Sports Betting, Sports News, Sports Updates, Australia

The www.WordCupCricket.com continues in the West Indies. We have been keeping a close eye on the match results and hope to bring you further betting updates in the future, so you can bet on world cup cricket with some idea – as the tournament heads into the finals stage.

New Zealand meets Kenya later today in a match up that, on paper, seems over before it begins. However, New Zealand could go into this match expecting to win easily, and it won’t be as easy as they expect. Bookmakers seem to agree to a certain extent, where you can Bet on New Zealand at 1.08 or Bet on Kenya at 8.00.

Tomorrow, Sri Lanka meet Bangladesh in another match that seems an easy pick. You can bet on Sri Lanka at 1.15 or Bangladesh at 5.50.

And there is a VERY nice match coming up later this week when Australia vs South Africa takes place. This Australia South Africa match up could turn out to be a preview of the final, and you can BET ON AUSTRALIA at 1.62 or BET ON SOUTH AFRICA at 2.30. Those are the Australia v South Africa Odds.

Finally, I just wanted to quickly touch on the untimely passing of the Pakistan coach. It’s a truly unfortunate turn of events. It will be tough for Pakistan to regroup to play Zimbabwe on Thursday, in a match that will hold much emotion. You can Bet on Pakistan at 1.15 or Bet on Zimbabwe at 5.25.

Bet on World Cup Cricket Now at www.Sportingbet.com.au – Deposit $30 and Get $130 or Deposit $100 and get $300!

Click here for Free Bingo

An amazing 24 hours has transpired, with two of world crickets’ superpowers being beaten by lesser teams. In the first match of the day, India was beaten by Bangladesh by 5 wickets. Bangladesh was able to bowl out India for 191 on a good batting pitch and chased the total with time to spare.

We wondered if it would be possible for Ireland to get up against Pakistan in the next match, especially since it was St Patrick’s Day. Well, the unthinkable happened, and Ireland scored quite a comfortable victory – throwing Pakistan out of the www.CricketWorldCup.com!

So what has this done to the outright odds. The favourites are now more favoured it seems. Here are the current outright Cricket World Cup betting odds with our accurate or not so accurate comments beside them:

• Australia – 2.75 (probably too short)
• South Africa – 4.50 (impressive team)
• Sri Lanka – 6.50 (prefer others)
• New Zealand – 7.00 (watch out for these guys!)
• West Indies – 8.50 (another dark horse)
• England – 13.00 (not a chance!)
• India – 13.00 (needs unlikely improvement)
• Bangladesh – 51.00 (poor value here)
• Ireland – 251.00 (surely not!!!)

Bet on The 2007 World Cup Cricket Today and get up to $200 FREE at Sportingbet!

Click here for Free Bingo

Is this a sign of things to come? South Africa smacked the Netherlands in their first www.WorldCupCricket.com match – with some absolutely incredible match statistics including Herschelle Gibbs becoming the first man ever to hit six sixes in a single over. South Africa won by 221 runs. But does this result actually mean anything for the tournament? Probably not – with outright betting odds not having changed much.

Australia still leads the betting to win the www.WorldCupCricket.com Tournament at 2.90, with South Africa at 5.25. Sri Lanka comes in on the next line of betting at 7.00 along with the West Indies and India at 8.00. The odds of England have gone out the window after their pretty sizable loss to New Zealand yesterday. The kiwis have firmed in to 8.50 with England taking a bath to 15.00. Pakistan are at 18.00 and it’s write your own ticket from there.

In interesting matches coming up, Ireland is given a VERY VERY slight chance against Pakistan after their tied match two days ago. You’ll find that you can back them at around 13.00. It is St. Patricks day after all, and stranger things HAVE happened!

The only other kind of close match coming up is the West Indies vs Zimbabwe. It would be hard to see the hosts losing this one. You can back them at around 1.04.

Come on – don’t let the poor win value odds put you off. You can find HUNDREDS of exotic www.WorldCupCricket.com bets at IASBET for ALL matches. Odds for markets like top batter (hi bat), best bowler in a match, leading batting team after 15 overs and MANY MORE!

Visit www.IAS BET.com.au now for $50 Free and all the BEST CRICKET ODDS

Click here to play free bingo

First of all, a big congratulations must go to Ireland on their thrilling tie against Zimbabwe earlier today. This was a landmark result for the Irish – but it also shows some major problems for Zimbabwe.

