English County Cricket

Australia vs. England, Second T20: Betting Preview

England are a standout 6-5 with Bet365 to win the second T20 against Australia, but anyone wishing to back them at such skinny odds might want to delve a little deeper into the market for top England batsmen.

Top England Batsman

The visitors were not short of firepower in their narrow defeat to Australia in Wednesday's first T20. A score of 200 was, when looked upon in isolation, a fine achievement given the calamitous start to the innings in which Alex Hales, Michael Lumb and Luke Wright, the Three Lions powerhouse triumvirate, had all departed within the first five overs with just 45 on the scoreboard.

Alex Hales?

Hales is currently the No. 1-ranked T20 batsman in the world in the official ICC rankings, and it's not hard to see why. He's big, tall, muscular and has the ability to clear the ropes at will, however his form coming into this three-match series is less than sparkling, registering a top score of 32 in his last eight T20 innings for England and his Big Bash side Adelaide Strikers. While more than capable of playing a long innings, the 7-2 best price with Ladbrokes means punters could find a more attractive alternative.

Michael Lumb?

I'm also passing up Michael Lumb at 4-1. Lumb has never won me over with his performances for England. Too many times have I seen him scratch around, taking up valuable time in the middle before letting the pressure get to him, eventually giving his wicket away.

Luke Wright?

Luke Wright is my favourite player, but still I can't bring myself to side with him either at around 4-1. He's shone in the Big Bash for the Melbourne Stars, and I'd personally prefer to see him open the batting in place of Michael Lumb (and in the England ODI team for that matter). But such is his aggression in this format and his willingness to take on any bowler with a variety of big shots, it means that for every huge score he's made, there's also a number of small ones to go with them. He's made four half-centuries in 41 T20I innings and has an average of 20.10, the lowest among England's top seven batsmen.

Eoin Morgan?

So who am I putting up for top England batsman? It's got to be Eoin Morgan at 9-2 with Paddy Power. Morgan is the key man to this batting lineup. He's versatile, elegant but also capable of brutal six-hitting once he decides it's the right time to go. He seems keen to remain at No. 5 in the order, and were he to elevate himself to No. 4 ahead of Joe Root, then maybe we'd start to notice the bookmakers shortening his odds in this particular betting market for future matches.

Morgan seems to enjoy batting at the No. 5 spot, however, and so our bet is reliant upon England losing three wickets by the 10 over stage. But given the current lack of confidence in the Three Lions dressing room, I don't see any issues here.

If you forget the blip in the last match, when he was clean bowled for four while attempting to slog a slower ball from Glenn Maxwell, the stats suggest he's in great form, failing to register a score below 30 just twice in his past 10 innings in all competitions including scores of 50, 106, 54, 33 and 39 in the recent ODI series against Australia. Now that's consistency!

So to recap, Eoin Morgan should be top England batsman in the second T20 vs. Australia, generally available at 9-2. If you want a saver, Ravi Bopara's been the hero for England on several occasions in the past year, and he might just have to save them again. Back him at 9-1 with Paddy Power.

All odds correct at time of writing and taken from Oddschecker.com.

All stats taken from ESPNcricinfo.com.

Steve Harmison, a member of England’s victorious 2005 and 2009 Ashes-winning sides, has announced his retirement with immediate effect.

Writing in the Sunday Sun, Harmison confirmed he would not be renewing his contract with Durham and would be bowing out from all forms of cricket.

Steve Harmison retired. 7/12 in WI and slower ball v Clarke deserve a few YouTube hits today. Fragile soul at times, but what a fine career.

— Jon Colman (@joncolman) October 6, 2013

Durham won the Division One County Championship last month, but Harmison was a frustrated spectator on account of injuries.

And with his body unable to stand up to the rigours of full-time competition, the 34-year-old has elected to hang up his boots.

Writing in the Sunday Sun, Harmison stated:

Today I am announcing my retirement from professional cricket.

I was hoping to go out on a high in my benefit year but my body has not allowed me to, and I have not made a single first-team appearance.

With my contract up at the end of the season, I have known for a while I would be calling it a day.

But I did not want to take the shine off such a magnificent campaign for Durham by announcing it before the end.

I may not have been able to contribute in the way I wished, but I have at least got what I most wanted out of the 2013 season—the County Championship trophy back in the cabinet at Chester-le-Street.

Harmison made his debut for Durham in 1996 and spent his entire career on the books of the county.

He played a key part in Durham’s first County Championship success in 2008, with that win coming alongside his brother, Ben.

