Twenty20 World Cup 2009 - Part Three - Player Match bets

This article was originally meant to be a single page, but I couldn't help myself - value is all over the place and I'm finding more and more every time I check the updated odds! Get on quickly before the bookies chop their prices!

Boylesports have a good history of providing us with some excellent value, and I am intrigued by their match bets for the T20 World Cup. Also, I will begin to use the reputed Cricketbetlive.com in my articles - being specialists in cork and willow, they offer some good side markets, often with value plays. In addition to our previous bets, I have found the following which should not be scoffed at...

Top Tournament Captain - Graeme Smith and Kumar Sangakkarra stand out in this market. They fit the desired criteria - Smith will open the batting for South Africa, and Sangakkarra will bat in the top four for Sri Lanka. I fancy both teams to reach at least the semi-finals, giving each captain five potential matches to score runs. Both played in the IPL, although neither scored heavily. In fact, this is perhaps a 'lesser of all evils' selection in dutching both players at odds of 3.08 with Cricketbetlive.com - Dhoni is likely to bat at no. 6 and not get many opportunities; Ponting has been on the decline and is patchy at best in this format; Gayle is likely to lead West Indies out at the first round. Younis Khan is the other lively contender in this market but I'll take Sangakkarra over Khan at slightly better odds.


Ryder vs McCullum - a stand-out bet, Jesse 'fell off the wagon in South Africa' Ryder was woeful in the IPL. Initially tipped by many to be a success story this season, he flopped abysmally and was dropped by Bangalore Royal Challengers after repeated failures. However, Brendon McCullum - after a terrible start - began to pick up some outstanding form for his Kolkata Shite Riders towards the end of the tournament, which he has carried over into the warm-up games. 1.85 is a cracking price on the match bet, McCullum seems to have been reinvigorated with some gritty determination and he should beat the wayward Ryder comfortably enough. Both players should open the batting for New Zealand although Ryder may drop down to 3 at some point.


Haddin vs Ponting - a classic name of odds being based on reputation; Haddin may be a prize James Blunt (am I allowed to say that?!) behind the stumps as he has a notorious reputation for pushing the boundaries of fairness in the field, but the fact is that his form has been impressive as an opener in the limited overs format in the past year, whereas Ponting has been poor by his own standards in the same time frame. Haddin realistically should be favourite here, but we can tuck in at odds-against.


Bopara vs Jayasuriya - although the current form of these two players is contrasting to say the least, class is permanent and the evergreen Sanath Jayasuriya should be backed in this market. Despite a prolonged lean trot, Jayasuriya just needs one innings to gather some momentum, and I expect Sri Lanka to progress significantly beyond England, potentially giving Jayasuriya a one or two game advantage.


Symonds vs Gayle - both players have hit some semblance of recent form, and Boylesports can't pick them apart. The compromise here is that Gayle will open the batting whereas Symonds will bat 4 or 5, but Symonds' Australia are likely to leave Gayle's West Indies lagging behind in the group phases, potentially giving Symonds a minimum of a two game advantage. As Symonds' form in the latter stages of the IPL was encouraging, I'm quite happy to take him to outscore Gayle, particularly as I'm confident that West Indies will be going home earlier than Australia.


Johnson vs Anderson - Mitchell Johnson is probably the most improved bowler in world cricket over the last 12 months, and has taken a heap of wickets in the warm-up matches. His naturally slingy action means that he is more inclined to take wickets with swinging yorkers, and his pace means that he has a clear advantage over Jimmy Anderson. Johnson is simply a much better bowler than Anderson and must be taken here - Johnson has a fair shout of finishing the tournament in the top few wicket-takers, so long as Australia reach the semi-finals.


Botha vs Swann - the idea of bookies selecting match bets is that they would select two players on a level playing field. Well, in my opinion, Boylesports have got this market all wrong. Swann is an improved player, but lacks T20 experience and didn't play in the IPL. Furthermore, it would be a shock if South Africa did not play at least one more game than England, and given England's propensity to bowl all sorts of part-time bowlers at odd times, it would not be unsurprising to see Swann fall short of his full allotment of overs in at least a couple of matches. Botha is a banker for four overs each time, and - with due respect to Swann - he should be in a match bet with the likes of Harbhajan Singh.

NJ's Bets:

Graeme Smith top tournament run-scorer captain - 2.25pts @ 5.5 (Cricketbetlive.com)

Kumar Sangakkarra top tournament run-scorer captain - 1.75pts @ 7.0 (Cricketbetlive.com)

McCullum to score more runs than Ryder - 4pts @ 1.85 (Cricketbetlive.com)

Haddin to score more runs than Ponting - 3pts @ 2.1 (Cricketbetlive.com)

Jayasuriya to score more runs than Bopara - 3pts @ 2.05 (Boylesports )

Symonds to score more runs than Gayle - 3pts @ 1.87 (Boylesports )

Johnson to take more wickets than Anderson - 5pts @ 1.73 (Boylesports )

NJ