Regardless, the www.CricketWorldCup.com goes on in the West Indies. Coming up later today we see South Africa step out against the Netherlands (otherwise known as Holland). Certainly a match with the result almost already determined, it will be a good starting match in Group A for South Africa. Of course, South Africa are 1.01 to win this clash, but you can also bet on other match results like top scorer, best opening partnership and other exotic bets – only at www.SportingBet.com.au (click here for your $200 FREE!)

Also today, we see England come up against New Zealand in what will be a VERY interesting encounter. England hit some form at the end of their Australian tour, while New Zealand have also just come off a huge winning series against Australia. The bookmakers are having trouble spliting these two sides for this World Cup Cricket match, but have instated New Zealand as favourites at 1.80, with England at 2.00. This will be a cracking match!

Then on Saturday Bangladesh take on India in what is tipped to be a very one sided affair. Have your way with India at 1.14 or get on Bangladesh at 5.50. Could this be a close match? Probably not!

Give us your comments here on any of these games.

Get the latest www.WorldCupCricket.com odds now at www.Sporting Bet.com.au

Click here for Free Bingo games.

With the first match of the 2007 www.CricketWorldCup.com out of the way – we’re looking ahead to a busy schedule of cricket over the next six weeks. The host nation (West Indies) beat Pakistan in the first match overnight. Many are tipping the Windies as the dark horses for the tournament – and they did provide enough proof vindicating this in their first match.

Day two sees the first Group A match between Australia and Scotland at Warner Park. Even with Australia being sure things, it is doubtful many will be backing them at 1.01. If you’ve got Scottish blood, then you’ll probably be interested in them at 34.00!

In a more interesting match (although not great quality), we’re looking forward to the Group C match between Kenya and Canada. Kenya leads the betting in this match at 1.23, with Canada at 4.25. This is a game of unknown quantities, but the bookies reckon Kenya will get up!

In other CricketWorldCup.com matches coming up, the much written about Bermuda team walks into the fire against Sri Lanka. The Bermuda warm up match results have not swayed the bookies where you can bet on them at 26.00 – think Sri Lanka will win? Back them at 1.01!

Finally, for now, Thursday WORLDCUPCRICKET also sees Ireland take on Zimbabwe at Sabina Park in their Group D clash. We expect this to be a close fought encounter that the bookmakers allow you to bet on Zimbabwe at around 1.55 and Ireland at 2.45. Ireland are the value bets here, and don’t be surprised to see it go down to the wire in this www.WorldCupCricket.com.au match!

You can BET ON WORLD CUP CRICKET now at IASBETCOM

Or you can WATCH WORLD CUP CRICKET on your computer – live world cup cricket online – with online TV. Click here and sign up and you’ll be able to watch the games!

Click here for Free Bingo.

The West Indies and Pakistan kick off the 2007 WorldCupCricket.com World Cup on March 13. It’s going to be a great month of exciting matches and, no doubt, some interesting surprises!

Betting on the World Cup Cricket has never looked so good, with many bookmakers offering excellent odds on all sorts of World Cup Cricket markets.

The first match of the tournament sees the West Indies go in favourites over Pakistan. It should be a great match to kick the Cricket World Cup into gear! You can normally find some excellent value bets in the early game, as the form for each team is exposed.

The odds for this first cricket match up sees the West Indies at 1.65 and Pakistan at 2.25. Not only that, but you can also bet on outcomes like Batting head to head, bowling head to head, 1st dismissal method, West Indies or Pakistan Hi Bat, Highest opening partnership or even the team to hit the most sixes. Some of these provide great betting.