Per Cricinfo, Harmison took 744 wickets for Durham, but it was with England that he made his name on the global stage.

Harmison, Andrew Flintoff, Simon Jones and Matthew Hoggard formed the feared England bowling attack that snapped Australia’s grip on the Ashes in 2005.

Standing at 6'4", Harmison was one of world cricket’s most feared bowlers. He famously took seven for 12 in the West Indies in 2004. In the 2005 series, everything clicked and he took 17 wickets, including Michael Clarke's at Edgbaston with a brilliant slower ball, as England proved too strong for Australia.

There were occasions, though, when Harmison did not get things exactly right.

Infamously, with the first ball of the following series with Australia later that year, he bowled one of the widest balls ever seen on the international stage—with Flintoff catching it at first slip.

But he will be remembered for his contribution to Durham and England, with his Test record of 226 wickets placing him 12th on the all-time list.

The height of irony, this award arguably borders on a slap in the face for Graham Onions.

While his performances with the ball in leading Durham to the Division One County Championship title have been nothing short of outstanding, his baffling omission from England's Ashes squad is undoubtedly a painful one for the 31-year-old quick.

Onions would have provided England's squad with a delicious blend, adding control and guile to an attack heavy on pace and bounce. Yet selectors appear to have fallen into the alluring trap of sending only the most brutal and brisk seamers to Australia, forgetting the subtle beauty of variety.

Our bowler of the month for September has been forced to endure an unforeseen fate, something Onions himself reflected upon when the Ashes squad was announced last week.

However, leaving his immense Ashes disappointment aside, Onions was the standout candidate for this award over the course of September.

Durham's capture of the County Championship title this season has been powered by the unrelenting seamer, with Onions putting together a spectacular set of figures from his last four outings.

The right-armer's month of September has produced 26 wickets from 130.3 overs at a staggering average of 14.54.

His mauling of Division One strugglers Derbyshire was unquestionably his finest performance, which saw Onions finish with match figures of 9-85 from 46 impeccable overs. His second innings effort of 5-23 saw the quick destroy the home side's middle order, as Durham reduced their opponents to an incredible 63 all-out to essentially guarantee victory.

Yet Onions himself may argue that his 7-88 effort across two innings against title contenders Sussex, was an even finer exhibition of his skill. His capture of the visitor's top three in Chris Nash, Luke Wells and Michael Yardy started the rot that saw Sussex collapse for just 112 in their first innings.

Perhaps what makes Onions such an effective operator is his ability to tailor his bowling to the conditions at hand. In Durham, where the pitch regularly offers the sort of nip seamers crave, the 31-year-old employs a stump-to-stump method, forcing the batsmen to relentlessly play, using subtle movement to bring about their downfall.

Yet when conditions aren't so conducive, Onions finds other ways to thrive. His ability to vary his length while keeping his opponent pinned on strike is wonderful. Ditto for his subtle variations in swing and seam. One can only wonder what he could do against an Australian batting lineup chock-full of questionable techniques.

But Onions shouldn't be deterred. His county season has been exemplary; his case for England selection could not be stronger. The point of difference that Onions offers will certainly be called upon in due course, with this past month providing the perfect example of his quality.

So while it's not an Ashes call up, Graham Onions can comfortably lay claim to world cricket's bowler of the month honours.

Both County Championship divisional titles may have been already wrapped up, but there are still some fascinating subplots waiting to unfold in this last round of games.

Division One

Champions

Durham secured the title with last week's victory over Notts and have won an incredible 10 of their 15 contests so far this campaign. Their final fixture, away at Surrey, gives them a chance to become the first side since the County Championship split into two divisions in 2000, to win 11 games in a season.

Relegation

Surrey’s demotion was confirmed after their bold gambit against Warwickshire last week did not come off.

The Londoners could still have had a mathematical chance of survival if they’d let a dull inevitable draw unfold against the defending champions. However, the captains contrived a game that, if Surrey had got over the line, would have really made things interesting this week.

But the 2012 defending champions chased down the manufactured total and condemned Surrey to the bottom tier, leaving one unanswered question. Who will join them?

Second from bottom Derbyshire need to win against Warwickshire with almost full bonus points and then hope the match between YB40 champions Notts and Somerset produces an outright result.

The worry for Derbyshire is that the Notts and Somerset captains Chris Read and Marcus Trescothick will, to put it politely, be in no hurry to move their game along if the mutually beneficial survival-ensuring draw approaches.

Elsewhere

Yorkshire have second place in the bag, but for Sussex and Warwickshire their respective matches against Durham and Derbyshire are essentially money games as both sides seek a top-four finish and a slice of the prize fund.

