Although it doesn’t receive the same level of media coverage as the exploits of the England national cricket team in international test matches (at least outside of England), County cricket is a very big deal to fans of the sport. This is the cricket equivalent of Premier League football, and is what most fans of the sport watch – and put bets on – throughout the majority of the year. Things are gearing up for the new season now, with the fixture schedule having been released, and the bookies odds are also now available for those interested in betting on the winner.

Last season’s champions Durham are unsurprisingly listed amongst the favourites again for the 2014 title – but they are not the hot favourites ahead of the season. At the moment Warwickshire, at 5/1, have that status with bookmakers. They will have England batsman Jonathan Trott back in the fold, following his recent illness, and certainly have an impressive record in this competition. 2013 was a somewhat disappointing season for them, as they finished fourth in the Division One table, but with seven previous titles it is likely that they or Durham will attract a lot of the gambling – at least amongst those who don’t decide to play The Umpire Strikes Back instead.

The notion of cricket fans choosing to go to a site like GamingClub.com/au to play a slots game instead of the winners of the County Championship would have seemed ridiculous a few years ago, but games like this one are huge these days. This particular slot, complete with cartoon umpire and Star Wars pun, is a lot of fun for any cricket fan. It is also very cheap to game on, as you can bet with a deposit as small as $0.10 a time. This entitles you to play for a jackpot of $10,000, as well as the chance to play the various cricket themed game bonuses, all of which makes it at least as attractive as betting on county cricket – and less likely to be interrupted by rain!

Thanks for reading.

I don't think the current display of England should be surprising anyone. And the ones who cited England as favourites for the Ashes definitely forgot which team they were talking about. I feel the biggest reasons for England's losses, always, are selection and the lack of desire for winning.

Moving on, I really like Finn's recent interview, in which he appeared confident.

It's tough for me to leave the tour, I'm upset I'm leaving the tour because I want to be helping England win games of cricket... but I do feel that it's best if I go home now.

I am nowhere near as far away as some people have been suggesting in the press. In terms of the technical things, they are not massive things.

I definitely believe the media is inaccurate on this occasion. I have hardly seen any English bowler bowl as consistently as Steven Finn. In his last one-day, Finn ended up with figures 2/43 with only Tredwell taking more wickets than him-3. Finn did not feature in any game on this tour and it has been heard that there is something wrong with his bowling action.

Check out betting at william hill online!

I feel England need to support their players more, what with Jonathan Trott returning and Graeme Swann retiring. This is not the first time such incidents have happened in English cricket. We have often heard the England dressing room is not a happy place to be.

I'm also against the opinion that Kevin Pietersen's best is behind him, because the man is 33, has scored more than 8000 runs, his Test average in 2013 is close to 52. We have seen KP mature as the years have gone by and he definitely lends psychological advantage to the England team and power to the English batting line-up.

I hope KP will not take premature retirement like Graeme Swann and many other cricketers and I hope to see Steven Finn back in the team soon. On that note, this is me, Sanya signing off. Take care.

Jonathan Trott has responded to Australia coach Darren Lehmann's recent jibe that England were "dour" in their 3-0 Ashes victory this summer in exactly the right way.

Lehmann branded some of England's play in their comfortable home victory as "dour", while he also claimed his side had "made inroads" into Trott's mind ahead of the return Ashes down under, which begins with the first Test in Brisbane on November 21.

Lehmann appeared to be suggesting the England star's below-par batting displays were down to his side being able to nullify him and work him out at the crease and not as a result of the Warwickshire man's own mistakes.

Several cricket betting pundits believe there is no disputing the fact that the 32-year-old was one of the big let-downs for England, in a series that otherwise will be remembered for one in which the home side got the job done in a professional manner, as opposed to a spectacular and dramatic win like back in 2005.

Trott only managed an average of 29.30 during the recent Ashes series, but says he has been working hard on improving and will be ready to face the Aussie attack again at The Gabba next month, a fixture for which England are the favourites in the cricket betting odds.