Also, if you’re interested in betting on the outright markets for the World Cup Cricket 2007, then here they are. These are the start of tournament odds:

• Australia: 3.00
• South Africa: 5.00
• West Indies: 8.00
• Sri Lanka: 8.50
• India: 9.00
• New Zealand: 9.50
• England: 11.00
• Pakistan: 13.00
• Bangladesh: 201.00
• Kenya: 251.00
• Ireland: 501.00
• Zimbabwe: 501.00
• Scotland: 1001.00
• Holland: 1001.00
• Canada: 1001.00
• Bermuda: 2001.00

You can also bet on such exotic outright markets as:

• Batting Head To Head
• Groups
• Bowling Head To Head
• Most Runs – All Teams
• Most Runs – Australia
• Most Runs – England
• Most Runs – India
• Most Runs – New Zealand
• Most Runs – Pakistan
• Most Runs – South Africa
• Most Runs – Sri Lanka
• Most Runs – West Indies
• Most Wickets – All Teams
• Most Wickets – Australia
• Most Wickets – England
• Most Wickets – India
• Most Wickets – New Zealand
• Most Wickets – Pakistan
• Most Wickets – South Africa
• Most Wickets – Sri Lanka
• Most Wickets – West Indies
• To Reach the Final

So what are you waiting for? BET ON THE WORLD CUP CRICKET 2007 NOW

Click here for Free Bingo games.

With less than a week to go before the 2007 World Cup Cricket starts, the warm up matches are beginning. A few surprise results by the minows shouldn’t worry punters too much, with Australia still standing firm when it comes to BET ON WORLD CUP CRICKET.

Here is the schedule of group matches over the first 2 weeks of the tournament. This is then followed by the Super 8s period to find the teams to play in the finals series.

2007 CRICKET WORLD CUP GROUP MATCHES:
March 13, West Indies v Pakistan (Group D) Sabina Park, Jamaica
March 14, Australia v Scotland (Group A) Warner Park, St Kitts
March 14, Canada v Kenya (Group C) Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia
March 15, Bermuda v Sri Lanka (Group B) Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
March 15, Ireland v Zimbabwe (Group D) Sabina Park, Jamaica
March 16, Netherlands v South Africa (Group A) Warner Park, St Kitts
March 16, England v New Zealand (Group C) Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia
March 17, Bangladesh v India (Group B) Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
March 17, Ireland v Pakistan (Group D) Sabina Park, Jamaica
March 18, Australia v Netherlands (Group A) Warner Park, St Kitts
March 18, Canada v England (Group C) Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia
March 19, Bermuda v India (Group B) Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
March 19, West Indies v Zimbabwe (Group D) Sabina Park, Jamaica
March 20, Scotland v South Africa (Group A) Warner Park, St Kitts
March 20, Kenya v New Zealand (Group C) Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia
March 21, Bangladesh v Sri Lanka (Group B) Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
March 21, Pakistan v Zimbabwe (Group D) Sabina Park, Jamaica
March 22, Netherlands v Scotland (Group A) Warner Park, St Kitts
March 22, Canada v New Zealand (Group C) Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia
March 23, India v Sri Lanka (Group B) Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad
March 23, Ireland v West Indies (Group D) Sabina Park, Jamaica
March 24, Australia v South Africa (Group A) Warner Park, St Kitts
March 24, England v Kenya (Group C) Beausejour Stadium, St Lucia
March 25, Bangladesh v Bermuda (Group B) Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad

BET ON WORLD CUP CRICKET NOW and GET WORLD CUP CRICKET ODDS

Click here to play free bingo

OK so the Australia Cricket team hasn’t been on fire over they last 5 games. That’s how many they have lost in a row now at the hands of both New Zealand Cricket and the English Cricket team.

Bet on the Australian Cricket Team in the World Cup

So what went wrong you might ask? Did they underestimate their opponents? Did Australia Cricket not field full strength teams? Was injury a consideration or fatigue after a long summer of what most would have called easy wins?

Or here is my theory. They want all of Australia to put money on them to win the world cup and clean up.

Look at the facts. I mean really the side on paper has the ability and really the odds are in their favor but with the recent losses the bookies can’t back them to win as much as what they did pre these tournament loses.

Ok for my mind a bet on Australia to win the world cup has to be worth a punt. Even with some of the team sidelined and in doubt including Simons, Hayden and Lee the team still has plenty of ticker and not to mention talent.

Australia always performs at its best in these types of tournaments and I just can’t see any of the other teams getting up.

World Cup Cricket Odds

Click here to play free bingo

Can Australia’s last 5 matches be taken as a form guide for the 2007 Cricket World Cup coming up in less than a month? Yes… and no.

Once again, Australia was beaten all around the park to lose to the Kiwi’s after posting a massive 346 runs. Almost holding the NZ team out, New Zealand finished at 9-350 to whitewash the Chapple Hadlee trophy against a side that looked unbeatable just a month ago.

