08 Feb 07Cricket- Australia V England ODI Final Series Betting
The ODI Finals Series gets underway with the first match of the best-of-three finals at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday between Australia $1.16 and surprise finalist England $5.50.
England bounced back from an ordinary Ashes tour with victory in their final two games to secure a birth at the expense of New Zealand.
A 92 run victory over Australia on Friday followed by a 14 run success over New Zealand at the Gabba on Tuesday has England chomping at the bit to have another crack at the World Champions.
Australia has rushed Shane Watson back into the one-day team replacing the injured Andrew Symonds. Watson has missed the entire summer after tearing a hamstring on the eve of the first Ashes Test.
His timely recall gives him the opportunity to cement a spot in the middle order ahead of next months World Cup.
Australia has beaten England in three of their four ODI clashes this summer.
A host of selected bet types are available during the finals series with Live Betting available on 1800 898 008 throughout the first match and final series The second final is at the SCG on Sunday while the third game will be played at the Adelaide Oval next Tuesday if required.
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22 Dec 06Warne Confirms Retirement
SHANE Warne confirmed his retirement from first class cricket in Australia at a press conference at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
The 37 year old leg spinner said, "I'm going to announce my retirement from international cricket, domestic cricket, Victoria and Saint Kilda as well,"
Warne added that he would honour the remaining two years of his contract with English club side Hampshire who he has captained for the past two seasons.
"It's been unbelievable. My ride in international cricket has been phenomenal and I don't think I could have written my script any better,"
"I thought I'd be sad and a lot of people have said you'll know when your time's up, you'll know when the time's right and I sort of doubted that, I didn't really understand what they meant. And I sit in here in front of you today and I know exactly what they mean."
Warne was a content man acknowledging he still had something to offer as a player but that his time had come.
The champion leggie also acknowledged had England not won the Ashes he would have retired after the last Ashes tour to England.
It's been on my chest for a little while. I probably would have retired at the end of the 2005 Ashes series if we had have won.
"I just had that desire to help get the urn back, and the team has always come first."
"I saw how much that loss hurt and it became a mission for the team to get the urn back."
And that they did in emphatic fashion with Warne instrumental in giving Australia an unassailable 3-0 series lead heading into the Boxing Day Test match.
Warne was very comfortable talking to the press about his retirement, relaying the story how he had told his kids his cricketing days had come to an end.
"I told my kids and they were a bit disappointed because they thought I wouldn't be able to play backyard cricket anymore," he said with a laugh.
The leading Test wicket-taker of all-time goes into the fourth Test against England needing just one more wicket to be the first man to claim 700 Test scalps More...
21 Dec 06Warne expected to announce his retirement
CHAMPION Australian leg spinner is expected to announce his retirement today. One wicket short of becoming the first cricketer to take 700 Test wickets, Warne is expected to bow out from international cricket after the fifth Test in Sydney.
The Sydney Test match is also tipped to be the last for fast bowler Glenn McGrath who is also expected to announce his retirement from Test match cricket.
Former Australia captain Allan Border said he was in a state of shock over the imminent announcement when speaking on Fox Sports during the coverage of the Victoria v NSW one-day game.
"It's just caught everyone by surprise," he said.
Border added, "I just got the inkling that he was even considering one more tilt at England in England, and that would see him out.”
"I suppose there's a lot of innuendo about what the reasons are, I'm in a bit of a state of shock."
Border captained Warne in his first Test, when the leg spinner returned 1-150 against India during the 1991-92 season.
"There was something special about him, right from the word go," Border said.
"We just knew there was something about his kid, not many of us in the team had seen Shane bowl."
"He got 1-150 in his first Test, (against India at the S.C.G during the 1991-92 season) so you wouldn't predict 698 more.”
"But we knew he had something special."
Shane Keith Warne
Born: 13 September, 1969
Tests: 143
699 wkts, ave 25.49, best 8-71
ODIs: 194
293 wkts, ave 25.73, best 5-33
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21 Dec 06Australia Reclaim Ashes
AUSTRALIA reclaimed the Ashes in record time at the WACA ground in Perth after dismissing England for 350 in the second innings of the third Test.
Just 15 short months after England had won the Ashes for the first time in 20 years, Australia took an unassailable 3-0 series lead with two Test Matches to go in the five Test match series.
England began the day 5/265 still needing 292 to force a history making win but fell short after Australia picked up four wickets in the morning session.
The day started brightly for England with both skipper Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pieterson taking the attack up to the Australian bowlers before Flintoff was clean bowled by Shane Warne for 51, the end came quick.
Warne would finish the day on 699 wickets and will no doubt claim his 700th in the first innings of the Boxing Day Test Match at his home ground the M.C.G.
Mike Hussey picked up a deserved Man of the Match award for his 74 not out and 103 double.
Australia has already named the same 12-man squad that regained the Ashes for the fourth Test against England in Melbourne.
Head to Head betting @ IASbet on the fourth Cricket Test has Australia a $1.48 favourite ahead of the Draw $4.00 while England is at $8.00 to open their account.
Scoreboard:
England 2nd innings (target: 557 runs)
AJ Strauss lbw b Lee 0
AN Cook c Gilchrist b McGrath 116
IR Bell c Langer b Warne 87
PD Collingwood c Gilchrist b Clark 5
KP Pietersen not out 60
MJ Hoggard b McGrath 0
A Flintoff b Warne 51
GO Jones run out (Ponting) 0
SI Mahmood lbw b Clark 4
SJ Harmison lbw b Warne 0
MS Panesar b Warne 1
Extras (b 7, lb 8, w 6, nb 5) 26
Total (all out; 122.2 overs; 529 mins) 350
Fall of wickets1-0 (Strauss, 0.4 ov), 2-170 (Bell, 56.6 ov), 3-185 (Collingwood, 69.3 ov), 4-261 (Cook, 93.2 ov), 5-261 (Hoggard, 93.4 ov), 6-336 (Flintoff, 114.5 ov), 7-336 (Jones, 116.6 ov), 8-345 (Mahmood, 119.6 ov), 9-346 (Harmison, 120.2 ov), 10-350 (Panesar, 122.2 ov)
Bowling O M R W Econ
B Lee 22 3 75 1 3.40 More...
18 Dec 06Australia Closes In On Ashes Series Win
AUSTRALIA is just five wickets away from reclaiming the Ashes after England finished Day 4 of the third Ashes Test in Perth at 5/255.
The tourists are still some 292 runs away from posting an unlikely win after Australia had made 5/527 dec thanks to a triple treat of centuries from Mike Hussey (103), Michael Clarke (135) and a quickfire hard hitting hundred by Adam Gilchrist (102 not out off 57 balls).
The Australian bats dominated Saturday’s play scoring 408 runs off a mere 66 overs leaving England to rewrite the record books if they wish to hold onto the coveted urn.
The history books dictate England is facing a forlorn task on the final day with the highest score ever made in the fourth innings to win a Test match 418 made by West Indies against Australia at Antigua in May 2003.
The highest fourth innings total to win a Test match ever made in Perth is 342 by Australia against India three decades ago.
A 3-0 series lead beckons.
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