I pick over England's defeat to South Africa at Headingley on www.laytheodds.com and suggest that the batsmen are more culpable than the selectors for the home team's predicament.

I have just had my 'Nasser Hussain at Brisbane' moment. As soon as Graeme Smith won the toss at Headingley and bowled, I knew my prediction that a fielding decision would be a mistake would come back to haunt me. My tip for an England win also looked instantly wide of the mark.

However, I do feel let down by the home side. They say look up at Headingley, not down, and Smith was not alone in following this advice. England's batsmen convinced themselves that the grey skies meant they were batting in trickier conditions than were actually in evidence.

This paranoia manifested itself in a panicked display of loose strokeplay, with Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell, Andrew Flintoff and Stuart Broad all falling to unnecessarily attacking shots. Nine players were out caught, which reflects England's failings more than it does South Africa's skill with the ball.

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I pay tribute on www.ezinearticles.com to Sanath Jayasuriya, who continues to be one of cricket's great entertainers at the ripe old age of 39.

Sanath Jayasuriya will not be remembered as a legend of the game, but he perhaps should be. There have been some notable retirements in recent times (Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Brian Lara to name just three) but the little opener from Matara deserves to be held in similar company.

He is of course still going strong in One Day Internationals (he signed off from Tests last December with a typically attacking half century) , so it is a little early for a career review. However, Jayasuriya's longevity (he made his international debut in 1989) earns special recognition, as his career does more than span eras; he helped start a whole new one in cricket.

 

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I dissect England's defeat to New Zealand in the 3rd ODI for the punters on www.laytheodds.com and reflect that Paul Collingwood's men have a long way to go before they become a consistently good One Day team.

New Zealand's low-scoring victory at Bristol was just what both teams needed. The Black Caps finally managed to record their first win against England on tour, whilst the hosts get a timely reality check on their progress as a One Day team.

Despite their respective recent ODI form, England rightly think that they should beat this Kiwi team. However, this supposed superiority is more to do with New Zealand's current shortcomings than their own prowess - England are not yet as good as they think they are.

England's complacency has been a theme throughout my analysis of these teams' battles over the last six months and is disheartening to see that it still remains. I have previously written how New Zealand were there for the taking, and this was particularly true at Bristol.

 

Continue reading this article at: http://www.laytheodds.com/articles/540/1/Careless-England-get-Kiwi-reality-check.html

Another big money Spurs signing - at a club record-equalling price - and there is universal agreement that Juande Ramos and co. have got this one right.

There was bemusement at the same money (approximately £16m) being spent on Darren Bent, a proven Premier League scorer whose international prospects suffered at a smaller club, yet Modric's arrival has the automatic seal of approval.

But how much do his fans really know about him? Most would surely only have seen him in his two performances against England, in which he was neat and tidy without being the outstanding Croatian on show. The theory at the time that England had better players across the board clearly no longer holds water.

Some might have seen him perform in defeat for Dinamo Zagreb against Arsenal in a Champions League qualification tie, but I suspect his glowing reputation is based principally on the fact the other clubs were allegedly interested in him.

These rumours of Chelsea and Arsenal interest are probably wide of the mark and I will be reserving judgement until I see him at the European Championships. 

The mouth-watering Champions League semi finals are on the horizon and it is a time to follow your instinct in the tournament markets.

The four teams appear so closely-matched - reflected in a winner's market that sees the contenders currently bunched between 2.76 and 4.9 - and the five remaining fixtures will surely be extremely tight affairs.

The seemingly annual Chelsea-Liverpool showdown is a case in point. Their six recent Champions League encounters have produced three goalless draws and three one-goal victories, of which the Reds have claimed two.

My gut feeling tells me to go with the Blues, in both this clash and the final. There is such a fine line between success and failure at this stage; we could so easily be looking forward to another Arsenal-Chelsea battle.

This is the round that Rafa's European Midas touch will go missing and, as I suggested below in relation to the Premier League run-in, Manchester United are also in danger of running out of steam.

It is a bad time to hit a sticky patch and the Red Devils are are certainly less convincing than they were a month ago. However, the same is true of Barcelona, who have all but surrendered the La Liga title race with a run of one league win in eight.

United will just edge the second semi final to finally set up the all-English final that has seemed so likely in recent years.

I am convinced the much-maligned Avram Grant will have some silverware to show for his troubled first season efforts, although he is probably under most pressure to deliver the goods in this pressure-cooker of a competition.

As a Spurs fan thankful for the Blues' non-performance in the Carling Cup final, I reckon Chelsea will be in the perfect frame of mind to banish that memory in the biggest showdown of the season.  

The Premier League trophy is almost certainly heading back to Old Trafford, but I reckon there is a twist or two in this rollercoaster title race.

A glance at the Premier League betting shows United heading towards odds on territory, with Chelsea still worth a bit of interest at 8.06. The Blues are still in the hunt and the remaining fixtures could yet force the battle for glory into the final day of the season.

United undoubtedly have the harder run-in. Blackburn and West Ham have previous in upsetting the Red Devils and Wigan away on the last day makes a tricky trio with the pressure on. Avram Grant's men must travel to improving Newcastle before finishing with the visit of battling Bolton.

These matches are of course punctuated by the clash between the two at Stamford Bridge nest Saturday lunchtime. Chelsea's home record needs no introduction and they can be backed to prevail in this head-to-head.

