Swann to bounce back

SPORTS BETTING:

STEVEN Finn made a huge impression in his first Test on English turf at Lord’s.

OK, I know it was only Bangladesh we were playing, but the rest of our bowlers struggled on a flat pitch so the youngster must have been doing something right.

At 6ft 7in and with an accuracy which has already been compared to Glenn McGrath, Finn is a welcome addition to our pace bowling armoury.

He is only 1-6 to make the Ashes trip to Australia during the winter and, granted normal improvement at the age of 21, he could well force his way into the Test team Down Under alongside Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad - perhaps at the expense of the currently-injured Graham Onions.

England are down to 3-1 to win in Australia, with the hosts on 4-7 and the draw a 5-1 chance.

With home advantage, the Aussies deserve to be favourites, but - Ricky Ponting, Mitchell Johnson, Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin aside - do they really possess the players to brush aside an improving England outfit?

I expect this to be a close series and would not be at all surprised to see it end in a draw. More of that at a later date.

Of more immediate concern to England is the second Test against Bangladesh at Old Trafford, starting on Friday.

England are a best-priced 1-5 to make it 2-0, with the draw at 5-1 and the tourists 28-1.

The market which catches my, however, is that of top England bowler.

Jimmy Anderson is the 9-4 favourite on his home ground, with Finn at 11-4 and the recalled Ryan Sidebottom 100-30.

However, the man who stands out is spinner Graeme Swann, who had a quiet Test at Lord’s and will be eager to bounce back.

England’s cricketer of the year will get more assistance from the Old Trafford pitch and, with the sun set to shine and temperatures soar, he is likely to be called upon for long periods on a drying track.

Swann enjoyed plenty of success against the Bangladesh batsmen in the winter and 11-4 about him taking most wickets this weekend is generous assuming the weather forecasters are correct.

n Britain’s Andy Murray remains third favourite at 5-1 to win the men’s singles title at Wimbledon even though he bowed out of the French Open in the last 16.

I hope I am wrong, but Murray continues to look like tennis’s version of golfer Colin Montgomerie in that he can win normal tour tournaments with ease yet cannot get over the line in the majors.

At his current odds, he must be swerved for Wimbledon.


DESPITE their amazing mix-up in the Turkish Grand Prix, Red Bull team-mates Mark Webber (5-2) and Sebastian Vettel (3-1) remain favourites to land the F1 World Championship.

But Briton’s Lewis Hamilton, the main beneficiary last weekend, is closing the gap and is a best-priced 7-2 to regain the title he won two years ago.


RECOMMENDATION: Graeme Swann to be top England bowler in second Test, 11-4 (general).


NEXT WEEK: Off Course special on all the major World Cup betting markets.