"When you don't score runs people like to think they've worked you out, but sometimes that's cricket, things just don't go your way," he said. "I've been working really hard to put a few things right technically and work things out and make sure I get to Australia playing really well."

Trott was also asked recently about the early comments coming out of the Australian camp as they continue to lick their wounds following another Ashes defeat in England and, while refusing to enter into anything remotely approaching mind-games, his riposte was perfectly judged and will no doubt have wound Lehmann and co up somewhat.

He said: "I'd take another dour 3-0 in Australia. I know Australians are a confident bunch of guys, but they've lost the Ashes series and they are making comments already.

"That's just the Australian way, that's how they are - I think we go about our cricket a little bit differently."
The words of a confident man who, while admitting on one hand he needs to improve personally, knows a 3-0 win for his team does very much speak for itself.

Image by Rae Allen. 

Ian Bell's superb 113 in the fourth Test at Durham was his stand-out moment so far of an increasingly impressive Ashes series for the batsman.

So, surely now it's time the Warwickshire star is heralded as one of England's most important players by Ashes betting pundits? Because if he doesn't get the praise now, he never will.

Bell has had to endure plenty of stick - some of it wholly unjustified - as he has risen up the ranks and he is now finally looked upon as a mainstay in Andy Flower's side as they aim to continue their push to win the Ashes outright once again.

His consistent performances this summer - Bell has now joined an elite list of men who have managed three centuries in the Ashes - means he has a very real chance of being named 'Man of the Series' and his knock in Chester-le-Street may well end up swinging the fourth Test England's way.

His crucial intervention was all the more impressive coming as it did when the usual go-to men, like Kevin Pietersen, skipper Alastair Cook or Jonathan Trott, were struggling with their own games and not looking like providing the much-needed inspiration.

Basically, England badly needed someone to step up to the plate and Bell was the man who came forward to enhance his somewhat unjustified reputation as a workmanlike batsman rather than one of the star turns.

Bell may not be quite like a Jimmy Anderson, Pietersen, or Stuart Broad and is unlikely to ever be a player who will generate the headlines regularly, but his quiet self-assuredness and consistent high scoring certainly means you cannot ignore him.

Just ask the Aussies that. But he also deserves more acclaim from cricket fans after proving he is, after all, the man for the big occasion and one England will look to rely on when the chips our down again in the future.

England vs Pakistan 2nd Test: 25-29 January
Abu Dhabi: England finished Day 2 at 207/5. England clearly looked the better team of the two, bowling Pakistan out for 257. They were in a commanding position, thanks to run machines Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott, who have both been breaking records since the Ashes down under began. This was their 6th hundred run partnership. Jonathan Trott is also the highest run getter for England in Tests with no sixes. These two took England to 166/1. Trott made 74 while Cook fell 6 runs short of a century. Trott's dismissal was Rehman's brilliant mind on display. Trott tried to defend it in the way he defended previous deliveries, but this one spun. The day had a perfect ending for Pakistan - Morgan's wicket, who never looked comfortable. Ian Bell is still out there, while Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Strauss went cheaply. It should be noted that poor batting has cost England matches, time and again. In the previous Test as well, England were bundled out for 192 and 160.

The referral system has been an interesting and funny topic ever since it was implemented. It was very funny, when at first, Cook's catch was dropped, and a while later, the Pakistanis appealed for lbw, with all their heart, to no avail. They could not review since they had none remaining. It wasn't out anyway, but they were going crazy because they were thinking, "If, only if we hadn't wasted our reviews earlier, oh we would have Cook out of our way."

The funniest thing about the DRS is umpire's call, it makes sure that there is no use of the system, except for making the players think more, wait and waste more time. I wonder if it has been brought to improve the decision-making of cricketers. In the event I just mentioned, the impact was outside, but the technology showed it as umpire's call. So, while the decision would have stayed not out, even if Pakistan would have reviewed it, it would have been given out had the on-field umpire made a mistake. On numerous occasions in the series so far, we have seen umpire's call to be the culprit. According to it, even if 10% of the ball is on the other side, it is umpire's call. As if the ball is made of cardboard and the whole ball touches the pad. What I suggest is that if the seam is inside, it should be given out, otherwise not out.

