Swashbuckling Indian star MS Dhoni has a settled Chennai side purring. Andy Richmond suggests they’ll be successful today against Kings XI…

Team News
The importance of the match should result in both teams playing close to their perceived strongest line ups. Chennai will continue with the prolific Matthew Hayden and Suresh Raina and know they can rely on some lower order big-hitters such as MS Dhoni and Jacob Oram. Murali will as ever play a vital role, particularly if Chennai can bat first, which they have done in their last three games. This has resulted in a three game winning streak, transforming their fortunes.
Kings XI lack strength in depth and will probably have to play much the same side as was thrashed by the Rajasthan Royals in their last game by 78 runs – their bowling and lack of leadership looking more a liability despite Kings being only 2 points off the lead in an increasingly tight competition – Kolkata apart.

Venue, Pitch, Conditions
This and the earlier game will be played at Centurion Park – this one under the lights and I’m sure Chennai will be desperate to bat first again – this will be the sixth game to be played at the venue, the earlier game being the fifth. Scores so far have been averaging around the 140 – 150 mark, with Chennai recording the highest T20 score so far against Rajasthan when scoring 164/5. No match so far has totalled over 300 match runs so laying over 300 match runs especially given the fact that the match is a day nighter and Kings have struggled to get momentum in their batting.

Match Odds
These two have not met before in the IPL 2009 but it is undoubtedly Chennai who have the momentum here having had a wretched start to the competition, the settled side under the leadership of Dhoni is starting to look dangerous and at anything better than [1.74] they should be supported here, I’d be tempted to go in even stronger if they bat first as this is a strategy which clearly suits them well.

Top Batsman
Chennai are batting well, of that there is no doubt and the bullying Aussie Hayden, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni form a formidable trio – with the former two opening the innings they should have more opportunity than Dhoni and Raina who appears to have come into his own of late, posted a 98 here at Centurion Park off just 55 balls, anything over 5.0 would be overpriced in this market.
Kings have been disappointing with the willow, only Yuvraj Singh totalling over 200 aggregate runs so far, he’s been the consistent one in an otherwise lacklustre line up apart from a one decent innings each from Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara.

Featured Market
Thanks to Hayden’s brutality at the top of the order, Chennai are one of the fastest scoring sides in the first six overs and with more firepower placed in the middle order of the Kings XI lineup, I would definitely be looking to side with Chennai in this market if the price offers enough value.

It’s a new-look England team with Tim Bresnan and Graham Onions making their debuts; Harmison, Flintoff, Panesar and Shah all miss out. Chris Gayle has won the toss and put England in. Ed Hawkins talks us through it all…

18.26 Eng 289-7 CLOSE
Betting can be irritating sometimes. Well, often a lot of the time. Today was a good example. After tea we knew Fidel Edwards was going to come out with all pistols pumping. We knew that made West Indies decent value at the most inflated of three outcomes. But you can never legislate for butter fingers. Six chances went down. Had they taken three of them they would have been match favourites. But they didn’t. So we go in to day two with England trading at [2.22] favourite status – thanks largely to Ravi Bopara’s second consecutive Test ton – the draw at [2.66] and West Indies [5.00]. In truth it has probably been their day and with the new ball still available tomorrow they could get off to a flyer. But will they take the chances if they come? Join me tomorrow to find out.

WICKET 18.02 Eng 276-7
Tim Bresnan leg before to Big Benn. Bong! Probably a bit harsh that on the dubtant Bresnan.Shame. He only scored 9 and I was just trying to work out a convincing looky-likey.West Indies are still as big as [5.00] on the match market. That remains too big. Their aim would have been to bowl England out for less than 300 having won the toss and they could still do it. If they do, I take it back what I said about Chris Gayle’s leadership. They still have the new ball, too.

17.58 Eng 274-6
My Lord’s chum has been on again. “I’m also the youngest person in the Grandstand. And you can’t use your mobile phone. How are you meant to bet?” Well, I do believe there is a Betfair facility on the ground.

17.47 Eng 262-6
Finally, West Indies take a catch. Broad got a thick edge off Benn to gully for 38. I’m sure West Indies will take the new ball. Their price has come in from [7.60] to [5.80]. Despite their profligacy, they still have the potential tun run through England cheaply. Tim Bresnan is the new man at the crease. he’s got three first-class tons don’t you know?

17.38 Eng 260-5
I’ve just had a call from a friend inside HQ. “It’s sickening here, absolutely sickening. This Lord’s lot seem to think they’re ‘it’. You can’t go back to your seat in the middle of an over. You get attitude from the stewards. Who do they think they are? Getting into the ground is harder than getting on a plane at Heathrow. Your bags get searched, then you’re, oh what’s the word, patted down … no ‘frisked’, that’s it.” Safe to say you’re not enjoying yourself then? Meanwhile,it’s all happening. The new ball is available but Gayle has a habit of delaying and West Indies have dropped their sixth. Benn missing Broad off his own bowling

17.30 Eng 253-5
Since I last posted there have been two more dropped catches. Broad was put down by keeper Ramdin off Benn and Bop-ra has just been spilled by Smith at slip off Baker. Remember when I was banging on about this being a tough seeing ground? Well, England dropped nine catches against Sri Lanka in 2006. West Indies have missed five so far. David Lloyd reckons it is all down to poor concentration from the Windies. This was what England fielding coach Trevor Penney said of the Sri Lanka debacle at the time. “People make excuses and say that Lord’s is a bad seeing ground, but I don’t think that was the case here. This was more of a concentration thing.” Mind you,Penney is no longer the fielding coach. You could say the Penney dropped. HaHaHaHa!

