TWENTY20 WORLD CUP

SOUTH AFRICA 11-24 SEPTEMBER, 2007

So You Want Excitement?

Enormously successful in Britain since it's launch back in 2004, twenty20 is the biggest innovation in cricket since the pyjama game burst onto the scene in 1975. In spite of this summer's dreadful weather, crowds have flocked in their thousands to see this shortened version of the gentleman's game and now the same multitudes will be crowding round their televisions to see the global model -the Twenty20 Cricket World Cup.

Taking place in South Africa from 11th - 24th of September, it is immeasurably shorter than the bloated one-day world cup that rumbled on for over six weeks. The T20WC features the world's top twelve cricketing nations and provides some fantastic betting heats -even in the apparently mis-matched games such as Australia v Zimbabwe.

Whilst the result may not be in doubt, other variables such the margin of victory, the batsmen's scores and the number of boundaries are lively, interesting markets that demand our close attention...

We've done a full preview of the world cup, including groups, fixtures, rules & regs, markets, spread hints and the indispensable 20 things about twenty20 that will make you a smarter punter.

Twenty20 Rules & Regulations

•  20 overs per side

•  Bowlers can bowl a maximum of 4 overs.

•  Each innings has a time restriction (75 mins), if exceeded then the fielding side will incur a 6 run penalty. If the batting side waste time then umpires can impose a 5 run penalty for every instance.

•  'No balls' are penalised by the next ball being a 'free hit' -only run outs apply.

•  For the first six overs only 2 fielders allowed outside 30 yard inner circle.

•  After six overs a maximum of 5 fielders outside the circle.

•  No more than 5 fielders allowed on the leg side.

•  Duckworth-Lewis method can be applied to weather-affected matches.

SPREAD BETTING TIPS FOR THE WORLD CUP

Match Supremacies

These can be fantastically volatile and the game can swing more wildly than a full length Glen McGrath Yorker! For example, the twenty20 quarter final between Notts and Kent went from one extreme to the other -with Notts 82 for 0, but then lost four wickets for 13 runs and their last three wickets without adding to their total (138). At 82 for 0, the match supremacy was 35-42 runs in favour of Notts, yet by the end of the game the supremacy was 90 Kent/Notts as Kent knocked off the 139 required for the loss of just one wicket. That meant there was a turnaround of 130 runs in the supremacy stakes!

The moral of this tale is to set a target for potential winnings -then close out as soon as you reach it because things can change so quickly in twenty20. A healthy profit can turn into an unhealthy loss in one quick over.

Close Finishes

If a team is chasing a total of say 150, and they are 145 for 2 with two balls left then the spread firms have a real dilemma -it is impossible to set a realistic spread that will cover both outcomes (a win or loss for the batting team). If the batting team gets the runs then their supremacy will be 80 (1 wicket = 10 runs) but if they fall short then the bowling team will have the supremacy by however many runs they win by. In this situation, the spread firms usually suspend the markets with about three balls to go so that there is no chance of getting stung by the punters. If you do want to get involved in a situation like this then you should know what you are going to do in advance because the market may be suspended before you have chance to get in or to close out.

In tight situations like this, the odds always favour the batting team due to the size of the boundary that the fielding team has to defend and the ability of tail enders to propel the ball to the unlikeliest of places!

One more piece of advice is to trade via telephone in a tight finish -this way you are certain to be able to trade and get prices that you may not get if you are trading online.

Sixes & Fours

If you are dealing in the sixes total index or multiple boundaries then do your homework by checking out the size of the ground, previous games there and the past performances of possible six-hitters. The Australian and South African batsmen had a field day playing at small grounds in the West Indies at the recent 50 over world cup.

Wides

Umpires do tend to be stricter on wides -anything down the legside is likely to be called. With bowlers trying to tie batsmen down there should be at least five wides called in every innings. This would put the multi-wides index in the high thirties.

Run Outs

When the push for quick runs is on there will be many a risky single taken -and with some of the world's top fielders on show, there should be at least three per match.

Batsmen's Total Runs

The spreads on individual batsmen's totals will be set lower than in test matches and one- day games due to the pressure on the player to score quick runs and take chances. It is well worth checking out a player's twenty20 statistics on www.cricinfo.com

But don't just look at their average, because with some of them having played very few matches in this format it can be misleading, instead take note of their total number of runs and boundaries. For example, England's best batsman, Kevin Pietersen, has scored only 97 runs (ave 16.16) in his six twenty20 internationals to date -not quite the standard you would expect from KP.

