The Ashes: A Debut For George Bailey?
November 19th, 2013 by G WaldorfHe might not have come home from the trip to India with everything he wanted, but the way that George Bailey batted, and the way that he captained a side that performed very well, have left him with plenty of supporters here in Australia. He’s been rewarded with inclusion in the 12-man squad for the first Test on Thursday.
Bailey will be excited about the possibility of making his Test debut, and about being involved in an Ashes series for the first, time, and we’re right behind his selection. He might not have the best-looking first-class stats beside his name, but the guy’s in great form, and he batted with real assurance in India. Of course, he’s making the always-difficult transition to the longer form of the game, and he couldn’t be doing it in a higher-pressure environment.
But if he is to play in the first Test in Brisbane, his could prove a pivotal role in the side. England’s selection issues have been very much in the press, with the possibility of Carberry’s inclusion as an opener likely meaning that it will be Joe Root and George Bailey batting in the number six slot for their respective sides – and we think that could be one of the key battles of the series. We know that Root can bat long, and accumulate big scores, and it will be up to George Bailey to match his contribution, and make sure that there are some big scores next to his name come the end of the series.
The bookies have the two (likely) middle-order batsmen close in the betting markets: Bailey is an $8.00 bet to be Australia’s leading run-scorer in the first innings, where Root is a $6.00 bet to be England’s. If you’re backing Root to register a half-century in the first innings, that’s a $2.60 bet, while you’ll get $2.70 for Bailey to get 50 or more. The two of them are at $9.00 to score centuries in the first innings – so keep an eye on Bailey and Root, their contributions could be crucial…
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