United's superior goal difference means they must drop at least three other points, which is not impossible to imagine as they have been forced to chase games recently. Reproduction of the perfomances given against Middlesbrough and Arsenal might not yield a similar points tally.

Both title challengers have massive semi finals to think about, although neither should be too distracted. The Champions League betting might be more wide open, but those who have backed the Londoners to regain their domestic crown should not give up hope just yet. 

From one extreme to the other. A day relaxing in front of the snooker is the perfect preparation for the somewhat more explosive action taking place in Las Vegas in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The light-heavyweight clash between Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe is yet another reminder that British boxing is at the top of its game. David Haye eased past Enzo Maccarinelli in last month's WBO cruiserweight battle of Britain, but it is on Calzaghe's shoulders that domestic hopes principally rest.

The followers of Ricky Hatton and Clinton Woods might have returned from those fighters' title bids disappointed but the Welshman's travelling army look set for a more successful Stateside visit.

It is a fascinating match-up between two classy fighters. 'The Executioner' made 20 successful world title defences at middleweight over a golden 10 year period and deserves his status as a modern-day legend.

He relishes dismantling southpaws - ask Winky Wright and Antonio Tarver - but Calzaghe has the attributes to avoid going the same way.

Lightning quick hand speed and a heavy punch will test the wily 43 year old to the limit, who appears in danger of underestimating the Newbridge fighter. Calzaghe's CV might not include the same names that feature on Hopkins' vanquished list, but he rises to every occasion and an undefeated 44-0-0 career record is not to be sniffed at.

Calzaghe needs to get the jab that accounted for Mikkel Kessler in such devastating fashion in December in good working order, although finding similar fluency in unfamiliar territory is a tough ask.

However, he is experienced enough to prosper on his American debut and will not be hurt by the step up in weight that undid Hatton in his clash with Floyd Mayweather.

This is sure to be a cagey contest that can expected to go the distance. Despite the influx of 9,000 or so Brits there are apparently tickets still available for the fight, although Hopkins, like Mayweather, does not need to rely on crowd support.

I hope to get a flavour of a boxing-obsessed public on my forthcoming holiday to the Philippines, where the odd bet is also known to be placed. A Calzaghe win on points is the outcome that will give me some more spending money.   

Those punters looking to bet on other sports will welcome the start of the 2008 Snooker World Championships.

The event has produced six different winners in the last six years and the season's showpiece tournament might just see another player lifting the trophy on May 5th.

Mark Selby is one of the tour's form men and has fully earned his second place in the tournament winner's market. The 'Jester from Leicester' was runner-up to John Higgins last year and there is every reason to think he can cap off his breakthrough season by going one better this time around.

He followed a semi final appearance in December's UK Championship with a stunning all-round display to claim the Masters a month later. Nerveless displays in claiming three final frame deciders were just the precursor to the 10-3 demolition of Stephen Lee in the final, which left no one in any doubt that Selby possesses both the battling qualities and fluency in the balls required to grab the biggest prize.

Ronnie O'Sullivan was left unamused by the Jester's antics in winning the last four frames to win the Welsh Open final and punters seem to be expecting the pair to renew their rivalry in the World final, being in opposite sides of the draw.

The draw favours another prospective new champion, Stephen Maguire. Unfortunately Graham Dott appears unlikely to justify his ranking in the bottom half of matches, leaving 'On-fire Maguire' a clearer path to a potential semi final shoot-out with Selby.

Maguire beat arch-rival Shaun Murphy in the final of the last ranking tournament, the China Open, an event which not only proved that the Scot is in the right frame of mind to succeed at Sheffield, but also that O'Sullivan is not.

Another contoversial media fall-out has left the temperamental maestro licking his wounds and John Higgins and Marco Fu look to be better prospects in the top half of the draw.

The most sedate yet dramatic sporting event of the sporting calendar is nearly up on us, so sit back and see if the Jester finishes top of the pile.

The 2008 County Championship is underway and this year's title battle looks wide open. It is early days in the Division One betting, with punters leaning towards last season's successful outfits.

The two-tier county system has been criticised for having little discernible difference in quality between the two divisions - Somerset finished bottom of Division Two in 2006, won it last year and are expected to go well in the top flight this campaign.

Despite this, Sussex are on the verge of becoming the dominant force in domestic cricket. They start as favourites to claim their fourth Division One crown in six years and will be tough to beat, as long as Mushtaq Ahmed continues to wreak havoc.

Just 12 points separated the top three last season, with Lancashire missing out on the title in a final day run chase against Surrey. The pressure to deliver will therefore be intense at Old Trafford, which might mean Mark Chilton's men come up just short again.

Durham nicked second spot last time around and look well-equipped to go one better. Steve Harmison should make up for the loss of Ottis Gibson - the England reject took 34 wickets in his seven appearances in 2007 - and will make a dangerous pace trio with Graham Onions and Liam Plunkett.

Dale Benkenstein and Michael di Venuto virtually guarantee big runs and in-form Test stars Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Neil McKenzie will cash in as well. The Riverside outfit have a well-balanced side and know how to perform under pressure, having won last year's Friends Provident trophy.

If Durham do break their championship duck, they need only to look to Sussex for inspiration; the men from the south coast won their first ever title five years ago and have not looked back since.