17.19 Eng 241-5
Yep. David Lloyd has just handily saved me scurrying through the past scoreboards to check my ‘first England No 3 to score a ton for a year stat’. It was Michael Vaughan against New Zealand in the first Test of last summer.

17.15 Eng 238-5
A century for Bop-ra. That pretty much confirms his place for the first two Ashes Tests at least I would have though. Two centuries in his last two Tests. And the first England No 3 to score a big one for about a year if memory serves.

17.05 Eng 230-5
We are waiting for Bop-ra’s ton. He needs just four. But it’s drinks now. Some interesting views coming in regarding our IPL debate, which has taken a back seat because the action has been rather good. Tom has no problem with England’s players playing in the IPL “so long as they tear up their England central contracts. The whole point of such contracts is the ECB can control when they play. In return they are handsomely rewarded. You can’t have it both ways.” Digger reckons “Flintoff will probably not bother playing again. He’s earned a few bob from it and that’ll do him.”

16.42 Eng 211-5
West Indies are throwing away their victory chance as Chris Gayle shells Stuart Broad off that poor chap Edwards. Had they taken their chances, West Indies would be favourites. It would appear the catching curse at Lord’s has struck again. That’s three dropped today.

16.24 Eng 206-5
West Indies skipper Chris Gayle appears to have got away with one here thanks to some poor England batting. Really, England should have made hay after being put in. Gayle is in the process of making another mistake, though. He has insisted on bowling Lendl Simmons from one end while Edwards blazes away at the other. Simmons, a part-timer, allowed Broad to get some sighters and get accustomed to the pitch. What Edwards needs is a bowler from the other end who will give away nothing. ‘Tie an end up’ the phrase is. It just shows how when having a wager, you can’t always guarantee the common sense of the protagonists you rely on. Nor the safe hands. Broad has just flashed to gully off Edwards and the chance has gone down.

16.14 Eng 194-5
No drop this time. Lendl Simmons holds onto a slapshot from Matt Prior off Fidel Edwards who will not be denied. Simmons held on with aplomb. A gift of a dismissal from Prior. Very poor shot. West Indies have the breakthrough they craved. But at [5.30] they have not dipped as much as they should have done. Stuart Broad is the new man. He’s not a bad batter but he is most definitely a bowling all-rounder.

16.08 Eng 191-4
Well, we said this would be a key spell in the match. Edwards had induced an error from Bop-ra, who squirted a catch to Brendan Nash at square leg but he spilled it. Ooooh, it was an easy one. It was straight into his belly but he juggled with it and it went down. Lord’s has a reputation for being a difficult sighting ground. Traditionally,England drop a shedload of chances, most memorably against Australia in the 2005 Ashes Test. It is a trend which has since continued and has been partly to blame for so many draws.

16.00 Eng 182-4
West Indies have a huddle before the final session of the day. It is a key one. I’m sure Fidel Edwards will run in with vigour to get through to what is a very long-looking ENgland tail. But Bop-ra, who needs 28 for his second Test century, and Prior, eight for 50, have batted with aplomb. Good word that, aplomb. Gonna use it more often. England are [2.24], West Indies [5.40] and the draw is [2.26]. The WI price might be worth a tickle because if Edwards prises one out here, then England could be run through quite quickly.

15.43 Eng 182-4 TEA
That’s tea.You have to say it was West Indies’ session even if Ravi Bop-ra and Matt Prior have staged a recovery towards the end. We were discussing earlier in the day how many England would score, suggesting 425 or more might be a bit of value. But you can get [3.40] for small change at the moment from the earlier [2.70]. The key to whether they get close to those numbers is Fidel Edwards. After his three-wicket spell when he removed Cook and KP in successive balls and then Collingwood later, he took a breather. When he blazes in after the break, we could have a potential match-deciding moment.

15.32 Eng 171-4
West Indies are trying to get a wicket through frustration.Chris Gayle has packed the offside and instructed Lendl Simmons to bowl wide outside off. Someone like Prior normally likes to carve through that region but he is being restrained at the moment, refusing to play Gayle’s game.

15.20 Eng 159-4
Bop-ra and Prior are looking very comfortable indeed. Of course Prior at No 6 is a promotion because of the loss of Andrew Flintoff to another injury. Given Flintoff’s form with the bat – or perhaps that should be ability – England may feel more cosy if Prior makes this position his own. This partnership is worth 50 and as a result West Indies have drifted to [5.20].

