BetUK Blog

England’s pathetic batting display at Edgbaston yesterday in the third Test against South Africa showed they are a team with such low morale that major changes are needed. A team can just about accommodate one batsman struggling for form, but not two, and it was no surprise to see Paul Collingwood struggling so painfully. He has been in dreadful form all summer and this laboured innings of 45 minutes for just four runs betrayed his lack of confidence.

Collingwood’s torment was on show for all to see. He faced 22 balls, and made one scoring stroke - he will have to produce something really special in the second innings to avoid being dropped for the final Test at The Oval.

Remember you can bet on the match in-running here at BetUK.

It seems like ages since South Africa won the second Test to go 1-0 up in the four-match series. In the days since, England have had plenty of time to think about what went wrong and how they can turn things around, but against a confident team, that is not going to be easy. It all depends which England team shows up today in Birmingham.

However, it should not be forgotten by bettors that England are a hard side to beat at home. They have lost only two of their last 17 home series - a pretty good record. That record is the reason why South Africa have on their last three visits to England taken the lead in each series and failed to hold onto any of them.

It is also the reason why England captain Michael Vaughan will not be too perturbed to be 1-0 down, especially as today’s game takes place at Edgbaston, a fortress for the hosts with four wins out of the last five.

One thing looks certain: as only two of the last 13 Tests at Edgbaston have been draws it looks certain that we will get a result. The weather is not bad enough to cause consternation, either with a bit of rain forecast for days one and two. So, yes, we will get a result and it could just be an England win.

Check out the odds here on BetUK for today’s game.

If there were any nervous Chelsea fans out there worried that new boss ‘Big’ Phil Scolari would be bullied by Man United’s Sir Alex Ferguson, any fears were put to rest this week as he responded confidently to Fergy’s claim the Chelsea squad are past it.

It hasn’t taken long for Luiz Felipe Scolari to prove that he’s more than a match for Sir Alex Ferguson when it comes to the mind games.

Fergie had his first go at winding up the new Chelsea manager last week by claiming that the Stamford Bridge squad was too old to make rapid progress (while quietly ignoring the fact that the average age of the two teams was, at just over 28, exactly the same). Scolari let that roll off like water from the proverbial duck’s back – and has now come back with some talk of his own.

The Brazilian reckons his squad are good enough to win all four of the major trophies they will contest this season (English Premier League, Carling Cup, FA Cup and Champions League) and has set that as a target.

If you think Chelsea are going to win the Premiership in 2008/2009 why not bet on it at BetUK.

Will Aidan O’Brien continue his plunder of British Group One races tomorrow at Ascot? Whereas most experts expect Duke of Marmalade, O’Brien’s hot 5/6 favourite, to make it four Group Ones in a row in the King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes, there is very solid confidence over in Ireland that stable mate Macarthur (14/1 with BetUK) will run a huge race. Macarthur is already a course and distance winner this season, having won the Hardwicke Stakes at Royal Ascot. So, unlike Duke of Marmalade, he is guaranteed to get the trip.

The presence of Locarno is a major plus too. Locarno won a soft race at Newmarket 15 days ago in which Ryan Moore had a nightmare ride on Papal Bull. But Locarno is certain to ensure the field goes a good gallop, as a mile-and-a-half is his minimum trip. That will give Macarthur a good lead. He can sit in Lucarno’s slip stream and then be the first to kick for home turning into the straight. If that all goes according to plan he will be a cracking bet to be in the first three.

England have drifted to 14/1 on BetUK to win the Test series against South Africa after losing the second Test by ten wickets. Michael Vaughan’s men were bowled out for 327, closely avoiding the innings defeat that had been priced at 4/6 on Sunday and leaving the tourists needing only nine runs to secure victory and a 1-0 series lead.

South Africa took just seven balls to reach their target and they are now 2/7 favourites to win the four-match series and just 4/1 with BetUK to win 3-0. That will look like a huge price if they smash England at Edgbaston next week.

England just got whipped by South Africa in the Second Test by 10 wickets. It was a fully deserved victory for the Proteas, who won virtually every session in the Test. England will name their squad for the third Test at Edgbaston - which starts on Wednesday week - on Saturday and it would be a surprise if a couple of new names didn’t appear on the team sheet. England have to go back to four bowlers with Andrew “Freddie” Flintoff as one of them. If they do that, they have a chance of squaring the series in Birmingham as it is their most successful ground.

As the second round draws to a close at The Open at Royal Birkdale, the story of the day remains former champion Greg Norman. Norman, who won The Open in 1986 and 1993, holed long putts at the 17th and 18th holes to post his second consecutive round of par 70 to finish 2nd on the leaderboard.

But punters clearly doubt the likelihood of the Australian sustaining his form over the weekend. He lies only 9th on BetUK’s in-running Outright Winner market at 20/1.

KJ Choi is the current favourite after shooting 67 on the second day to top the leaderboard. Jim Furyk is the current second favourite at 9/1. The American, who finished fourth when the Open was staged at Birkdale ten years ago, shot a one over par 71 to finish at 142 for the championship. He is currently three shots of the lead.

Though conditions were an improvement on yesterday’s rain soaked first round, players were unable to adopt an aggressive approach to the course, something which is reflected in the top score being just one under par.

After a deeply unsatisfying draw between England and South Africa at Lord’s the teams now go to Headingley in Leeds on Friday for the Second Test. If Test cricket is all about momentum, which it often seems to be, you would have to favour the tourists to take that match.

It should not be forgotten that South Africa showed tremendous mental resolve to hold on for a draw at Lord’s today. They are certainly the happier camp and England looked a weary bunch at the end. It was notable that Paul Collingwood had to take the new ball because the pacemen were too knackered. They have been in the field for three days - a heavy toll which could come to bear with the sides meeting again in back-to-back Tests. Still, they will have some chap called Flintoff (who has just replaced Chris Tremlett in the 12) to fire them up at Leeds which should inject some excitement into the series.

You can bet on the series at BetUK.

Lord’s may be the traditional headquarters of cricket and England’s most famous ground, but when it comes to matches against South Africa, the tourists simply love it there and it is no surprise that they are favourites to win the opening match in the four-game series, which is to be played there, starting tomorrow.

The South Africans have won the last three Tests they have played at Lord’s, and with a talented, experienced side, they are an understandably short price to take an early lead in the series.

BetUK make them 8/5 to come out on top, while England are a big price for a home Test at 7/2, with the draw the favourite at 6/5.That is probably due to a pretty dodgy weather forecast, but South Africa, in addition to their record at Lord’s, will be confident because they have won eight and lost just two of their past 12 Tests.

One thing to note is the margin of the three victories at Lord’s. They are huge – one by an innings, one by 356 runs and the other by 10 wickets. Perhaps the venue inspires them, as it does so many visiting teams, but whatever it is, it works. England look up against it here.