Let’s take a step back and look at this objectively – the Aussies aren’t having any problems putting on runs. Matthew Hayden smashed his way to 181 not out. The missing players in the Australian team are mainly batters – Gilchrist, Ponting, Clarke, Symonds. So batting at the World Cup won’t be a problem.

Bowling is another story. The bowlers gave away 27 extras in the 3rd match against NZ. They were smashed from pilar to post, in a display that lacked consistency. The attack ranks leave little chance to be strenghthened also, with McGrath not in form and Lee out.

All of this adds up to Australia being heavily under the odds at their current quote of 2.90. We don’t expect them to win the World Cup at this point – as their attack is under strength.

Check out all of the World Cup cricket odds at www.ias bet.com.au

Click here for free bingo

Less than a month ago, the Australian cricket team looked unstoppable. They had won every single match of the Australian summer – never looking challenged. They’d treated England like a schoolboy team in test matches and one dayers and shown New Zealand a thing or two about the one day game.

But a few weeks on and the Aussies are very quickly looking like an ordinary beatable outfit – with less than a month until the 2007 Cricket World Cup. This must be worrying for the entire Australian outfit – they have now lost 5 one day matches on the trot and questions are starting to be asked.

On the positive side, Australia is resting some of their better players including Adam Gilchrist and captain Ricky Ponting, but even then – is this an excuse to slump to their first ever 10 wicket defeat at the hands of New Zealand a few days ago?

Negatively, it looks like Brett Lee and one day wonder Andrew Symonds won’t be in the Caribbean – which will severely expose the Australian attack.

Betting wise, the Aussies have tumbled in www.WorldCupCricket.com markets – falling from 2.50 to 3.00 in just 7 days. Bookmakers are still expecting Australia to put in a strong showing in the www.CricketWorldCup.com but we’re yet to be convinced.

This means that there is value in strong teams such as South Africa (5.25), Sri Lanka (8.00), West Indies (8.50), India (9.00), New Zealand (9.00), England (9.50) and Pakistan (10.50).

Bet on WorldCupCricket.com NOW!

Click here for free bingo

If you fancy a bet on cricket and you don’t mind taking a punt then the New Zealand team will give you a good chance of making some good money.

The Chappell Hadlee Series of ODI games are being played on Feb 16 at Wellington, Feb 18 in Auckland and in Hamilton on Feb 20 in New Zealand.

If the Blackcaps can pull off a win it will most likely see New Zealand move back up the ICC ODI Championship table.

A victory in the three-match series will see Stephen Fleming’s side move as high as third in the overall leader board and give the Kiwi’s a much needed moral boast leading up to the Cricket World cup in the Caribbean. While the New Zealanders preformed well in Australia this season they where clearly disappointed to be knocked out by an on fir England side who ultimately went on to win the finals.

A loss in New Zealand for Australia will of course be a major upset to the preparations for Australia’s world cup success and with a possible defeat and a South Africa victory against Pakistan it would see the Proteas be crowned the new world number 1 cricket team.

Check out the Live Cricket.com world cup odds.

Click here for Free Bingo

The Tri-Nations Commonwealth Bank Series of One Day Internationals begins in Melbourne on Friday. The series will see Australia, England and New Zealand compete for the trophy.

The series consists of up to 16 One Day International games around Australia.

The current odds see Australia as overwhelming favourite to win the series, at 1.20. New Zealand are seen as a slight chance to win, at 7.50. Does England even have a chance? 10.00 seems a bit short for them to win the series!

The first game sees Australia take on England, with Australia at 1.23 and England at 4.25. Given the belting that the Aussies gave the Poms in the Twenty20 game earlier in the week, 1.23 seems like good betting for Australia. The Twenty 20 match really was a walkover in many ways!

So the CBA ODI series starts on Friday Jan 12. Get all your cricket odds at www.iasbet.com.au

Click here for free bingo

FULL ASHES ODDS AVAILABLE HERE

That’s a good question… what did happen in Adelaide? England looked like they were at least going to come away with a draw – but let me tell you, punters were on top of an Australian victory as early as lunch on Day 4, when the Aussies started closing in on the England first innings total.

It seems as though the Aussies had cleaned up 10 wickets quickly on the final day of a test before, and Adelaide was to be no different. Shane Warne and Brett Lee worked wonders and the Poms were all out just like that. It was a fairly easy pick that Australia were going to win chasing just 4.5 runs an over.