Fixtures

Derbyshire vs. Warwickshire

Notts vs. Somerset

Surrey vs. Yorkshire

Sussex vs. Durham

Division Two

Champions

In the second tier, Lancashire secured their spot in Division One last week courtesy of a draw at Gloucestershire. Glenn Chapple's men still have something to play for however, with a season-long unbeaten run at stake in their final fixture at Kent.

Promoted

Second-placed Northamptonshire need just five points from their trip to Worcestershire to claim their spot in the upper echelons next year. Should disaster strike for the Steelbacks, Essex would still need a very high-scoring win over Hampshire to usurp them.

Wooden Spoon

Leicestershire's miserable season came to an end last week, with the county cut adrift at the bottom of the table. The Grace Road side haven't won a single Championship game this season.

Elsewhere

Second-bottom Glamorgan, fresh from their trip to Lords in the YB40 Final, are just three points behind third from bottom Kent. So their games against Gloucestershire and Lancashire will sort that minor battle for pride.

Fixtures

Glamorgan vs. Gloucestershire

Hampshire vs. Essex

Kent vs. Lancashire

Worcestershire vs. Northants

Leading Run-Scorer (Division One here, Division Two here)

Worcestershire all-rounder Moeen Ali heads county cricket's run charts with 1331 runs, while Leicestershire’s Ned Eckersley is 56 behind. A little further down the list, but not out of reach, is Wayne Madsen, Division One’s leading accumulator with 1219.

Leading Wicket-Taker (Division One here, Division Two here)

The race for leading wicket-taker is still wide open, with seven wickets separating five bowlers.  The usual suspects, Graham Onions and Alan Richardson, top the list with 66 and 63 respectively, while Glamorgan’s Michael Hogan is also on 63 closely followed by compatriot Steve Magoffin on 61 and Kyle Hogg with 60.

The Yorkshire Bank 40 competition reaches its climax on Saturday with Glamorgan and Nottinghamshire set to do battle for the coveted trophy at Lord's.

Both teams will be making their first appearance in a Lord's one-day final for more than a decade, with Division One side Nottinghamshire the heavy favourites with all bookmakers to emerge victorious.

Tickets for the showpiece final are still available via www.tickets.lords.org, but if you can't make it to West London then you can still catch all the action live on television.

TV: Sky Sports Ashes HD, 10.30 a.m. BST

Sky Sports will be broadcasting live from Lord's as Glamorgan return to the home of cricket for the first time since 2000, when they finished runners-up to Gloucestershire in the Benson and Hedges final.

The Welsh side, currently second from bottom in Division Two of the County Championship, have surprised fans and pundits alike with their run to the final of this year's competition.

They saw off last year's winners Hampshire by 31 runs in their semifinal, with star player Jim Allenby top-scoring with 74 and restricting the south coast side to just 18 runs in his eight overs.

Victory on Saturday would give Glamorgan their first domestic silverware for nine years, but standing in their way lies a Nottinghamshire side still hurting from defeat to Durham on Thursday.

Notts have not taken part in a Lord's final since way back in 1989, when they beat Essex by three wickets to lift the same trophy they'll be fighting for on Saturday.

Their chances will be boosted after the return of England Ashes heroes Graeme Swann and Stuart Broad to an already talented squad of international players.

Nottinghamshire sealed their spot in the final with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over Somerset last week and have been made 4-9 favourites with bookmakers, including Sky Bet and Bet365.

Saturday's final marks the 50th anniversary of the first limited-overs final staged at Lord's—the 1963 Gillette Cup, which Sussex won by just 14 runs against Worcestershire.

Fast-bowler Simon Jones believes his side's passion will surprise the favourites Nottinghamshire. He told ESPNcricinfo: 

We're obviously the only Welsh team in the County Championship and it's something we're very proud of, once you put on a Glamorgan shirt it's something that you treasure. We play cricket with passion and I think that's a big key for us.

We've got the blend of youth and experience right in the team. We're not going to get giddy and go to Lord's with our heads swelling because that's the wrong way to approach a final.

We're going to go in there level-headed, prepare like we have and see where that takes us. We've got a lot of self-belief but we have the utmost respect for Nottinghamshire.

Although Glamorgan and Nottinghamshire may struggle to recreate the drama of the 2012 Yorkshire Bank 40 final—which Hampshire won by virtue of losing fewer wickets than Warwickshire after the scores were tied—Saturday's match looks certain to be an intriguing clash.