SPORT/BET: Weekend predictions
Murphy's Law was well in place last week as the first time I backed India they had one of their off days that I have been expecting. They were never going to recover from 35-5 in their first ODI against South Africa, although to get to 249 and make a game of it shows they can be dangerous. So what to do tonight? Nothing has changed my mind - I don't expect lightning to strike twice and India at 1.85 is a reasonable bet.
The first cricket test between England and Pakistan had more swings than the neighbourhood park. Yes, I expected England to win comfortably, but at 64-1 so did nearly everybody else judging by England's price of 1.08. I had a guaranteed profit before the start of the last day and had decided not to get involved - and a missed opportunity with 20/20 hindsight. A collapse that even the West Indies would be proud of followed and Pakistan snatched an unlikely victory. Good on them, the only downer is can their groundsmen now prepare dustbowls for the remainder of the series to guarantee them a series win? With the second test starting tomorrow, there hasn't been enough time - and with the teams unable to score more than 450 on a good batting pitch at Multan I'm struggling to see how this can be anything other than a result even with the shortened daylight hours. Rule No.1 in cricket betting - when you're unsure of a winner, lay the draw. Although I'll probably lay Pakistan as well to some extent as I still think the teams are relatively even and there should not be the price difference between them. The second game will be a test of Shoaib Ahktar's fitness - we'll see how much work he has been doing over the last couple of months.
The game that I've given most thought to is the All Blacks against England. While probably not a smart bet, I'm prepared to back the ABs with a points start of 15.5 at evens. The key to the game is not how well the ABs play, but what England do. If they gain a slight advantage in possession, and more importantly hang onto the ball and don't turn it over too often, the game will be close and I'll kiss my bet goodbye. However, if they don't bring their A game it could get ugly - the ABs are most dangerous in broken play situations when their opposition don't have time to set up their defence, so if they are turning the ball over and/or the ABs are making turnovers, a 15-20 point win is on the cards. P.S. I've yet to check the weather - that could have an influence and I'll do so before betting.
Can the Great Britain rugby league team get up once more, win against the Kangaroos and set up a repeat of last year's Tri-Nations final? The head says no, but who knows what outside influences are at work and let us not forget the referee is the same plonker who refereed the two Kiwi Kangaroo games. Anything could happen. One to watch for the first few minutes before deciding what to do.
The first cricket test between England and Pakistan had more swings than the neighbourhood park. Yes, I expected England to win comfortably, but at 64-1 so did nearly everybody else judging by England's price of 1.08. I had a guaranteed profit before the start of the last day and had decided not to get involved - and a missed opportunity with 20/20 hindsight. A collapse that even the West Indies would be proud of followed and Pakistan snatched an unlikely victory. Good on them, the only downer is can their groundsmen now prepare dustbowls for the remainder of the series to guarantee them a series win? With the second test starting tomorrow, there hasn't been enough time - and with the teams unable to score more than 450 on a good batting pitch at Multan I'm struggling to see how this can be anything other than a result even with the shortened daylight hours. Rule No.1 in cricket betting - when you're unsure of a winner, lay the draw. Although I'll probably lay Pakistan as well to some extent as I still think the teams are relatively even and there should not be the price difference between them. The second game will be a test of Shoaib Ahktar's fitness - we'll see how much work he has been doing over the last couple of months.
The game that I've given most thought to is the All Blacks against England. While probably not a smart bet, I'm prepared to back the ABs with a points start of 15.5 at evens. The key to the game is not how well the ABs play, but what England do. If they gain a slight advantage in possession, and more importantly hang onto the ball and don't turn it over too often, the game will be close and I'll kiss my bet goodbye. However, if they don't bring their A game it could get ugly - the ABs are most dangerous in broken play situations when their opposition don't have time to set up their defence, so if they are turning the ball over and/or the ABs are making turnovers, a 15-20 point win is on the cards. P.S. I've yet to check the weather - that could have an influence and I'll do so before betting.
Can the Great Britain rugby league team get up once more, win against the Kangaroos and set up a repeat of last year's Tri-Nations final? The head says no, but who knows what outside influences are at work and let us not forget the referee is the same plonker who refereed the two Kiwi Kangaroo games. Anything could happen. One to watch for the first few minutes before deciding what to do.
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posted by Rob Crawford at 7:55 AM
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