Absent pair unlikely to trouble stuttering England

The news that both Steven Finn and Ian Bell are out of the second Test in Mumbai later this week is unlikely to upset England’s preparations for the match after a dismal performance in the first clash against India left a lot to be desired.

Finn picked up a thigh injury against India A, two weeks before the first Test in Ahmedabad, yet was only in slight contention for a place in the bowling attack anyway.

And, after England’s appalling seam-bowling display last week that saw just one wicket taken in 72 overs, captain Alastair Cook is unlikely to add another seamer to his arsenal and instead is expected reduce his pacemen to two in place of another spinner as he looks to defy the latestcricket odds in Mumbai next week.

Bell, meanwhile, returned home for the birth of his first child following a poor display at the crease in the first Test. The right-hander was caught first ball to spinner Pragyan Ojha before being nicked lbw for just 22 in the second innings. With both Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root on hand as competent replacements, Bell’s presence at fifth man shouldn’t be missed.

In fact, these two absentees should ease Cook’s selection decisions as the pressure builds to eradicate the mistakes of the first Test. England, who are now vast outsiders according to the latest Betfair India v England odds, need another spinner in their ranks and Finn’s absence means selecting Monty Panesar is now a straight-forward decision to make. Bell’s absence also means there is no pressure to drop Samit Patel, who’s ability to bat and bowl could be crucial to England’s fortunes this week.

Indeed, selecting either Bairstow or Root as Bell’s cover will do wonders for either youngster on the toughest tour on the planet. India’s turning wickets are like few others in the world and for one of this pair to get the chance to bat on the subcontinent will only enrich their international pedigree.   

Returning Duo Critical to England

England fans placing a bet on sports are still waiting to discover whether or not they will have Stuart Broad and Steven Finn available for the first Test against India in Ahmedabad.

The fast bowling duo returned to the nets following their respective injuries, but England will have to leave it late before deciding to include either or both for the first Test.

Broad has been struggling with a heel injury, with Finn suffering a thigh strain soon after arriving in India.

While the back-up bowlers all did their best to strengthen their cases during the drawn warm-up clash against Haryana, there is little doubt the selectors will be desperate that both Broad and Finn are able to play the first Test if possible.

Alastair Cook admitted he would have liked Finn and Broad to have been able to get more practice time under their belts before the first Test, but the skipper made it clear it would be a huge boost to the team to have both fast bowlers in the line-up.

"In an ideal world, I'd certainly have liked them to have had more match bowling. The one part of this preparation period that has not quite gone right is those two not getting some overs under their belt.”

"But what we do know is they are quality performers, world-class bowlers. It'd be great if they were fully-fit, and had some overs under their belt, but they haven't,” admitted Cook.

It will be interesting to see just how effective either bowler would be should they play the first Test.

Neither has manage to get many overs under their belts since arriving in India, and it certainly weakens an area of England’s team that will need to be firing on all cylinders if the tourists are going to have their best chance of success. 

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Batting form should relieve England bowlers of pressure

When your team is in a slump, there is nothing like a high-scoring innings to bring confidence back into the ranks. England, who have not fared overly well in previous warm-up games on the subcontinent this autumn, sure found their stride in the first day of their final warm-up before the Test series with India starts next week.

Following uninspiring matches against India A and Mumbai A, England went into bat against Haryana on Thursday and knocked up a confidence-boosting 408-3 before close of play. Not only will the score boost their latest cricket odds ahead of the first Test, but with all six batsmen showing good form at the crease there are great reasons to be optimistic.

Captain Alastair Cook and new opener Nick Compton staged a magnificent 166 partnership that is likely to unnerve India’s bowling attack ahead of the first Test on 15 November. Cook fell three short of his century while Compton looked every bit a seasoned international with 74 before being taken lbw by spinner Amit Mishra.

Their replacements didn’t fail to impress either. Jonathan Trott tallied 46 at third man before also falling to the Mishra spin; meanwhile, the marmite man that is Kevin Pietersen proved his worth to the side yet again with a resplendent 110 before retiring hurt with cramp in the hot conditions.

With Stuart Board suffering a bruised heel and Graeme Swann returning home for the next few days, Cook was relying on his top order to instil some confidence into the side and take the pressure of his bowlers. Former skipper Michael Vaughan has already spoken of the importance of the upper order leading from the front in the tough and unforgiving conditions of the sub-continent.

They certainly did this, and if Cook can inspire more high performances from his batsmen then England’s fragile bowling attack will be free from unwanted pressure to strike out India on their own turf. 

Warne Not Ready To Retire Just Yet

Having retired from the international game back in 2007, Australia test legend Shane Warne is preparing for another season of domestic Twenty20 Cricket in his home country and he isn’t ready to put a date on his retirement just yet.
Warne remains Australia’s all-time leading test wicket taker with 708 victims in his 145 matches and, having come out of retirement to play for and coach the Rajasthan Royals in 2008, and then come close to retiring again in 2011, he won’t be drawn on any possible future retirement plans.
"I have to never say 'never' because in 2007 I said I'd never play cricket again," Warne said. "But 18 months later the IPL came up, so that was something that interested me, to captain/coach and do it the way I always thought it should be done."
After leaving the Rajasthan Royals in 2011, Warne joined the Melbourne Stars to play in the Inaugural Australian Big Bash League and, having played in eight games for them last year, Warne is raring to go again in 2012. In his role as a senior pro, Warne will not only be playing alongside  the former Australian T20 captain Cameron White, but also the current captain George Bailey.
His influence could not only improve Melbourne’s chances but also help out the national T20 side; something that he would be more than happy to do.
"I do love cricket, I'm passionate about the game and if I can help Australian cricket in any way, shape or form then I will," he said.
Melbourne Stars’ 2012-13 campaign kicks off with a local derby against Melbourne Renegades and, having reached the semi-finals of the competition last year, they will be looking for an improvement this time round.
Meanwhile England have touched down in India ahead of their winter Test series. Don’t forget to check out all the latest Cricket betting previews  as well as the latest Betfair England Tips over at the new and freshly updated Betfair cricket website.