15.00 Eng 142-4
Let’s have our heated debate. I posed a question earlier whether you thought it was right that players were allowed to prepare for a Test series by playing in the IPL. In the case of Chris Gayle, instead of properly preparing himself and his team, he turned up only two days before the start of this Test. That cannot be right. JTB has emailed to say: “I’m fully expecting Gayle to fail. He has not acclimatised to this country or to the format.” Keep those emails coming to hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

14.46 Eng 124-4
50 for Bop-ra. Pleasing for him. There is an interesting sub plot here. If Bop-ra accumulates another 50 here, not only will he cement his place at No 3 for the first Ashes Test in Cardiff in July, but he will also, most probably, end the career of 16-Test ton Michael Vaughan. Rather sad that because Vaughan has been the most pleasing-on-the-eye batsman I’ve seen in the 2000s. He had a lovely cover drive. But things change. And Bop-ra has hit a few sumptuous cover drives of his own.

WICKET 14.31 Eng 110-4
Fidel Edwards is bowling terrifically. Collingwood has fallen to his pace. It was an edge into the hands of Devon Smith at slip. Edwards has claimed three wickets in this spell and has been the catalyst for WI’s price dropping from the mid-teens at lunch to [3.75]. The worry for England is their long tail. After Matt Prior, who debuted with a ton against WI on this ground, come Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann and then bowlers.

14.20 Eng 105-3
England’s progress was pretty serene until Cook and KP fell in the space of two balls. So how many are they going to score in this first innings? Well, we can get a pretty good idea by looking at the records of first innings at Lord’s since 2000. When England bat first in that time frame they average a whopping 436 runs. At a healthy rate of 3.6 runs per over, to boot. Before the collapse they were [1.40] for 425 runs or more and [1.60] for 450 runs or more. At that time the value look like being the [2.01] for 475 runs or more. Well, they remain that price for that total. But. And it’s a big but, they are now [2.71] for 425 runs or more.

14.07 Eng 96-3
Our innings runs discussion has been delayed. I’m having to redo all my sums. No matter. It is quite exciting. Who needs the IPL when you’ve got action like this? Not Paul Collingwood, the new batsman, that’s for sure. Collingwood didn’t play a single match in his stint with the Delhi Daredevils. A rather damning indictment on England’s chances in the World Twenty20 later this summer when the skipper can’t get a game. We will watch Colly closely because we know how to spot if he is in form or not. Is that bat of his coming down straight?

14.03 WICKET Eng 92-3
Can’t keep up. KP gone first ball to a corker from Fidel Edwards. Two in two balls. Plenty of movement on the market as a result. West Indies’ price has collapsed to [6.60] and the draw is out to [2.40]. But have a look at England’s price. It has dropped from the lunch break to [2.10]. Clearly punters have decided they are finally seeing a Lord’s wicket which will produce 20 wickets.

WICKET 13.57 Eng 92-2
Cook gone.Hurrah! Awful shot, too. A half-hearted, tentaive step forward and a prod with his bat as if he was poking a dead badger with a stick, fully expecting to run away squealing like a girl. Well, he’s on his way back to the pav now. KP is in.

13.43 Eng 88-1
Brendan Nash is bowling after lunch. Fill your boots time. It is an indiation of what a lifeless pitch this is. Gosh, I really hope we are not on our way to a seventh-straight stalemate at Lord’s. Innings runs chat coming up…

13.02 Eng 88-1 LUNCH
True to form, England are scoring runs in the first-innings at Lord’s. When we come back we’ll have a good look at the innings runs market. The market has reacted to form as well. The draw price has gone well odds into [1.92]. England are [2.42] and West Indies are [14.50].

12.43 Eng 76-1
Watching Alastair Cook eek out runs against West Indies with only the two shots he has in his armoury is a bit like being told by the doctor that a nasty fungal infection has returned. It is very uncomfotable to put up with and you just wish it would go away for good. Ravi Bop-ra (apologies for not using this far more entertaining pronunciation earlier) is something of an antodote, however. His wristy strokeplay is a joy to behold. Bop-ra has 23, Cook has 34.

12.31 Eng 68-1
A “Citi moment of distress”. That’s better.

12.17 Eng 61-1
“Citi moment of success”. I can’t leave it alone. I don’t wish to be crude but in my household we change the first word slighlty to describe when one has successfully completed a bathroom activity. Problem is, we’re out of loo roll here at the moment and, obviosuly, I can’t go down to the shops to restock. I am in danger of having a “Citi moment of disaster”.

12.07 Eng 52-1
It is great to be back in front of the box blogging on Test match cricket. I have been feasting on a diet of IPL for the last few weeks and I am not embarrassed to say that, despite the cricket being hugely entertaining, I did rather tire of the hype. The dancing girls (eventually) get on your nerves while the commentating is atrocious. “That’s gone for six … no straight up in the air … should be out … there’s man under it … well, it’s landed safely in no man’s land”. Why don’t they just wait a few seconds to see what happens instead of trying to predict the exact flight path of each shot? What grates most is their insistence on torturing to death the English language. A six is not a six. It is a “DLF maximum”. As the tournament has progressed, the commentators have decided that DLF should morphe into verb form. “He’s DLF’ed it!”. And don’t get me started on “Citi moment of success”.

11.41 Eng 34-1
Ravi Bopara is the new man at the crease. Good to see him back in the England side after he was dropped the very next Test after his first century. He has a real opportunity to make the No 3 slot his own here. Of course, he has spent time in the IPL, too. That will be our hot topic for our debate today. What do you think about the players who have spent their time warming up for this series with a thrash and bash in South Africa? Email me at hawkeyeview@hotmail.co.uk

WICKET 11.33 Eng 28-1
Typical. There’s me singing the praises of Strauss and he edges one behind to the keeper. One shot too many. Still, England’s price has drifted as a result. Out to [2.24] and I’m sure that is a decent price to trade.The wicket looks flat and slow, rather like those run-laden tracks in the Caribbean.