I'm sure Pakistan would be the first team to be in favour of scrapping this system. They have had 10 unsuccessful and just 1 successful review. It was no different today as they were left scratching their heads at every lbw shout. They didn't review when Trott was plumb lbw and reviewed twice when you just wouldn't believe they went for it!

One change that I would like to see in this England side is Steven Finn replacing Monty Panesar. Monty isn't so bad, despite being hit for, 5 sixes I think, he still bowled well. But, England just doesn't look ideal with Monty in the side. On the other hand, Finn is the best bowler in the country. The man has 50 wickets in 12 matches, with an average of 26.92 and a strike rate of 41.4, what more could you ask for? Among bowlers who have taken 50 or more wickets, he has the 5th best bowling strike rate, in the history of the game. The top four are Dale Steyn (4), Shane Bond (3), John Ferris (2) and George Lohmann (1).

Catch the action live at 6 am GMT. Until next time, take care. Cheers.

Other posts:
Not The Most Conservative Sport Anymore?
A true legend within cricket: Shane Warne
England must address sub-continent flaws
England blistered by Pakistan 3-0; Kevin Pietersen...

England have named James Anderson in their squad for the third npower Test against Sri Lanka at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.

The Lancashire paceman, who missed the draw at Lord’s after picking up a side strain in the first Test at Cardiff,  is the sports betting favourite to return to the side at the expense of Middlesex fast bowler Steven Finn.

Anderson, the leader of England’s attack, will shore up the bowling options at captain Andrew Strauss’ disposal after a wayward display at the home of cricket. The bowling attack offered plenty of height, but with the slope causing problems, the bowlers were wayward and not as aggressive as first thought which helped Sri Lanka bat out the Test for a draw. Strauss’ decision to declare when he did was seen to be too conservative against a side who were without injured captain Tillakaratne Dilshan in the second innings.

This Test is significant for England, not just because it’s the first five-day game held at Hampshire’s home ground, but certain players need to show signs of form heading into the biggest series of the summer against India.

That starts with the captain and opening batsmen Strauss, who has struggled for runs in this series so far. Much has been said about Kevin Pietersen’s flaws against left-arm spin but Strauss, who has looked a little off the pace at the top of the order, is also having trouble with left-arm seamers which was also apparent during the tour of Australia.

Strauss’ form needs to show an upturn soon as fellow opener Alastair Cook continues to pile on the runs and re-write the record books. To say his place in the England side was up for debate heading into the Ashes, his transformation is astounding. His minor criticism is the way he scores runs and after been named England one-day captain, Cook will need to go up the gears and score at a faster rate if he is to succeed.

Jonathan Trott and Ian Bell have cemented their places within the side during the last 12 months and the Test at Lord’s was significant for Pietersen, who looked like he had returned to for with a textbook 72 in the second innings. If England are to become the best side in the world, they need KP to fire and score runs quickly.

Matt Prior, fresh from windowgate, needs a better game after his patience was tested thanks to some wayward bowling down the leg-side from the England bowlers and to add insult to injury, his run out in the second innings as he tried to move the score along.

The bowling attack is up for debate as Stuart Broad’s wicket-taking ability seems to have dried up. Finn looks to be the bowler sacrificed for the returning Anderson, but should he after taking wickets at Lord’s. Chris Tremlett and Graeme Swann will continue to make up the four-man attack.

Sri Lanka fought hard and were put under enormous pressure when batting out 58 overs following their 82 all out in the first Test – a result that looked so unlikely sports bets punters were offered odds of 100-1 on a win for either side at one point. The tourists will rely on Kumar Sangakarra, who is set to captain the side as Dilshan’s inclusion looks unlikely as he continues to nurse a broken thumb.

