England Cricket Blog

Cook targets 50-over success

Posted: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 by Celia in

Alastair Cook has made it clear England will be going all out to win their first ever Champions Trophy title when the tournament gets underway this summer. The hosts have never won the 50-over ICC event in six attempts, but Cook has admitted he is confident England could end that run in this summer’s competition.

Cook’s side face a tough test if they are going to triumph, coming up against Group A opponents Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka to reach the knockout stages. As well as looking to taste success for the first time in the Champions Trophy, Cook has also targeted victory the 2015 World Cup.

"We haven't won an ICC fifty-over event, so that's certainly a priority here. We have the ICC Champions Trophy this year under our home conditions, which we hope to make the most of,” admitted Cook.

"Then, in two years time, the World Cup - and we haven't won that either. They're two big tournaments coming up. If we keep developing like we have done, then we'll certainly have the team to have a chance of winning those tournaments."

While England’s one-day form has been inconsistent over the past few years, there is no doubt that they are still extremely capable of winning these tournaments. Having the Champions Trophy on home soil gives England a great chance to finally win a 50-over tournament.

Winning the 2010 World T20 showed that England have the ability to win a major tournament despite falling short so many times before, and having home advantage will give the hosts as good a chance as ever to add another trophy to their one-day collection.

Don’t forget to head over to bet365 for all the latest cricket betting news , odds, advice and expert opinion, as well as their latest in-play bet offer.

Finn ready for challenge ahead

Posted: Monday, April 22, 2013 by Celia in Labels: Ashes, Australia, England, new zealand, Steven Finn

Steven Finn is excited ahead of a "huge year" of international cricket which sees England host the Champions Trophy and take on Australia in back-to-back Ashes series.

Finn had injury problems in India before Christmas but played a full part in the tour of New Zealand and is expected to be a key member of England's attack in The Ashes this summer.

The 24-year-old, who has taken 80 wickets in 20 Tests, has turned out for Middlesex at Lord's this week, his first appearance of the season.

He hit the ground running with 4-51 from 26 overs in Derbyshire's first innings. Punters may want to use their free bet to back Finn to top the wicket taking charts this summer.

Finn will be hoping to pick up a few more wickets before New Zealand arrive for a two-Test series next month, the start of a 12-month international calendar which includes the 2014 Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh.

"The next 12 months doesn't get any bigger, really. It's a huge year for us in both Test and one-day cricket. I really can't wait for it to start," the fast bowler told The Independent.

Finn said he was happy with how the winter went on a personal level, particularly his performances at the T20 World Cup where he was England's leading wicket-taker.

"I think I bowled well and kept the runs tight which is important. I was slightly disappointed not to play more of a part in India, to get injured before and after that one Test I played was disappointing. But I felt I got my rhythm back in the one-day series over there and then the New Zealand trip, as a whole, was also a success," he added.

Despite enjoying a good winter, Finn will face competition for his England place from the likes of Chris Tremlett and Graham Onions. Consistency will be the key for Finn during an action-packed summer.

Possible KP Absence blows Ashes Series Wide Open

Posted: Wednesday, March 20, 2013 by Celia in Labels: Ashes, Australia, county cricket, Cricket, England, indian premier league, Kevin Pietersen, new zealand

England’s hopes of winning another Ashes series on home soil are under threat after batsman, Kevin Pietersen, was ruled out of the spring competition with a right knee injury.

Pietersen, England’s talismanic number four, suffered the hurt during preparations for his side’s third and final Test with New Zealand, which begins on Thursday.

The 32-year-old is expected to be out for six to eight weeks, miss the Indian Premier League, and the start of the country cricket championship – an absence that could have a detrimental effect on his game heading into the international summer.

With England set to play a home series against the Kiwis before facing Australia, Pietersen will target that 16 May deadline as the date for his recovery.

However, there is still concern from cricket betting news outlets that he won’t be fit to face Australia later in the summer: a predicament that could leave England short in the batting order.

For Pietersen is the only real batsman England can rely upon to claw back a match-saving haul other than captain, Alastair Cook. Granted, Ian Bell, Jonathan Trott, and potentially Joe Root are solid at the crease but they lack that flair and persistence that make great batsmen stand out in Ashes series.

Cook proved it last time out against Australia with three centuries, while Pietersen managed a 227 haul in Adelaide the same series.

If England are to scalp an average yet improving Australian bowling attack they need Pietersen in their order. Root is a good number six but neither he nor Jonny Bairstow are strong and experienced enough to take up a more important role up the order.

Hopefully, KP will quickly recover from this injury and be back in the England set-up without a problem, but there will remain a lingering doubt in the minds of fans claiming their in-play bet offer regarding his fitness heading into a major summer of Test cricket.

Kevin Pietersen: The hero?

Posted: Monday, March 18, 2013 by jimmymycrushie in Labels: Ashes 2005, England cricket, Kevin Pietersen

Kevin Pietersen may be a brat, but he has transformed cricket. For good. There are many a cricket fans whose life was never the same following Ashes 2005. Here is the story of one such person.

As a young child, my main sporting passion was football. I was obsessed with that small team
from the north called Manchester United. But come the summer of 2005, it all changed. Some
of my family already loved cricket and so got me watching that series. What a series it was, I was
encapsulated by the magic of the Ashes. The talent of players like Andrew Flintoff, Michael Vaughan,
Shane Warne and Glen McGrath impressed me beyond belief. However, no one caught my attention
more than the tall, young and flamboyant Kevin Pietersen. His presence at the crease and his
attacking shot play ensured I was glued to the TV screens and radios.