So that leaves the Ashes series all but over with England needing to win all three remaining test matches (or at least draw 1 and win 2) to keep the Ashes – a virtually impossible task on Australian soil.

Bookmakers agree installing Australia at odds of 1.01 to win the series from here, England at 101.00 and a Tied series at 26.00. Surely a foregone conclusion.

What will be interesting is if England will make wholesale changes to their side after they virtually handed the Adelaide test to the Aussies. Surely something has to change. Perth will be a very different test match.

With about a week before it starts, the ashes odds have Australia at 1.48 to win the Perth match, with England at 8.50 and the draw at 3.85. Punters are coming for the draw again – as another patient first innings batting performance from the Poms seems likely. But can anything stop the Aussies? Watch this space!

Get full cricket ashes odds now…

Click here for free bingo

As predicted, Australia’s aging attack is… well… starting to show its age. For Glenn McGrath AND Shane Warne to both have such a disastrous day with the ball has been virtually unheard of. But today Warne finished the innings with figures of 1-167, his most expensive outing in 142 Test matches.

Likewise, McGrath’s figures of 0-107 was the most expensive of his entire career, without even taking a wicket.

So hats off to England – for today was their day and they toiled very hard, finishing at 6-551 declared. The Poms even managed to pick up a wicket before the end of play, leaving Australia at 1-28 at stumps.

It’s now highly unlikely that Australia will win this test match, and their odds show that, at 9.25.

If you think England can pick up another 19 (yes… 19) wickets to win the match, then you’re getting around 4.35.

But the most likely result is the Draw at 1.40. It really is tough to see it not being a draw, but stranger things have happened.

Check out all the ashes odds here…

Click here for free bingo games

Sure… It’s only the end of day 1, but can England do it? I mean, they actually got through an entire day without losing 10 wickets – they only lost 3.

At the end of day one, England pulled up stumps at 3 for 266. It was a supremely cautious first couple of sessions for the tourists, but they started surging a little in the afternoon. They are going to need many more runs if they are to win this test match.

Watching the play today, it really was a patient performance by the English batsmen. Warne could have easily had a couple of wickets – he was pulling off some remarkable turn and it was only day 1. McGrath showed little venom and Brett Lee only glimpses. So now the question marks come back over Australia’s attack. Can they handle another full day in the field?

Australia’s best bowler of the day, Stuart Clark who took the first 2 wickets, strangely only bowled two overs after tea and the taking of the new ball.

So what does all this mean? Draw draw draw is what the punters are coming for tonight. The draw has firmed into favouritism at 2.10, with Australia blowing out to 2.70. Of course, an England win remains an outside chance at 4.90, because while they’ll have posted the runs on the board after tomorrow, they still have to contend with the best attacking team in the world.

There is still a long way to go in this series – can England keep it alive?

Full cricket odds here…

Click here for free bingo

The odds are moving for the 2nd test in Adelaide – ever so slightly, but moving nonetheless. You’re probably expecting me to say they are moving in Australia’s favour? Nope… In fact, bookies report an unexpected flutter of cash on England AND the draw.

We reported earlier in the week that Australia were at 1.42 to win the Adelaide test, with England at 9.00 and the draw at 4.20. Well since then, it seems some experts have come out and given England a chance of winning in Adelaide. Some think that the Aussie’s should have selected MacGill, especially in Adelaide.

England, on the other hand, has gone ahead and (potentially) selected spinner Monty Panesar. Could this be the difference between the teams in a game where the ball is expected to turn? Warne proved he can still handle it in Brisbane, but what about when Adelaide turns the heat on, with temperatures expected to be in the mid-40 degrees Celsius? Interesting times indeed!

So, as I was saying, the odds have moved, but not by too much. You’re now shopping Australia at around 1.46, the draw at 4.10 and England at 8.25. What can one make of this? Normally you’d see the odds for Australia shortening before a test match where they look to have it in the bag already. Perhaps they do not after all.

Full cricket odds here…

Click here for free bingo.

While watching the first Ashes test match, and the “fightback” that England staged at the end of the 4th day, one couldn’t help wonder how the match ended up making into a 5th day.

