There’s now less than two months to go until the start of yet another Ashes series, and with the England squad now named, I thought I would have a look at the cricket betting odds for the top English bowler.
The name and the odds that immediately jumped out at me, was that of Boyd Rankin. Until the start of the recent ODI series against Australia, I would imagine Rankin would have only been an outside bet for a place on the tour.
Such was the performances of Rankin against Australia, he hasn’t only played his way into the squad, he may well have played his way into the starting XI. With this in mind, I think the 8/1 on Rankin being top English bowler looks a half decent price.
A quick look at some of the other runners and riders tells me that the pitches probably won’t suit Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar won’t play unless there are injuries, and Ben Stokes will only play if England need to change tactics to get a result, so in theory he will only have a realistic chance of playing one to two Test matches.
Chris Tremlett is probably behind Rankin in the pecking order, leaving Steven Finn and Rankin vying for the final Test place. Steven Finn’s form hasn’t been great, but he does have Ashes experience down under. That said, I can still see Rankin possibly getting the nod ahead of Finn for the 1st Test.
That just leaves two smallish spanners in the works, in the shape of Anderson and Broad.
Jimmy Anderson seemed to struggle after the 2nd Test last summer, I don’t know whether he lost some of his edge, was fatigued, or was just a bit out of form. I know Anderson had a successful tour last time down under, but on the whole he hasn’t had his most successful times overseas, and the conditions aren’t going to be tailor made for him in Australia.
And finally Stuart Broad, who I think is the more in form of the two bowlers. The pitches will suit Broad, and he looked in reasonable rhythm at the end of the last Ashes series. He could also thrive under the expected pressure he looks likely to be put under. So I certainly wouldn’t rule Broad out of being top English bowler.
Personally, I wouldn’t be backing Anderson or Swann at their current prices, and while I think Broad could be the top performer, he is only 3/1. It would be some achievement for Rankin to be the top wicket taker, and just to clarify (as I don’t like giving tips), I’m not saying I think he will definitely be top the English bowler, I’m just commenting that he looks decent value at 8/1, and that I am going to have a bit of it.
Ashes Betting – Top English Bowler
James Anderson 2/1
Stuart Broad 3/1
Graeme Swann 3/1
Steven Finn 6/1
Chris Tremlett 8/1
Boyd Rankin 8/1
Ben Stokes 20/1
Monty Panesar 20/1
A small hint….. if you open a William Hill account, you are entitled to a £25.00 Free Bet. This free bet could then be used for series bets like top bowler, or top batsmen, etc. These sort of bets are more ‘bit of interest bets’ to me, so free bets are ideal to use for them.