Day 3 proved to be England's day self-evidently as the runs galore. Run machines Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott carried their winter form into the summer. It was a privilege to watch them pile runs with ease. The Sri Lankan bowlers not only struggled, but had no options, no plans left. Sri Lanka's opening bowler, Lakmal wasn't effective, in fact, he was probably practising his bowling. This is his third Test by the way.

Cook and Trott were unstoppable. Let me remind you, Cook was the highest run scorer (with a whopping average of 127.66!) in England's Ashes victory down under. But, Trott wasn't too far behind, as only Hussey & Cook preceded him. These two just won't give their wicket away. They don't just stay on the field and wait for the runs. They are no Kevin Pietersen, but the stylish Cook knows how to maneuver the field and make the opposition surrender. He may not play attacking shots as often as he can, but announces his supremacy by dictating the terms. There were some shots which no one ran after - as they were out of reach the moment they left his blade.

You might be interested in knowing that the 26-year-old 'Chef' has now scored 17 hundreds for England. He is possibly on his way to scoring most hundreds for England, as he is at No.10 on the list. Cowdrey, Hammond and Boycott are all at the top, with 22 centuries. From the current lot, Andrew Strauss has scored 19 tons, while Kevin Pietersen has exactly as many as Cook.

The play has just begun on Day 4, three and a half hours after the scheduled start, England are 292/2. I hope you are enjoying it as much as me. Bye for now!

Read Captain's Diary 2008: A Season of Tests, Turmoil and Twenty20 by Ricky Ponting here.

Related posts:

• England vs Sri Lanka 1st Test - England relieved as their favourite formant returns
• India finally get their man; England keep theirs
• New Flower deal could mean missed tours 
• The end of an era?

It was a record breaking day at the Gabba. Alastair Cook continued from his overnight score of 132* and scored his first double hundred. Till his 173 against Bangladesh, he used to get out soon after completing his ton but when he got out against Bangladesh, he was in distraught. Alastair Cook is liked by most. England have wanted him to be the permanent opener. He has never been dropped in Tests. He is the king on flat pitches and his concentration is hard to match. In this Test, he stayed on the field for 1705 minutes (over 28 hours), 1302 runs, 402.1 overs. Whoa! Not many players must have spent so much time on the field in a match. In England's 1st innings, it took him 168 balls to score 67, when he got out, England were 197 and were bowled out for 260. He stayed on the field for Australia's 481. Opened in England's innings, England declared on 517/1. And lastly, stayed on the field for Australia's 107/1. Alastair Cook's 235* is the 2nd highest by an Englishman in the last 30 years.

When Strauss declared, I didn't think he did the right thing. The pitch was flat and he posed a target of 297 in 40+ overs. But England's attitude assured me that from no way would England lose from such a situation. Throughout the Test, England did well, whether they were fielding, batting or bowling. Though 260 in the 1st innings was below par, a catch was dropped, overthrows were given during Australia's 2nd innings. England have certainly never been so good in Australia. They dominated the warm-ups, bowled superbly and came back after being 200-odd behind. Though the pitch should take most of the credit. Strauss, Cook (235*) and Trott (135*), Ponting (51* off 43) cashed in.

Man of the Match: Alastair Cook

You would rarely see such a Test where: the pitch helps bowling in the start and slowly becomes flat, one team rattles behind by 221, then declares at 517/1. By the way, this was only the 6th time in history when a team reached 500 with only one wicket down. The instances of 500/1 are listed below.

• West Indies against Pakistan, 1958
• Australia against West Indies, 1965
• Sri Lanka against India, 1997
• Sri Lanka against Zimbabwe, 2004
• South Africa against Bangladesh, 2008
• England against Australia, 2010

But these kinds of records don't help the team much. It may help in managing to draw but usually, when one team scores so many, so does the other, unless it's a minnow side.

The 2nd Ashes Test starts on December 3 at Adelaide Oval at 00:00 GMT. Until next time, take care. Cheers.