11.22 Eng 20-0
Consecutive fours for Andrew Strauss. Nothing particularly groudbreaking there you may think. Ordinarily no. However, it was the manner with which he propelled the ball to the boundary. Staright bat, down the ground for four. And then again. That is the shot of a man in form. In our preview we highlighted that Strauss is the man to follow for first-innings top-bat honours and those two strokes have only served to convince me more. He is [2.72].

11.12 Eng 10-0
We’re off to a comedy start at Lord’s. David Lloyd has just asked Nick Knight what it was like to be inserted on this ground. Keep it to yourself, please chaps. Not entirley sure what Knight is doing there actually. We wait to see who has been bumped off to make room for the left-hander. Perhaps the Sky team reckon that with Strauss and Cook both southpaws they needed a former cackhanded opener to bring some expertise. The problem is that Knight is so obsessed with self-deprecation that it is rare that he even admits to being able to hold a piece of willow.

11.09 Eng 7-0
And these are the prices: England [2.18], West Indies [8.20] and the draw [2.28]. Traditionally at Lord’s runs flow on the first day so we should expect West Indies’ price to drift gloriously off into the sunset while everything else will shorten – the draw most dramatically, though.

11.05 Eng 3-0
These are the teams then for this first Test of two.
England: A Strauss, A Cook, RS Bopara, KP Pietersen, PD Collingwood, MJ Prior, TT Bresnan, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, GP Swann, G Onions
West Indies: C Gayle, DS Smith, RR Sarwan, LMP Simmons, S Chanderpaul, BP Nash, D Ramdin, JE Taylor, SJ Benn, FH Edwards, LS Baker

11.00 Eng 0-0
Anyone wondering what affect Chris Gayle’s late arrival from the IPL to join this West Indies side has had on his decision making have an answer. He has decided to bowl first after winning the toss. On the last seven ocassions when the hosts have batted first at HQ, they have scored 500 or more five times.

Having started so well the Deccan Chargers now appear to be in freefall whilst the Mumbai Indians have been brilliant at times and less so at others with Tendulkar so often being the difference between success and failure, says Jaymes Monte.

Team News

Both sides have relatively settled batting line-ups and I certainly don’t see there being many changes in that department from the Mumbai Indians. Jayasuriya and Tendulkar will open with JP Duminy and Abhisek Nayar following them. Deccan may be tempted to change it around a little as things haven’t really gone to plan recently. However, they may also take the view that this is the same side that won their first four games on the bounce and back the players to pull through this bad patch.

With the ball Mumbai boast two of the tournament’s top five economical bowlers. Harbhajan Singh has taken just three wickets throughout the tournament but done so at an economy rate of 6.11. And the success story of the 2009 IPL is undoubtedly Lasith Malinga who is the third highest wicket taker with eleven, whilst boasting the best economy rate of the tournament; just 4.36.

Deccan are now without Fidel Edwards who has joined up with his compatriots in England for the opening test. His proficiency in the opening and closing overs of an innings will be sorely missed. However they do have two of the top five tournament wicket takers to call upon; RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha have twenty-two dismissals between them.

Venue, pitch and conditions

Just three IPL matches have been played in Centurion thus far, and a knock of 151.6 has been the average 1st innings score. Of the sides batting first, only the Chennai Super Kings, who set a target of 165 runs, have been victorious. Both Deccan and Delhi posted scores in the 140s and were both chased down in less than 19 overs. Those stats suggest that if the team batting first serve up a sub 150 score it would be well advised to back that total to be chased down with relative ease.

There is expected to be some cloud cover in the area on Wednesday, but the rain shouldn’t arrive till Thursday. Meaning there shouldn’t be any sign of our old friends Duckworth and Lewis for this match-up and we should get a full twenty overs per side.

Match Odds

Two very evenly matched sides should in theory throw up odds of close to [2.0] the pair. For that reason I’d be more than tempted to take the Deccan Chargers at around the [2.2] mark. Although both teams’ recent fortunes suggest that it won’t be as one sided as when they met earlier in the tournament and Deccan won extremely comfortably.

Sachin Tendulkar has been so influential with the bat in the majority of Mumbai’s victory’s that if he is dismissed early on I’d be tempted to top up on Deccan. Conversely, if he gets himself set and scoring runs I’d be looking to get out of any back of Deccan, or at worst, minimise losses.

Top Batsman

The Mumbai Indians’ run scoring has largely centred around two men throughout this tournament. The influential ‘Little Master’, Sachin Tendulkar who has been a pillar of consistency and provided platforms for match winning totals to be built upon. And on the rare occasions that he has slipped up, South African JP Duminy has stepped into fill the void, high scoring with 59 against the Kings XI Punjab and with a tournament average of 46.5. I wouldn’t be looking any further than these two men to carry my money in this market.