Haddin Not Hopeful of Test Spot

Brad Haddin concedes that he is likely to lose his Test place to Matthew Wade, but hopes his recent break from the game is not a factor in the selectors’ decision.

Haddin took six months away from cricket for personal reasons last April, allowing Wade to make his Test debut against the West Indies in the Caribbean.

Wade has since established himself in the Aussies one-day and T20 squads, playing in the mini one-day series in England and the T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka.

Haddin is back playing cricket again and is currently in South Africa with the Sydney Sixers, bidding to win the T20 Champions League.

The five-man selection panel insist they have not yet made a decision on who to pick behind the stumps for the upcoming Test series with South Africa, which will decide who sees in 2013 as the World’s number one ranked Test side.

However, Haddin feels they have already made their minds up, tipping Wade to take his place.

The 35-year-old is hopeful that is a purely cricketing decision though, rather than due to his break from the game, and also insists that he has plenty to offer still at international level.

"From my point of view, I hope that would never come into it [his break],'' Haddin said. ''I've had a six-month break away from the game, and haven't played that much cricket to be perfectly honest, so you wouldn't have to be Einstein to work out that they're not going to go my way, but my cricket, I think, is not done.

''I've been able to find the form that I needed to get back to playing cricket, which is pretty rewarding after the break, so all that stuff will take care of itself in the long term so I'm not too worried about it at the moment."

Thinking of placing a bet on cricket this autumn? Be sure to check out the odds on the Australia cricket betting website for the most accurate picks for Australia’s upcoming clash with South Africa.

Flintoff: Performances key for returning Pietersen

Former England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff feels the Kevin Pietersen fiasco will soon be forgotten should Alastair Cook's team gain momentum on their upcoming tour of India.

Pietersen has not featured for England since the second Test against South Africa in August. The middle-order batsman found himself at the centre of controversy after he allegedly sent "provocative texts" to opposition players during the Headingley Test.

The 32-year-old was dropped for the final Test at Lord's and then left out of the party which travelled to Sri Lanka to defend England's World Twenty20 title. He was also left out of the squad for the Test tour of India.

However, after a series of meetings with the England Cricket Board and Cook about his "reintegration", Pietersen has been handed a recall and is in line to face India in the first Test in Ahmedabad on November 15.

Flintoff, who will undoubtedly be tuning in for sport updates, says the early tension in the camp will soon disappear if England begin the tour with a bang.

"I'm sure there'll be a few words in the dressing room, in certain ears, to make sure it's a smooth transition going back in," the 34-year-old told a latest sport news network.

"But in a few months' time, if we start performing well in India, this will be forgotten."

However, the former Lancashire star was keen to urge caution.

"What tends to happen is that when a team's doing well, everyone talks about the team spirit, togetherness and how everyone gets on. It's tested when you don't perform," added Flintoff, who scored 3845 runs and took 226 wickets during his 79-Test career.

"When you start having a few bad results, little groups form in the dressing room and people start talking, and that's when it can happen."

Gibbs Predicts Proteas Whitewash

Former South Africa batsman Herschelle Gibbs has predicted that his old team-mates will continue their fine run of form and inflict a heavy defeat on the Australians in their forthcoming series.
Gibbs, who averaged over 40 with the bat in his 90 tests for the Proteas thinks that the experience and confidence that South Africa have built up over the last couple of years will be enough for them to defeat Michael Clarke’s men. ''I've said all along South Africa have been a most consistent team home and away in the last three years - they've got a very solid Test squad” Gibbs said. ''They should be the favourites to win … they probably should win 2-0.''
Most Cricket betting previews     agree with Gibbs and put South Africa as favourites, given they knocked England off the top spot in the test rankings with victory on English soil in the summer.
Gibbs puts the rise of Proteas down to consistency of selection and being able to build a strong team ethic. ''I think the Test side have been together for a good couple of years,'' Gibbs said. ''It's having the same players and gelling as a unit and knowing each others' games and drawing inspiration and confidence from each other - that's exactly what the Test squad's been”  he said.
South Africa have only been defeated in one series since April 2006 and their victory in England was fitting reward for years of hard work.  Punters at Betfair cricket find it hard to imagine Graeme Smith allowing his side to lose the momentum that they have built up ahead of their trip down under. However there are fewer more difficult places to play cricket and their only series defeat in the last six and a half years came against Australia.

The first Test between Australia and South Africa begins in Brisbane on 9th November and, if Smith can lead his side to victory, then surely even England wouldn’t begrudge calling them the best Test team in the world.