His last innings at the Oval in the last test where he scored 158 was simply outstanding. His shot
selection was out of this world and I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t really watched cricket before this
point. I don’t know what it was about him - maybe it was his entertaining and perhaps show pony
style that enabled my small interest in cricket to expand and really become what it is today.

England went on to win the Ashes and I was able to celebrate as an excited little ten year old. It was
my first cricket series and I think I picked the right one! Since then I have been to many different
cricket grounds and experienced many incredible innings but nothing stands out as much as Kevin
Pietersens innings at Hove. Since the Ashes of 2005, Kevin Pietersen has remained my favourite
player and I have followed him closely since. It hasn’t all been sweet glory- the captain antics with
Peter Moore were quite upsetting and his dips in form and twitter outbursts have been hard to take
and accept. But in the summer of 2010, I was able to watch him bat at Hove.

Kevin was playing for Surrey against Sussex and he produced a stunning century. It included
beautiful fours and splendid sixes. He even hit a six to get up to 50 and then again to get 100.

Because of the Ashes and Kevin Pietersen, I became a major cricket fanatic and therefore I must
thank them. I am now writing about cricket for a couple of websites and on my own blog
The Witty Cricketer, in the hope to become a sports journalist in the future. So thank you Kevin!

David Pope, 17, is a huge Sussex supporter who enjoys being a member at the Hove county ground every summer. David has been playing cricket for a few different teams over the last few years and thoroughly enjoys playing! He considers himself to be a medium-paced bowler with the best figures being 4-38 and he prefers not to talk about his batting.

If you would like to compare betting sites to place bets in the on-going England tour of New Zealand, visit mybettingsites.co.uk.

Buttler Impresses Despite England Loss

Posted: Thursday, February 7, 2013 by Celia in Labels: Cricket, England, hamish rutherford, Johny Bairstow, Jos Butler, new zealand, Samit Patel, Stuart Broad

England’s efforts to gain form ahead of their T20 series with New Zealand this February have suffered a minor blow after falling to defeat on the last ball of the game against an NZ XI on Wednesday.

Although England set their counterparts a tricky 170 to win after 20 overs, Tom Latham steered New Zealand XI towards the line with a resplendent 64, surviving four partnerships before Matt Henry hit the winnings runs on the final delivery.

A defeat is the worst preparation for England’s tour of New Zealand, which gets properly underway in the three-match T20 series this weekend, but one positive note can be taken from the defeat.

For Jos Butler recorded his second-successive half-century to put England in complete control in Whangarei, the 22-year-old smashing 52 form 36 balls from sixth man.

Butler’s performance – which supported the England innings after Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow earlier fell for four and two respectively – kept England in the tie and his 87-run partnership with Eoin Morgan (who also totalled 51) was a real positive on the day.

What England lacked was a strong bowling attack capable of taking down Latham after Samit Patel took Hamish Rutherford 58 runs in. Despite Stuart Broad taking a hat-trick the day before, the captain’s team-mates failed to live up to his level and Broad’s 3-24 on Wednesday proved too late to stop New Zealand.

With a win, a loss, and an abandonment the result of three practice matches, England head into this T20 series in inconsistent form. They do have an outlet to win games, however, which will please fans indulging in England betting with Michael Vaughan – for Butler and Morgan appear a genuine middle-order partnership, while Broad’s presence in the attack makes any batting side vulnerable to a quick collapse.

Bairstow’s Breakthrough Test Season

Posted: Tuesday, January 8, 2013 by Celia in Labels: Andrew Strauss, ECB, England, England vs Pakistan, England vs Sri Lanka, Johny Bairstow, Kevin Pietersen

The 2012 cricket season witnessed the devolution and evolution of England’s international sides within a rollercoaster 12-month period. From below-par performances against Pakistan and Sri Lanka to a respectable victory over West Indies in the spring, collapse and humbling to the might of South Africa to redemption on Indian soil, 2012 had it all.

England lost its captain but cemented a new leader in the history books when Alastair Cook not only took over from Andrew Strauss but proved the country’s greatest ever centurion, while Kevin Pietersen finally smoothed over the cracks in his relationship with the ECB.

Throughout all this, however, there has been a player slowly plying his trade and quietly gaining experience on the Test front. Jonny Bairstow is not yet a household name but 2012 has proven a fruitful year for the 23-year-old, who made his Test debut against West Indies at Lord’s after impressing for county side, Yorkshire.

The right-hander struggled to impress the Betfair Cricket pundits in his first three Test appearances but a stunning 95 and 54 against South Africa at Lord’s in August propelled the youngster into genuine middle-order contention. Scoring 149 over two innings against the world number one Test side is an achievement many seasoned sixth-men would boast of but Bairstow quite calmly took the tally in his stride.

His performance earned him a reserve role in the squad that toured India with great success and, although Bairstow made just nine from his one innings in Mumbai, his willingness to wear the helmet in the field earned his side three wickets off spin deliveries.

Overall, Bairstow has had a low-key debut season in the England whites but nevertheless a solid one. After all the turmoil that surrounded the side this year, it is pleasing to know there are youngsters still able progress up the ranks and earn Test caps, for experience at this level over the 2012 season will seriously improve the international side’s standing in the England betting odds.

Follow by Email

Writer & Editor

Categories

Blog Archive

We endorse

Blogs we read

Followers

Labels