The Ashes: It’s All About The Captains
November 30th, 2013 by G WaldorfWe were saying it long before the series started: one of the key battles of this Ashes contest would be between the two captains, Alistair Cook and Michael Clarke. Whatever way you look at it, they’re lining up to be absolutely crucial to the outcome.
They both bat long, and they can both post huge scores, so their performances with the bat will be key, even without their captaincy. Both have had injury troubles coming into this series (both of them have bad backs, though you’d say that Clarke’s has been the more troublesome), and both were looking at the first Test to lay down a marker. Whilst it was Clarke who would obviously be the happier of the two after what happened at the Gabba, Alistair Cook did bat for more than four hours on the fourth day, and he’s currently the Englishman with the shortest odds to be the series’ top runscorer (at $6.50. Michael Clarke’s second-innings ton will have given him huge confidence, though, and he’s at $3.75 to be the batsman who scores the most runs in the series.
And then there’s their captaincy. Clarke is a pretty polarising figure here in Australia, but he has some devoted fans in his corner – not least of them Shane Warne – who praise his imaginative field-placings, and his positive approach to the game. But, until the Gabba Test, he just hadn’t had the results, in stark contrast to Cook, who has had a great run. And, in the end, results will be what it comes down to: Australia are a $1.53 bet to win the series, where you’ll get $4.50 for Alistair Cook’s England to take it. But there’s that little urn on the line, too, and if you’re looking to bet on the Aussies regaining the Ashes, then it’s at $1.57 on Sportsbet right now, where England retaining them is a $2.37 bet. Advantage Clarke at the moment, you’d probably say, but lots can change in the next Test…
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