Related posts:

• England on top as Ashes about to roll
• Ashes 2010 gets underaway: England thumped on Day 1
• England fights back on Day 2: The game is on! 
• Aleem Dar and Hussey leave England wrecked
• Centurians Cook, Strauss and flat pitch get England out of trouble

Cricket has been spoiled by match fixing over the years and Saturday was one such day. A while after Day 3's play, police turned up at the team hotel for investigation. Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif have been accused of spot-fixing (getting paid to ball no-balls) and it is alleged that Salman Butt and Kamran Akmal are also involved. The cricketing fraternity is in shock and many former cricketers call for a life ban for those found guilty. Many cricketers have been accused of match fixing but I reckon there must have been other times too, when a player indulged in match fixing. Some are caught, some escape. Somehow Pakistanis are caught much more than others. They have been rather foolish to have a bag full of cash in their rooms after bowling no-balls intentionally. Amir rarely bowls a no-ball and this time he bowled an enormous no-ball. Rameez Raja and the former coach of Pakistan, Geoff Lawson are worried about Amir. They don't think he should be banned because he is an 18 year old from a village and oozing with talent. He is guilty. 18 year olds do have their mind. Pakistanis have been bringing embarrassment to their country and cricket. If they cannot be ethical, they must be punished so that their future generations don't think that they can get away with something like this. It's surprising how cricketers don't think of their team or country and indulge in something so unethical. Gibbs, Kapil Dev, Shane Warne, other Indian, South African and not to forget Pakistani cricketers have been proved guilty but most continued to play. Pakistan's Rashid Latif had written a letter to ICC warning them of spot-fixing going on. Enough action has not been taken on this issue in the past.

The staff of News Of The World, a British tabloid newspaper, published every Sunday, posed as front men for Far East gambling cartel and fooled Majhar Majeed, the man who bribed Amir and Asif. Majeed manages the contracts, sponsorships, marketing of the Pakistan cricket team. He revealed a lot of things about the Pakistani team including that the Pakistani cricketers wanted Butt as captain and they "wanted to lose anyway". Some other sources revealed that Shahid Afridi wanted the cricketers to stay away from Majeed and match fixing and most of the Pakistani cricketers were unhappy with this.

Strauss pointed out that the mood in the dressing room was not good after the news broke to England cricketers. Also, they now fear that this Test might be taken off record books. This was Pakistan's heaviest Test defeat, by an innings and 225 runs. Let me remind you that Stuart Broad and Jonathan Trott shared a record breaking 332 run partnership in this Test. Although there is no need to take this Test off the record books, I don't think England cricketers should worry about this at all. Even if it is taken off the books, it will stay in the minds of the cricketers and the fans. But taking this off the books would be unfair to the England team, who did their hard work. There have been many matches in which match fixing has taken place but they were not taken off the books. Notably, Pakistanis fixed the 1999 World Cup final against Australia. Should the cup be taken away from Aussies? And the Lord's Test was not fixed, Pakistanis did not indulge in match fixing but only spot-fixing this time.

On Sunday, the talk was less about England's win and much more about this controversy. Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar will make a comeback to the team as the Twenty20 and ODIs begin. Pakistan's cricketers are so controversial, you name one, you have lots of controversies in your mind. Hopefully, things will settle down when the 1st Twenty20 takes place on Sunday, September 5th at Cardiff.

England vs Pakistan 4th Test: 26-30 August (If Pakistan lasts)
Day 2 and Day 3
England tumbled to 47/5 and later 102/7 before Broad and Trott shared a historic partnership. Records were broken as Broad and Trott put 332 for the 8th wicket. Stuart Broad played the hero as he broke his previous highest Test score of 67* and went on to make 169. He fell 4 runs short of Ian Smith's 173, the highest by a No.9 batsman. Chris Broad and Stuart Broad are the first father and son pair to hit a century for England in Tests. Broad and Trott surpassed the world record of the highest partnership for the 8th wicket, earlier held by Saqlain Mushtaq and Wasim Akram (313). Broad and Trott now hold the record for the highest partnership for any wicket, for England vs Pakistan. If someone would have told me before the Test that Stuart Broad is going to hit a century, I would have laughed out loud. Words are not enough to describe how stunning both of them were. It didn't seem like they can ever get out. Yes, we have seen 300-621 runs partnerships but so many wickets don't fall before and after the partnership. From Pakistan's point of view, it was terrible to let the opposition score 446 after having the match in their hands with England struggling at 102/7. In my post, Cook shines at Oval but not enough for England, I had criticised Trott and I've criticised Broad many times, including my post England look to finish series on a high as Ashes word war starts. And I stand by my comments, I do not think I was wrong. In my last post, I had praised Trott for being positive at the start of this innings but he was the culprit at Oval.

