6-5 Aussies for Tri-series tonic

SPORTS BETTING: 

ENGLAND’S cricketers were arriving in Australia today as their World Cup campaign started in earnest.

Expectation is low given recent results, but the dismissal of Alastair Cook has at least removed one negative factor hanging over the team.

Cook is a nice guy and fine Test-match player, but a one-day specialist and canny captain he is not. His sacking, albeit sad, was the right decision.

One man’s loss is another’s gain and, no doubt, new skipper Eoin Morgan will be dreaming of lifting the World Cup, England’s campaign getting under way against hosts Australia at Melbourne on Saturday, February 14.

More immediately, England face a one-day series against Australia and reigning world champions India.

Not surprisingly, England are the outsiders of three, but at least the more lively pitches should suit them better than the surfaces served up in Sri Lanka where, predictably, they lost 5-2.

India would much prefer to be playing on the sub-continent and I neither fancy them for this series nor the World Cup itself.

With England still looking to find their way in the 50-over game, Australia look a knocking bet to win this forthcoming series.

They have batting power in abundance and bowlers sharpened by the experience of playing in the Big Bash. Get on at Sky Bet’s 6-5, because the price won’t last.

As for the World Cup, Australia are 11-4 favourites, with the Indians 13-2 and England 10-1.

I can only see the hosts’ price contracting, while it is hard to argue with brutal opening batsman David Warner’s elevation to favourite in the leading batsman market. Warner is 12-1 to be the competition’s top scorer.

The fact that the shortest price about an England batsman achieving this feat is 28-1 for Moeen Ali just about sums up the chance of our boys coming out on top.



GARY Anderson was a convincing and deserved winner of the PDC World Darts Championship at the weekend, and is just 6-1 to repeat the act next year.

Having overcome Peter Wright, Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor en route to his biggest moment in darts, Anderson can hardly be accused of having an easy passage.

Anderson is a decent price at 5-1 to win the forthcoming Premier League, which is televised live on Sky Sports. Van Gerwen and Taylor are the 5-2 joint favourites.



RECOMMENDATION: Australia to win Tri-series v India and England, 6-5 (Sky Bet).