The tournament also began as a bit of a double act for the Deccan Chargers with the bat, as Herschelle Gibbs and Adam Gilchrist were the ones to consistently make the scoreboard tick. However they do have a bit more strength in depth; Rohit Sharma, Tirumalsetti Suman and Dwayne Smith have all added substantial runs to the cause when called upon. A speculative punt on Suman here at anything around the [7.0], or bigger, mark looks to be a good value wager.

Featured Market

Jayasuriya and Tendulkar have been naturally cautious in starting off their innings throughout the tournament, where as Gibbs and Gilchrist will be keen not to give away an early wicket as they have done in recent matches. For that reason I’d be looking at ‘Under 7runs’ in the ‘First Over Runs’ market regardless of which side are put in to bat first.

Jaymes Monte says: Back ‘Under 7 runs’ in the ‘First Over Runs’ market at anything bigger than [1.7]

As the cricketing world is gripped with the IPL, the likes of Andrew Strauss, James Anderson and Shivnarine Chanderrpaul will be in their favourite habitat that is Test cricket as the first Test at Lord’s kicks off on Wednesday, reports Ed Hawkins.

From one extreme to the other. Players and punters alike will switch attention from the Indian Premier League to five-day Test match cricket on Wednesday when England and West Indies meet in the first Test at Lord’s.

No 20-over slugfest, strategy breaks or dancing girls. Just a clip off the legs for two, a lunch and tea break and MCC members dozing in the afternoon. It sounds pretty good to me, particularly when you factor in the potential for value; England are [2.20], West Indies [7.20] and the draw [2.40].

Despite Twenty20 being at the other end of the spectrum to Test matches, it is hard to see how it will not have an affect on the outcome of this first Test of two. Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, arrived just two days before the start of the match after his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in South Africa while Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood used the competition to ‘warm-up’ for the series.

Neither coach is happy. West Indies’ John Dyson has criticised Gayle’s late arrival while new England supreme Andy Flower reckons that his trio are “underprepared”, particularly Collingwood who proved to be so good at carrying the drinks for the Delhi Daredevils that they made him do it permanently.

It would be no bad thing if the IPL stars on show – Windies paceman Fidel Edwards was also involved but arrived here on May 1 – did play as if they have left their brains back in South Africa because Lord’s desperately needs a result to restore its credibility as a venue.
Six straight stalemates at the home of the game does little for the image of the five-day game when it is most under threat. Thankfully, we should get one, though and it is down to another shift in culture.

Just as the IPL and Tests matches are different beasts, so is batting with the Caribbean sun blazing on your back as opposed to a chilly southwesterly jabbing you in the kidneys on a chilly May morning in north London.

West Indies’ players have struggled on tour so far having been introduced to something called the swinging ball. They crashed to a 10-wicket defeat against the England Lions, which followed on from being bowled out for 146 against Essex.

It is all a far cry from when the sides met in the West Indies in the spring. Then the ball steadfastly refused to swing for England’s bowlers, who have not taken 20 wickets in a Test since August.

But rather like sailors denied shore leave, they will surely (this is not a tongue twister) take advantage at Headquarters when the ball starts to dip for the earliest Test staged there.
Admittedly, the omens do not look good for an England side who are again without the injured Andrew Flintoff (wonder where he picked up his latest niggle?) and since 2000 have won four of the nine first Tests of the summer with three coming against no-hopers Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

Still, when they wander through the Lord’s gates they should get a good vibe. Although the draw has been king, England have absolutely dominated and can claim to have been denied crucial match-winning time by the weather in five of those stalemates.

Crucially, there is no rain forecast for any of the first four days so there is ample time to forge a winning position before darker clouds arrive on the final day.

If backing England is too much of a stretch, you will not go far wrong by expecting plenty of runs from the England batsmen. In the last seven Tests at this venue that they have batted first, England have five times score 500 or more. There is profit to be made on the innings runs markets. In an immature market they are [1.61] for 425 runs or more.

Other value lies, as ever, in the top first-innings runscorer markets. To take our lead from Flower we should forget Bopara, Pietersen and the drinks waiter and instead plump for Andrew Strauss. In sterling form for Middlesex – he whacked a magnificent ton against Leicestershire in double quick time – Strauss is [4.00] for honours and averages 60 at Lord’s.

For West Indies, and to ram home the point that the IPL and Tests are worlds apart, Shiv Chanderpaul – top-scored on his last two visits – and Brendan Nash have the techniques to flourish. The next five days will all be about blocking, rather than Bollywood blockbusters.

It’s been an inconsistant start so far for the reigning champions the Rajasthan Royals who now face the Kings Punjab XI, captained by Yuvraj Singh. Side with the consistency, says TQ…

Team News

It doesn’t get much tighter than Kings XI Punjab’s last encounter. A scrambled single off the final ball was enough to see them home and that may well turn out to be the biggest win of their campaign. Coming after a truly dreadful defeat to Bangalore Royal Challengers, they made a few personnel changes and also an alteration to their batting order. Sunny Sohal came in for Goel and after a quick fire 25 expect him to retain his place in an otherwise unchanged line-up.
Defending champions Rajasthan Royals have had a far from enjoyable time this year.

But with the games coming so thick and fast you can turn it around just as easily. Just like the Kings XI, Rajasthan are coming off a scrambled win. At 3/3 in their last game you would have given them little to no chance of a victory but they showed tremendous resilience. The mainstay of that was from an unlikely source in Lee Carseldine and he will retain his place and the only person I can see being replaced is ineffectual opener Asnodkar. Teams have worked him out this year and he isn’t having the same impact he had last time around.