Why Australia wouldn’t enforce the follow on after England’s woeful 1st innings batting performance is beyond me, and many experts of the game. Surely it couldn’t have had something to do with the need to make sure refunds didn’t have to provided to those punters who scored day 5 tickets? One thing is for sure – you or I will never know, but if that is the case, it’s a very risky situation that the players and the governing body is putting themselves under.

Either way, Australia controlled Test One from start to finish. Sure, the England batsmen put up a little fight in their 2nd innings, but there was really no chance of saving the test from there.

So we now move on to Adelaide in a few days time. Could England take heart from a couple of their batsmen who actually stood up to the Aussies and make Australia fight in the second test? Anything is possible – but probably not.

Currently, Australia is at 1.42 to win the 2nd test, with the draw at 4.20 and England at a meaty 9.00. Bookies really see it as a two horse race between Australia and the weather.

Can England fight back for a series win? Remember, they did it two years ago on home soil – after being beaten quite convincingly in the first test, they fought back to win the series in unbelievable fashion. If you fancy England to repeat that dose, you can get on them at 17.00, while a tied series is 13.00. If you think the Aussies can march on to Ashes greatness, you can back them at a poultry 1.08 – not much value there, but I guess there doesn’t deserve to be either.

Full Ashes cricket odds here.

Click here for free bingo

The most incredible part of today’s cricket was certainly not the fact that Australia scored 600 runs, or that England are being so badly outplayed. No no no… The most incredible part is that at the lunch break, we wrote the following: “Australia could be unbackable by the end of the day if they have England at 3-50 or thereabouts.” (Full post here)

Well… Play ended today with England at 3-53! I’m amazed that we got so close. I guess it has something to do with the predictability of the Aussies over the past few Australian summers. It tends to go something like – bat first, score a big total (even if the top order fails, the tail always seems to wag), get all out or declare late on day 2 leaving the opposition an hour or two to bat, take a few wickets.

It’s quite incredible how often that scenario plays out, and again today it went to script. Will things go wrong for the home team at all during the series? Perhaps one should ask if England will put any real pressure on the Aussies to make things go wrong for them. There is a very real possibility this series could become an embarrassment for the Poms. Let’s hope for all cricket fans that it’s not the case.

So what of current betting? We did say that Australia would be unbackable if they had England at 3-50 at the end of the day. Well you can still back them at 1.12 if you think they are certain to win. I really don’t see how they can’t win. Any thoughts?

The draw is currently 7.00 and an England win is 61.00.

Perhaps it might be wise to forget the match betting for now and take a look at the Next Man Out odds. You can back Pietersen at 1.95 and Bell at 1.85. Who looks better? The way the Aussies are cracking through the wickets, you won’t have to wait long in the morning until the first victim of the day walks to the dressing room.

Full ashes cricket odds

Click here for free bingo

Surely England cannot possibly win this test match from here. Australia go into the dressing rooms at lunch on day 2 at 4-427, with Ponting sitting on an imposing 177 not out.

England looked better this morning, but still only took 1 wicket, that of Hussey. The damage has been done, and England better start praying for either rain (highly unlikely) or a few stand out batting performances otherwise any thought of a dream start to the Ashes series can be kissed goodbye!

That being said, we still feel that the bookies are being rather generous for an Australian win – offering 1.25. It’s probably prudent to expect around this quote to remain until Australia declare and start throwing them down at the Poms. Watch the odds tumble as the England wickets fall. Australia could be unbackable by the end of the day if they have England at 3-50 or thereabouts.

The draw is at 4.65 if you expect England to fight and hold on for another 3 1/2 days. Still think England can win? You’re getting 26.00 for this unlikely result.

Who will be next out? Ponting is at 2.08 with Clarke at 1.75 – obviously Ponting is set and will be looking to last the innings not out at 200+. Don’t expect any silly shots from him.

Check out the full ashes odds at www.iasbet.com.au now.

Click here for free bingo

Australia jumped on top of the Ashes series on the first day of the first test match in Brisbane today. As I’m sure you’ve heard and/or seen, every Australian batsman was given the opportunity to get a start, with Ricky Ponting earning a century. Surely the best England can hope for already is a draw in this match?

Australia finished that day at 3-346 and look ready to surge forward when play starts tomorrow so they can make a declaration as early as possible. Probably expect some aggressive batting in the first couple of sessions on day 2.