Team Totals

20 Things About Twenty20

1. •  So you want excitement? Well you've come to the right place -as every ball is a potential boundary or run out. You can expect to see at least the ball cross the boundary rope 40 times and the third umpire called to adjudicate on more than half a dozen run out decisions in each game!
2. •  Teams are very versatile -everyone is expected to be able to field proficiently and handle a bat in the chase for quick runs.
3. •  Unlike the longer forms of the game, it is the spinners and gentle medium pacers who are the most effective in tying down batsmen and slowing the run rate. Batsmen are forced to generate their own pace on the ball -this often results in mis-timing of shots and subsequently, catches.
4. •  Even an experienced 'death' bowler like Shaun Pollock can concede more than 40 runs in a four over spell. Troy Cooley, England's former bowling coach, suggested that bowlers should embrace this form of the game and not see themselves as canon fodder, whilst former Aussie test player Michael Kasprowicz joked that big-time bowlers leave their egos in the dressing room because in this game, the bat definitely dominates the ball.
5. •  The umpires are extremely strict when it comes to wides and the batsmen will try and play shots from most deliveries -so there are lots of leg byes.
6. •  Catches win matches! Never was the old saying truer than in twenty20, where a good catch can turn a game. Great fielders such as Paul Collingwood, Ricky Ponting and Herschelle Gibbs can save 20 runs in an innings with their athletic fielding at point or cover.
7. •  It's all about the total and it doesn't matter how you achieve it! So if teams batting first lose lots of wickets near the end of their allotted overs, it won't make too much difference to the total or supremacy -as long as they use all their overs and keep the scoreboard ticking over.
8. •  Losing a wicket can actually help your team! That sounds bizarre, but if a player is out of form or scoring too slowly then it is best that someone else is at the crease -so instead of using up the overs, they are pushing up the total.
9. •  Advantages of batting first: you don't have to bat with the floodlights; you can really throw the bat in the last few overs and then once you have the runs on the board you're able to attack/defend according to the total.
10. • Advantages of batting second: you know the total you are chasing and so can pace the innings; the ball can be difficult for fielders to spot if it is up in the lights.
11. • The margin of victory for teams batting first is usually smaller than that of teams batting second (TBS). This is because the TBS are able to pace their innings and only take chances as and when the situation dictates. If the TBS loses then it is generally by 30 runs or less (unless they have a real collapse of course), but if their batsmen dominate a game then it is possible for them to win by 8 or 9 wickets (1 wicket = 10 runs in spread betting terms).
12. • If a team scores less than 40 runs in the first six overs then they'll struggle to defend that total. Due to early fielding restrictions, batting teams usually attack from the start -hoping to score some easy boundaries in the gaps on the fence.
13. • When things get tight then the team batting second usually triumph -after all, it's a big boundary to defend and even tail enders can edge it to fine leg for four.
14. • A lack of big names in your team doesn't mean that they can't win -neither of the sides in this year's Twenty20 final, Kent and Gloucester, have any players in the England world cup squad (not sure how good/bad that makes England!).
15. •  The ICC World Twenty20 will take place from 11 to 24 September and will involve 12 teams, 27 matches and three venues.
16. • Unlike our county twenty20 matches, the world cup games will be played at three different times of the day, with games starting at 11am, 3pm or 7pm (UK time). This means that the lights wont be a problem in the earlier matches.
17. • The white kookaburra ball will be used in the world cup matches -this is the same type that is used in the ECB form of the game.
18. • The world cup could see the first century in an international match. Australia's meeting with Zimbabwe in the group stages will be the ideal platform for Gilchrist, Ponting or Hayden to put their name in the record books.
19. • Expect a few shock results in the tournament, as the shortened version of the game narrows the gap in class between teams.
20. • The current international twenty20 records read like this:

Highest Team Score: New Zealand 232 v Can (26th Jan 2005)

Highest Win Margin (Runs): Eng - 100 v Aus (13th June 2005)

Highest Win Margin (Wickets): Sth Afr - 10 v Pak (2 Feb 2007)

Best Bowling: P Collingwood (Eng) - 4-22 v Sri La (15 June 2006)

Highest Indiv Score: R Ponting (Aus) - 98 v N Z (17th Feb 2005)

Highest Partnership: Graeme Smith & Loots Bosman (1st Wicket, South Africa) - 132 v Pakistan (2 February 2007)

Highest No of Sixes hit: Australia - 14 v England (9th Jan 2007)

Lowest runs scored off an over: Eng v Pakistan - Mohammed Asif - 2 Wicket maiden. (28 August 2006)

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