Venue, pitch and conditions

Once again we are off to Durban for back to back games and with this being the opening game of the two we will have to trust that previous conditions will be repeated. We have seen some big scores at this Kingsmead track through the tournament, although the last couple of games have struggled to see scores of over 140. Expect good batting conditions for this encounter and you should find whoever wins the toss will elect to bat first.

Match Odds

Kings XI Punjab will be slight favourites for this match and on form you would have to say they will be the team supported in the run up to the match. You can’t trust Warne’s troops to produce on a regular basis so on that alone the only bet you can get involved in prior to the game is to back Kings XI Punjab.

Other markets

Kings XI definitely have a lot of big hitters in their armoury and couple that with Rajasthan Royals seemingly endless run of poor starts it would be a surprise to me if the Kings XI didn’t make more of the opening six overs. Check this market out and try and try and get something around the [1.75] mark.

TQ says: Back Kings XI Punjab to beat Rajasthan Royals at [1.8]

At the off the the Kolkata Knight Riders looked a formidable side loaded with top order big-hitters but they have been a huge disappointment so far and things are unlikely to get any easier against the Delhi Daredevils, says TQ.

Team News

The Delhi Daredevils are a winning side with a lot going for them and as such they have not been prone to many team changes thus far. That is up until their last game when they were comprehensively beaten by Chennai. Will that plant seeds of doubt in the Delhi minds or will they get back to winning ways? Collingwood and Shah have been forced to watch this from the sidelines and how they wish they could have played against Chennai. Captain Gambhir will go back to his winning line-up with Vettori coming back to bolster the bowling.

Kolkata Knight Riders are a team in desperate trouble and it is difficult to see what they can do to make things any better. They packed the top order with stars and they failed to produce. Chris Gayle was hailed as the man to rock this tournament but he has been slightly hampered by injury and not hit the spots. He is now on his way to play for the West Indies so expect the only change to be him being replaced by Mendis.

Venue, pitch and conditions

This is the second game in Durban on Tuesday and for a precise guide to conditions it would certainly pay to watch the Kings XI Punjab v Rajasthan Royals game prior to this. The last time we had back to back games here both games were surprisingly low scoring. I don’t expect the same this time with scores expected in excess of 150 with the conditions expected.
Match Odds

There is no doubt that the Daredevils are going to start favourites for this match and rightly so. The question you have to ask yourself is: does the [1.7] about the Daredevils look just a little too short? The Knight Riders came into this event with plenty of promise but they have yet to deliver on that. However, could this be the day when all that changes?

Other markets

Using the first match on this pitch as a guide, you may want to get involved in the Innings Runs market. The market will form once the toss has been made and just glancing back at previous matches the second match often follows very similarly to the first. Assuming there is nothing out of the ordinary in the first game take a punt on the same innings runs bracket in this match.

TQ says: Back Delhi Daredevils to beat Kolkata Knight Riders at [1.7]

As the England Test team deal with injuries, captaincy and coaching issues the England Lions look an energetic and talented bunch who have just thrashed the West Indies, says Frank Gregan.

The English cricketing authorities have come in for a lot of stick of late. The powers that be have had to endure the “guilt by association” accusation that was levelled at them when Sir Allen Stanford’s hand was trapped in the till and Giles Clark looked as gullible as a Brit on the Algarve that has discovered three symbols the same on a timeshare scratch card!

They then had to handle the disaster that was the Pietersen and Moores spat which left the English dressing room with morale lower than a limbo dancer’s buns. The English players trudged out to the middle in the Caribbean during the recent series against the West Indies looking like galley slaves heading for another day at the office!

The role of the selectors is to find a winning combination because no matter what is happening in the wings, as long as the stage performance is sound, nothing else matters. Winning is everything in sport and the selectors have to do everything in their power to put a side out there that is balanced, talented and hungry for success. And would you believe it – they’ve finally managed to do so!

A rampant England spanked a near full test strength West Indian side at the County Ground in Derby last week. There was an eight wicket haul for a twenty year old medium pace bowler, four wickets and a knock of 72 from a twenty one year old all rounder and five catches by our wicket keeper who also added an impressive 117 runs during his one visit to the crease.

Sadly, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid and Tim Ambrose, the three players who produced those figures will not be involved in the first match of a two test series against the West Indies that gets underway on Wednesday at Lords because it was the England Lions who were impressive last week and not the high-earning centrally-contracted under achievers who are currently basking in the glory of a One Day Series win in the Caribbean gained with all the skill of a lottery jackpot winner!

In the best tradition of the Office’s David Brent and his clichés, the selectors should now be ‘thinking outside the box,’ “embracing the opportunity’ and ’seizing the moment’. In a nutshell, they should be putting out the same team that battered the Windies last week and saying to Strauss and crew, “you want to play in the Ashes you’ll have to wait until this team produces the kind of form that you lot have been showing for the better part of a year!”

It won’t happen of course and there is every chance that England will win this series, not because they are any good but because the Windies look to be more punch drunk than Ricky Hatton! Their preparation for this series has been awful with two of their star players – Fidel Edwards and Chris Gayle - staying in South Africa with the IPL until the last possible moment before joining the squad. Added to that during their four innings on this tour so far they have failed to reach 250 three times suggesting that they are there for the taking.

