International Cricket

There’s something very interesting going on in Australia at the moment. Their national cricket team, long presumed the dominant force in test and One Day International cricket, is in danger of losing the top spot to a South African side that remains indomitable at home and has the best win record of any cricketing nation in its away matches. Certainly, as cricket betting enthusiasts will acknowledge, this turnabout has occurred partly as a result of the lost of legendary Aussie stalwarts of the game such as Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist, but it is also due to the continued development of skill and positivity within the South African team.

When a king falls there is always to be a rush to replace him and South Africa, not known for their coyness, happen to be on hand to front the queue. There is no doubt that the massively symbolic act of slaying the mighty Aussies gives them the apparent right to be there but, hang on a second, aren’t we forgetting something? South Africa, having won 11 of their last 15 tests, might qualify numerically for the throne but there’s a little matter of an Indian team that would, according to recent form, possibly have the edge if they were to meet today.

They are, man for man, equal in batting terms but, when it comes to spin bowling, India is the stronger of the two with Harbhajan Singh and none can reverse-swing the ball like Zaheer Khan. South Africa are vulnerable in these areas and pitch conditions could be the determinant factor the outcome. Certainly Dale Steyn would give India problems but the balancing effect of Ishant Sharma is not to be discounted. India, too, have the best wicketkeeper in Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

We cricket betting fans all looking forward, inevitably, to the 8th July when England host Australia in the first test in Cardiff, where they hope to wrest the Ashes from the old rivals. This will be a series between relatively weak sides, however, and it’s a pity that the scheduling of international matches has denied us the prospect of seeing the new cricketing giants of India and South Africa do battle and sort out who rules until 2010 at the earliest.