In our opinion, the bookmakers are still giving England some serious respect by having Australia at 1.28 and the draw at 4.50. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that Australia’s aging front line attack will need to take plenty of wickets before this match is over – history says they will do that on their ears.

Oh, and by the way… if you think England can get themselves out of this one (there is still 4 days of play to go afterall) then you can back them at 18.00.

Good luck and we hope you find a winning ashes bet!

Click here for free bingo

As we wrote earlier, you are unable to bet on events that have already started if you’re in Australia and you want to place the bet online. Technically, it’s illegal to do so and bookmakers won’t let you do it. But, it’s ok for bookmakers to accept your bets over the phone, which is what we’d recommend.

I have heard of some punters doing pretty well betting in play cricket on the next man out odds. Basically, bookmakers will frame a market based on the current two batsmen that are at the crease and you can bet on who will get out first. This is a nice way to bet if you’re watching the match and a batsman looks uneasy holding onto his wicket.

For example, as I write this Ponting and Martyn are batting for Australia. Ponting has just made 50 and Martyn looks a little wary. You’ll find that at www.sportingbet.com.au, Martyn is favourite to be dismissed first at 1.85 with Ponting at 1.90. That seems fair enough.

Open an account at www.sporting bet.com.au now and use the phone to bet in running on the Ashes and hundreds of other events.

Full www.SportingBet.com.au odds are here

Click here for free bingo

We have often been asked by Australians if they can bet on an event while it is taking place, ie. in play betting or in run betting. The answer to this is Yes… and No. Let me explain.

For some strange reason, when the Australian Federal Government tried to legislate online betting (including sports betting, casinos and poker) back in 2001, they decided to allow sports betting on the Internet, but stopped short of allowing it for in play events.

So that means that if you want a bet on the result of any Ashes test match after the first ball is bowled, you’ll have to pick up the phone and call your bookie. It’s pretty easy, and most bookmakers know that people love to bet in play, especially on cricket, so they show you the odds online and give you a free call phone number that you can call.

For example, at www.iasbet.com.au, they are currently showing Australia at 1.33 to win the first test at lunch on Day 1. The draw is 4.75 and an England win is 10.50. England really haven’t shown too much in the first session of the play, with Australia batting at 1 for 109. There is still a long way to go, but we’re still looking for a Pom or two to stand up and be counted.

So if you want a bet on the Ashes as it’s being played, get along to www.ias bet.com.au and sign up for an account online. Once you’ve done that you can easily place your bets over the phone. This is also good if you’re at the match watching.

Check the latest cricket odds here.

Click here for free bingo

The England preparation for the first test in Brisbane, starting tomorrow, has suffered another setback with the news that the Poms’ number 3 batsman, Ian Bell, has injured his hand.

What more could go wrong for the English, after already losing opener Marcus Trescothick? Well I guess a fair bit more could go wrong – like getting thumped in the first ashes test match.

Let’s put it this way: Australia have now firmed in again to a skinny 1.43 to win the first test. The draw drifts to 4.50 and an unlikely England victory is 7.75. It seems that as the bowl of the first ball draws closer, punters are happy to keep backing the Aussies.

In the series betting, Australia is now into 1.19 to win, with England at 8.00 and a tied series at 11.00.

Whatever happens, many questions will be answered in the first couple of hours of play at the Gabba tomorrow.

Get your full ashes markets here now!

Click here to play free bingo

It only seems like last week that England defeated Australia on home soil to take the Ashes, and now there is only 3 days to go until the latest series begins. The truth is, England’s side has been depleted since the last series while Australia seems to have gone from strength to strength.

The long range weather forecast in Brisbane now shows clear skies for the duration of the test match, however expect 1 or 2 afternoon storms throughout.

This leaves much less chance of England either holding on for a draw or unexpectedly winning. As a result, the odds of the first test have shortened on the Australian side yet again. Bookies report taking a truckload of cash for the Aussies in the past week – with most expecting a one sided affair. Australia now stands at 1.46 to win the first test, with the draw at 4.20 and the unlikely England victory at 7.75.

The bookies now have plenty of other markets available on the first test including batting head to heads, bowling head to heads, team to win the toss, highest scoring batsmen and highest opening partnership.

If you think Australia will win the test, but you’re not keen on taking the skinny odds on offer, take a look at one of these other markets for the value on the match.