England bowlers (except Finn) especially Broad, usually don't bowl enough at the stumps but on Day 3, they were superb. 5 of the 10 wickets in the 1st innings of Pakistan were taken as lbw or bowled. All of them were impressive. James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn, Graeme Swann fetched 1, 2, 3 and 4 wickets respectively. The controversies were endless. Salman Butt complained to the leg umpire about Finn (bowling at that time) and England's fielders chirping. But the umpire didn't intervene and the complaint didn't shut up England's fielders of Finn, who chirped on the very next ball. I think the aggression and chirping of a fast bowler are a part of the game and should not be discouraged. Umar Akmal complained about not being able to pick Finn as his hand went above the sidescreen. Later, Finn bowled Umar Akmal with a yorker. We have seen batsmen having a problem in picking Flintoff for the same reason. Notably, Kallis has been a victim of this, getting out lbw and bowled to Flintoff. Pakistan were very frustrated. England have unleashed the weakness of Mohd. Yousuf, who averages 52.95 in Tests. Yousuf got out in the same fashion in the 2nd innings at Oval, the 1st in this Test (bowled by Broad) and way back in the 2003 World Cup when Jimmy, then a youngster, just at the start of his career, bowled him with a full delivery. Jimmy did the same at Oval and bowled the same delivery to Yousuf when he first arrived at the crease in the 2nd innings in this Test. Yousuf survived it but did not last long.

In this Test, the review system actually helped to overturn the bad decisions of the on-field umpires. First, it saved Cook, which I mentioned in my last post. Then, Broad was out, lbw, way ahead but it struck him low, Pakistan reviewed and that's how the partnership was broken. Then, Amir was out off Finn in the 1st innings, on the second ball that Amir played, full toss, on his pads. England reviewed and it was given out, rightly so.
Pakistan finished Day 3 at 41/4 following on, after being all out for a modest 74. This is the third time in the series when they have been routed for less than a 100 runs. Pity. It may not make that much of a difference but Malik must replace Farhat. Even though rain almost washed Day 1, this Test will probably finish on Day 4.
Until next time, take care. Cheers!

My apologies for a late post. The Day started with my top 2 crushes Jimmy Anderson and vice captain Alastair Cook batting though they didn't last long. Though Anderson struck a four like batsmen, he must be enjoying batting with his batting buddy. Cook and Smith didn't score runs in both the innings. Bumble said that he heard England will play Cook in all 4 Tests no matter what. I was surprised to hear that he is the vice captain. England were in a good position until Kevin Pietersen ran alone. You never know whats gonna happen with this guy. His life is like a movie. Read his wikipedia page. England were 172/3 before he got out. I actually thought England can win it from here. Trott was at his usual best, 55 off 152. Wonder why he scores runs at a low strike rate in South Africa. Mickey Arthur, South Africa's coach, said during the Test that he heard his players saying, "Hey Trott. How are you, Trotty?" and one of the South African fast bowlers had lunch with him. No wonder he doesn't appreciate all this. Fat ass. Trott made 69 off 212 balls. Swann left England at 218/9 with 19 balls left to survive. At that time I thought, whether Onions will play the next match or not, will be decided now as Sidey is a better batsman than him. But he survived 12 deliveries. I loved Swann's Man Of The Match speech, "I was just telling the guys that we are keeping Test cricket alive single-handedly." I think they remembered the Cardiff Test as much as me.