then takes another ten or 15. The unfortunate part is the umpire will always give him a warning, but he will never give him a point penalty." Roughly translated that was a straightforward message to French umpire Pascal Maria to hammer Nadal for slow play and deduct a point if he got the chance - and it worked as Nadal got a warning during that epic final and was forced to speed his game up.

Wind forward six months and Federer now clearly feels the heat from Andy Murray's emergence. He's told the world this week that the young Scot shouldn't be favourite to win the Australian Open because he hasn't yet been the course and distance of capturing a Grand Slam title. It was clearly a deliberate attempt to wind up Murray and create a debate before they all get to Melbourne.

It's a point that hasn't been lost on British Davis Cup captain John Lloyd, the last British man to reach an Australian Open final in 1977. "I think it shows just how much Andy has got under his skin," he tells Mike Dickson in this morning's Daily Mail. "If he wasn't worried he would just brush off the whole subject and two years ago he would have done that. It suggests Andy has become a real cause for concern."

While many of the mainstream bookmakers have now installed Murray as favourite, Betfair punters keep Federer in that position at 3.7 while Britain's new hope is 4.2. While they hog the limelight the best value is Nadal who is 5.5 to add a third Grand Slam to his current collection and certain to arrive at the tournament with no fuss, avoiding headlines, but fit and raring to go.

Golf Bet

2009-01-16T23:50:00.000-08:00

Darren Clarke was the undoubted star of the Ryder Cup in 2006. It was one of those occasions when sport produces a real life tear jerker that no Hollywood scriptwriter would dare to put forward.

Just weeks after the tragic loss of his wife Heather, Clarke rolled in what was effectively the winning putt at the K Club. The emotion of that occasion made Nick Faldo's decision to drop him from last year's team all the more controversial.

Could there be another twist to the tale?

This morning Clarke is emerging as a strong outside candidate to take over from the fallen Faldo and lead Europe's bid to recover the trophy at Celtic Manor next year.

Newspaper accountants seem to understand the value of sending reporters around the world less and less. The credit crunch means more and more have to stay home and follow events from the telly. But being the man on the spot means you get so much more than just to report on the action. You get the gossip from behind the scenes that has far more value - and that's certainly what Graham Otway has brought to the Daily Express today.

In the Middle East to report on the Abu Dhabi championship, he's heard what's emerging from the European Tour's tournament committee as they discuss the choice of Ryder Cup captain. And he's heard chief executive George O'Grady drop a significant hint. After confirming the mood that a decision is needed soon, O'Grady refused to name any candidates - apart from admitting "one big contender could not be here - Darren Clarke".

That means the popular Irishman should be a much shorter price to be Europe's next leader than the 12.5 on offer this morning. And it certainly underlines the doubts about long term favourite Jose Maria Olazabal.

The 42-year-old Spaniard, whose price is between 1.86 and 5.9, has been dithering ever since defeat at Valhalla over whether he can manage one more playing appearance in the competition before stepping up to take charge of the team. The indications were he wanted all winter to decide while he fought to get over the back injury that has troubled him so badly. The word from Abu Dhabi is the most he can have is a fortnight.

America named Corey Pavin as their leader more than a month ago, and O'Grady confirmed: "Originally the decision was going to go before the next meeting in May, but now the committee have clear views on the man they want the decision will be taken in Dubai in two weeks. There are several candidates, certainly more than two."

Olazabal's fitness will become more clear next week. He is due to play in the Qatar Masters and that will confirm pretty quickly if his back can stand up to a whole season, or whether he needs to put his clubs back in the cupboard and concentrate on becoming a captain.

International Cricket Betting

2009-01-16T23:47:00.000-08:00

Let us contemplate Cameron White, the Victorian cricket captain. If you're picturing a top-hatted gent with a bushy beard, then you've got the wrong Victoria. I'm thinking of the Australian state, rather than the Empress of India, although the two are of course related: 'God Save Your Gracious Queen' and all that.

No, Cameron White captains Victoria and occasionally plays for Australia. So what sort of player is he? Well, he's a hard-hitting, flat-spinning all-rounder, of the type that used to clog up many an English county team before the Kolpacks arrived. Obviously, being Australian, he's a bit better than that, but you get the idea. More importantly, his elevation to the Test team in India illustrated how cricket has changed in what is now expected of lower order batsmen.

Whatever Happened to the Bunnies?

Professionalism demands a constant striving for improvement. I'm sure this must be a good thing, but I can't help reflecting that it also tends to suck some of the joy out of sport. Delightful eccentricities and charming but pointless traditions are swept aside in the pursuit of productivity and efficiency. Cricket has not been immune. Gone are the days when a chap could stand with hands in pockets in the covers or idling on the square leg boundary, smoking a fine Havana whilst the ball trundles past him. Gone too is that endearing breed: the tail end batsman. One or two struggle on, but even Chris Martin is betraying evidence of coaching. So who is to blame for this dreary turn of events? Our Antipodean cousins, of course.

Men At Work

Just as Gilchrist queered the pitch for wicket-keepers, so the Australian dominance forced other countries to come up with ways to challenge. One idea was that a team should always 'bat deep'. Duncan Fletcher was particularly enamoured of this and in a radical departure from tradition began to demand that his bowlers also knew which way up to hold the bat. When Matthew Hoggard and Ashley Giles saw England home at Trent Bridge in 2005, he was vindicated. Nowadays, those teams such as West Indies and Sri Lanka who lack such bowlers who can bat find themselves at a disadvantage, with a tail that begins at seven or sometimes even six.

Yes, but can he bat?

The pressure on bowlers to contribute with the bat has been felt most strongly by spinners. Despite the march of Warne and Murali, they remain an endangered species in many parts of the world. Ever since Clive Lloyd's West Indians demonstrated what havoc four pacemen can wreak, spinners have found themselves the first to be dropped and the last to be picked. A spinner, particularly outside the subcontinent is as likely to spend as much time looking over their shoulder as they are rehearsing their doosra.

Lucky Number Eight

So brushing up their batting skills is the smartest way for a slow bowler to enhance and prolong their international career. The number eight position, that traditional boundary between middle order and tail is invariable filled by a spinner these days. Vettori, Harris and Harbhajan spring to mind, with Warne, Kumble and Giles amongst those retirees who also filled that position. It isn't a role exclusive to spinners. England's Stuart Broad is a more than capable number eight. But there has been no clearer demonstration of the preference of modern selectors for spinners-who-can-bat than the choice of Cameron White ahead of Jason Krejza for three out of the four Tests Australia played in India this autumn.