Sports Blog 10/09/2015: Cricket Preview – England vs Australia 2nd ODI, Friday 11th September 2015

England breathed new life into this series with a dominant win in the 3rd ODI at Old Trafford. Eoin Morgan’s men stormed to a 93 run victory, with James Taylor making his maiden ODI century.

With Australia suffering key injuries to the likes of David Warner and Shane Watson, England know they are right back in the series. Despite their success at Old Trafford our traders make England slight underdogs for Headingley, with the supremacy market priced at Australia over England 0-10. England are currently priced at 11/4 to win the series for those who fancy Morgan’s men to complete a remarkable turnaround.



It was the diminutive Taylor who was the bedrock of England’s total of 300 at Old Trafford. The Nottinghamshire batsmen came in at number 3 and guided his team to a challenging total with a composed century. It was an innings similar to those once played by Jonathan Trott in the same role for England, only now England are equipped with the big hitters to capitalise on such solid contributions. Taylor will be desperate to cement a place in the side, with the resting Joe Root a certainty to replace one of the batsmen when he is once again available. Our traders quote Taylor player performance at 41-46, and make him 4/1 co-favourite of 4 to top score for England. Taylor Super Mega Runs are quoted at 47-52, where his runs scored from 50-100 count double, and any runs scored beyond 100 count treble! His Old Trafford innings made up 153, delighting his supporters.

Jonny Bairstow has been called into the squad to replace the struggling Jos Buttler, who has been given a much-needed break from the game. Buttler started the summer as one of the most exciting players available to England but has massively disappointed in all formats, and the returning Bairstow will know he has a chance to cement a place in the line-up. Bairstow player performance is of interest given his scoring potential both as a batsman and wicketkeeper, and our traders have him quoted at 41-46. With 25pts per stumping any buyers will be hoping England continue to select the spinning tandem of Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali to lure some Aussies down the track.



Another multi-skilled relative newcomer to the England setup is all-rounder David Willey. With a move to county champions Yorkshire sealed for next season Willey will be full of beans, and his blend of left-arm pace bowling and monster ball-striking make him a perfect fit for this new era of English cricket. Off the back of his magnificent hundred in the t20 quarter-finals, Willey should be given the opportunity to express himself at international level. Willey player performance is quoted at 42-47, and with his potential to contribute with both bat and ball this may well be of significant interest. For those who fancy a repeat of his batting heroics this season with Northants Willey is priced at 25/1 to top score for England.

The Australians looked jaded in Manchester and need to summon up one last effort to get over the line in this series. After the disappointment of their Ashes defeat the Aussies desperately need to restore some pride in this ODI series, particularly given their standing as reigning world champions. Captain Steve Smith will be particularly determined to get a series win under his belt, and he will once again be the prized wicket for England’s bowlers. Smith has been Australia’s top scorer in the series so far, and our traders see no reason why he shouldn’t continue to be amongst the runs, quoting his player performance at 51-56, and installing him as the 3/1 favourite to top score for his team. Smith Super Mega Runs are quoted at 54-60, which could look cheap if Smith gets a start. As we have seen already this summer, Smith is certainly not averse to a long stay at the crease.



The only player with a higher player performance quote than skipper Smith is Glenn Maxwell. The Big Show is one of the most exciting players in the world game, who knows what he’ll do next? Maxwell has been more of a threat with the ball than the bat this series so far, but that could all change with one big innings. Maxwell player performance is quoted at 55-60, a clear sign of how dangerous he can be with both bat and ball. With total sixes quoted at 9.25-10 buyers will be hoping Maxwell spends plenty of time at the crease. Australia Joy of Six, a market which awards 25pts per 6 hit by Maxwell , Smith and Aaron Finch is pitched at 62-70.

One of Australia’s brightest prospects for the rebuilding process is undoubtedly Pat Cummins. Already one of the quickest bowlers in world cricket, Cummins is the leading wicket taker in this series with 8 so far, and his raw pace has certainly rattled the England batsmen. Cummins player performance quote is 43-48, the same quote as fellow paceman Mitchell Starc. Given Starc’s phenomenal World Cup performance one would expect him to lead the Aussie limited overs attack for years, but it appears that Cummins may well have already usurped the left-hander as the leader of the pack.

It’s an early start at Leeds tomorrow, with the toss scheduled for 10am. With a full range of spread and fixed odds markets traded in-running, stick with Spreadex for the best of the action. Will Morgan’s men level the series and set up a 5th and final ODI, or will the Aussies quell the English uprising and take the series 3-1? It’s all set-up for a cracker, let battle commence!