For series betting, Australia is getting close to unbackable at 1.19, with England at 8.25 and a tied series at 10.50.

Again, if you like the idea of a Australia winning the series but don’t want the short odds, there are plenty of other series betting options with good value. For example, most runs in the series, most wickets in the series and will England win a test?

Finally, when do you think Shane Warne will get to the 700 wickets mark? He needs just 15 wickets and so there is a good chance it will happen during the upcoming series. You can bet on the method of his 700th dismissal, when will it be and who will it be?

Find the full cricket odds here – get into it early.

Click here to play free bingo

And then there were 13… That’s the number of lucky Australian cricketers that have just been named in the sqaud for the Ashes, starting in Brisbane at the Gabba next week.

There were some interesting selections that were made amongst the 13, including the snubbing of Michael Clarke and Phil Jaques. It seems the selectors are happy to rely on the experience of Justin Langer for the opening spot.

Impressive against England recently, Shaun Tait gained a berth in the squad alongside fellow pacemen Stuart Clark and Mitchell Johnson. In all reality, it’s the quicks that will suffer the losses when the team is brought down to 12 and the final 11 is announced. With Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee certain starters, who will join them in the pace ranks for the test?

It all begins at the Gabba on November 23 – odds remain fairly unchanged since our last report – Australia @ $1.48 / Draw @ $4.00 / England @ $7.75 – rain still might play a part in the result.

Get full odds now.

Australian Squad: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist (vice-captain), Stuart Clark, Matthew Hayden, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Justin Langer, Brett Lee, Damien Martyn, Glenn McGrath, Shaun Tait, Shane Warne, Shane Watson.

Click here for Free Bingo

It is with true sadness that we farewell Marcus Trescothick from Australia – destined to return home to England with many question marks over his departure. Truth is, he isn’t well and we wish him all the best.

It was only a couple of days ago that we posted that an injury to a key player would be cause enough for the series and first test odds to change significantly. Well things haven’t changed too much, with Australia coming in to 1.48 for the Brisbane test match.

There have been some bookie reports floating around that in the last 24 hours there has been another big push for Australia to win the test and the series. This is showing in the slight shortening of odds, but bookies are still keen on taking on Australia. The test match betting really does provide the best betting for bookies, with a potential 5 days to lay off liability if need be, so expect the juicy odds on Australia to continue.

In the series betting, it seems most astute punters have flocked for the Aussies to walk away with the Ashes, with the price coming in to 1.22 overnight. This is a reflection of the Poms losing Trescothick and how much it harms their long term prospects in the series. Let’s hope England can find some new blood willing to stand up and be counted.

What do you think about how the series will pan out? Add you comments below.

Click here for free bingo

When a big sporting match-up comes around, punters tend to look at warm up matches as a guide to where each team sits in terms of their form. England have just started their warm up matches and are finding the going tough, although they finally showed some middle order resistance at the SCG yesterday.

Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff showed that the Poms can actually bat against best of Aussie attack, so what does this mean for the 1st test in Brisbane next week?

The Aussies are currently 1.50 to win the first test. This quote has hardly moved this past week with England starting their tour off in horrible fashion. It seems the bookmakers are happy to risk Australia, even if just a little. Why? The fact is that England CAN cause a massive upset over the summer.

Sure, bookmakers have Australia at 1.25 to win the the series, but they know better that stranger things have happened. One only needs to look back a couple of years to the last ashes series to see the underdog Poms get up in emphatic fashion – and things aren’t that much different this time – except for Australia’s aging old men that the country expects will carry them across the line again.

But let’s not get too carried away! Australia SHOULD win this series and they SHOULD win the 1st test in Brisbane. But it really is nice to dream of a close series and one that might live up to the rivalry of years past.

Realistically, the results of warm up matches have very little impact on the ashes odds. The first test sees Australia at 1.50, the draw at 3.90 and an England win at 7.50 (Full odds here). Some long range forecasters are expecting the weather to play a small part in the result, but Australia is accustomed to finishing teams off within 4 days lately, so it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

What will affect the odds will be the loss of a critical player. Apart from that, don’t expect much movement between now and the first ball bowled on November 23.

Full odds and more betting options available at Licensed Australian Bookmaker IASbet.

Click here for free bingo