They have not won a test series against one of the other members of the “big eight” on foreign soil since 1995 which was the year that Newcastle had that massive points lead at Christmas in the Premier League, Bon Jovi were topping the charts with “Always” and cricket loving John Major was Prime Minister. That is a long time ago and if they have anything about them they must realise this is a great opportunity to lay that ghost to rest.

But the Windies are famous for their laid back approach and Coach John Dyson sees nothing in their preparation to cause concern. That attitude should cost them dearly but England being as poor as they are, they may well let them off the hook. It’s [1.74] to back England for a series win, [3.15] for the draw and [7] on Chris Gayle and his men being victorious.

Tough call – the [1.74] about England, given the current state of the West Indies side looks value, England have held firm at that price and not shortened despite the defeat that the Lions inflicted on the opposition. Still, this is the England cricket team and I can’t bring myself to back them at odds on so I’ll be laying them. If it were the Lions however………

Two of the most fearsome opening partnerships of the IPL lock horns in today’s match at East London with the likes of Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Heschelle Gibbs on show and it should prove to be a cracker, says Mandeep Dhanoa.

These two heavyweight teams meet in a mouth-watering clash on Monday. Can Chennai narrow the gap, and help secure a spot in the top four?

Team News

Both teams are becoming increasingly settled when it comes to finding the right balance in their eleven The importance of the match should result in both teams playing close to their perceived strongest line ups. Chennai will continue with the prolific Hayden and Raina and know they can rely on some lower order big-hitters such as Dhoni and Oram. Murali will as ever play a vital role, particularly if Chennai can bat first.

Deccan will look to their star opening partnership to continue their great starts. Rohit Sharma continues to impress, as do some of the more unknown young Indian players such as Tirumalsetti Suman. Look for Dwayne Smith to play an important role with bat and ball. Ojha and RP Singh will be looking to continue their excellent performances so far in this tournament.
Venue, pitch and conditions

This match will be only the second at East London. This beautiful and picturesque venue held the recent match between the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Mumbai Indians. In that match the aggressive pairing of Jayasuriya and Tendulkar struggled to score at over a run a ball, and only a superb late rally from JP Duminy helped the team to post a target of 149. Chasing proved to be difficult, and only two players from Kolkata made any significant contributions.

So the middle order could be crucial here, and I believe Dhoni’s batting could be the key here today. Together with the sensational Raina and the improved Badrinath, I give Chennai the edge. As ever Murali will be extremely difficult to play, particularly in the second innings.
The ground itself is on the small side, which will help the six hitters. This is an area where both teams thrive. Whilst the likes of Gibbs, Gilchrist, Sharma and Dwayne Smith are all capable of smashing the ball out of the park for the Chargers, so are Hayden, Raina, Dhoni and Oram for the Super Kings. Gilchrist is top of the IPL Most Sixes table with 13, closely followed by Suresh Raina.

Match Odds

The market likes Chennai, and gives them a slight edge. Currently you can back Chennai to win at [1.83]. Part of the reason Chennai are often favoured is the reliability of Matthew Hayden. He so rarely fails and always has a superb strike rate. This means he regularly provides a trading opportunity. Hayden has stated in interviews this season that his objective is to make use of the first 6 over fielding restrictions and try and hit over the top.

However Deccan themselves arguably have an even better opening pair. Gilchrist and Gibbs can demolish an attack on their own. With both performing well, the left hand right hand combination is formidable.

The difference may well in the middle order when pace is taken off the ball. Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina are both sensational young talents, and have had an impressisve tournament so far. Dhoni however has an acute ability to assess the conditions, pitch and opposition, and adapt his game accordingly. He can play a support/anchor role, or be the one to attack the bowling. Deccan’s top order must perform if they are to win. Chennai can afford some failures and still have a good batting performance. [1.83] may at first seem a tad short, as these teams are very closely matched, but in the grand scheme of things is the one that represents the value.

Top Batsman

Today’s match has so many options to choose from. With RP Singh bowling so well, Hayden may find his bullying approach more difficult. Dhoni is due a big score, and he would be my selection. For Deccan, the first 6 overs provide the best opportunity as Murali will begin his spell in the seventh over. Gibbs is the man for me today.

Featured Market

With such aggressive opening partnerships, backing over 9 runs in the “first Over Runs” market at [3.15] seems a good bet. Hayden alone hit 10 in his last match, and the Deccan openers hit with similar desire.

Mandeep Dhanoa says: Back Chennai Super Kings at [1.83].

They were bottom of the pile last year but a new captain in the form of Adam Gilchrist, experienced heads such as Andrew Symonds and Herschelle Gibbs and plenty of young, energetic Indian talent could well be the surprise package of the tournament, says Scott Ferguson.

The secret of T20 betting is finding value in the outsiders. Last year’s winners were the longshot of the tournament, and this year that mantle is taken by the Deccan Chargers!

Disappointing last season, winning just two of 14 matches after a lacklustre start only got worse, the Chargers are primed to sneak under the radar with their wealth of talent. To dispel the demons of 2008, team management have sacked the bland beige uniforms and brought in a striking new blue combination.

Adam Gilchrist takes over the reins as captain this time around and is far better suited to this game than the dour VVS Laxman, who is threatening not to play over petty politics. No great loss, there’s no room for blockers in this comp. Darren Lehmann takes over as coach and he is one shrewd cookie. This should provide stronger, more decisive leadership with more creative field settings.

If there is one player that T20 cricket was created for, it’s the big-hitting Gilchrist. Free from the strains of a demanding schedule, the well-rested Gilchrist enters the fray fresh in mind and thorough in preparation. Herschelle Gibbs did little in last year’s IPL but on home soil, and on the back of some good form against Australia, he is the key man.

The wise heads of Gilchrist, Symonds, Gibbs, Vaas and Styris form a solid base for the Chargers but remember only four internationals can play at once. Australian all-rounder Ryan Harris sneaks in as uncapped player, exciting local talent Rohit Sharma was one of the finds of last year’s tournament, and RP Singh continues to impress for India. Venugopal Rao and Pragyan Ojha provide good depth, and watch for the explosive batting of DR Teja at the top of the order.

Every IPL franchise will face disruption from international schedules, Deccan’s travellers balance out with Andrew Symonds missing the early games to play for Australia against Pakistan in Dubai, then Fidel Edwards will join the West Indies squad on the tour of England about halfway through. Dwayne Smith has been overlooked in recent matches for the West Indies, so If Aussie Ryan Harris can squeeze into the team, watch out, he is a very handy, albeit relatively unknown all-rounder.

The all-rounder roles in T20 cricket are vital. Sharma, Smith and Styris have been in good touch in the lead-up matches, while Rao, Silva and Teja are others who are more than handy with both bat and ball. Depth of bowling options makes a big difference for Gilchrist – if he has several to choose from, one bowler having an off-day is not disastrous. Slow trundlers who land the ball on the spot play a key role in this form of the game.

South African conditions in April/May are much more suitable for the Deccan seamers. Vaas, Zoysa, RP Singh and Styris will have a mixture of sea breezes and humidity to work their magic in, while the express pace of Fidel Edwards can either be a game-breaker or very expensive. The Chargers don’t have a great deal of depth with the ball, but if their front-line fires, they’ll match it with any side. The problem will lie in getting the team balance right – Gilchrist and Gibbs will almost certainly play each game (at least while Symonds is away), Edwards is only in town for a few games so he’s a lock for those, thus it’s drawing straws for Vaas, Zoysa, Smith, Silva and Harris for that remaining bowling spot. Pragyan Ojha will be the leading spin option.

Some say the lack of domestic stars for Hyderabad is a weakness. Several of their local players coming through the ranks went to the rival ICL competition. But the Chargers have several players on the fringe of playing for India, at a time when the big names are in the twilight of their careers. It’s an ideal time for the fringe players to strut their stuff on the big stage, just before the World Twenty20 tournament. With the import rules restricting selection to only four foreigners per match, it will be up to the local guys to thrust their name in front of the selectors with big performances.

Write off Deccan at your peril, they are the team I’ll be cheering this year.

Can Bangalore continue their resurgence on one of the world’s best batting surfaces?

Team news

With Kevin Pietersen returned to England and the experiment of Robin Uthappa at keeper consigned to history, Bangalore seem a happier and more balanced outfit. Witness their fine win over King’s Xi. Jacques Kallis and the reinstated Mark Boucher, who always had an uncomfortable relationship with KP, should shine under the leadership of Anil Kumble. Rahul Dravid remains on paternity leave and no-one seems to know when he will be back. “Soon,” said Kumble. For Mumbai, Graham Napier should hold onto his place despite a disappointing effort with the bat on debut against Kolkata.

Venue, pitch conditions

The Wanderers is one of the best batting surfaces in the world and the 320 match runs line could well be busted. West Indies and South Africa shared more than 410 runs in the World Twenty20 opener there. The average first-innings score in the last 12 (Standard Bank and World Twenty20) matches is a whopping 171. The forecast showers dampen the enthusiasm, however, for a chunky match-runs wager.

Match odds

Bangalore and Mumbai have a win apiece on the head-to-heads. The first victory went to Bangalore by five wickets before Mumbai enjoyed revenge in thumping fashion, strolling to a nine-wicket victory. Understandably given the respective records in IPL2 – Bangalore have won three from seven and Mumbai three from six – it is Sachin Tendulkar’s side who are favourites at [1.66]. With the Little Master leading such a powerful batting line-up it is hard to see how Mumbai will be denied in a contest which will be decided by who hits it longest, hardest and most often.

Top batsmen

On such a flat wicket, it is the strokemakers who should come to the fore. Forget the nudges and nurdlers. Men with solid top-bat credentials are Jesse Ryder for Bangalore and Sanatha Jayasuriya for Mumbai. Ryder’s bully-boy style is perfect for such a surface, Jayasuriya made 61 and 88 against New Zealand and Kenya respectively at Jo’burg in the World Twenty20. Of the two, Jayasuriya is the bet because Ryder’s confidence may have slumped after a poor run. The Sri Lankan top-scored against Bangalore in IPL2.

Featured market

In that first match of the World Twenty20 between West Indies and South Africa, there were 18 sixes. Chris Gayle hit 11 of them.