Ashes 4th Test Preview
After a treat in 2005, the 2009 Ashes are shaping-up to be tremendous too. The bandwagon rolls on and with next stop Headingley, the excitement shows no sign of abating. Cricket spread bettors delving into their history books will find a near-level record between England and Australia at this ground. Buyers of the Aussies' match win index spread will note that they just have their noses in front with eight victories to the Three Lions' seven - a figure that includes 1981's unforgettable comeback inspired by Botham and Willis. The teams have drawn a further eight times, however not since the 1975 series.
Indeed, the last Test match to finish with honours-even here was when England took on Pakistan in August 1996. And Sporting Index's cricket traders will have noted that of the ten games since, England have won six and lost four, with spread sellers of their team runs jotting down a first innings average of 337.3 runs in this recent period. The overall ground record also points to the fact that matches are normally decided in one team's favour. Of the stadiums selected for this year's Ashes series, it is the one that England draw at least often, on average only once every four appearances - compared to a regular ratio of just above one in three.
With the Yorkshire ground taking a breather last time out, it was most recently called upon for Ashes duty in the 2001 series when England won by six wickets. However, Australia won the previous three encounters between the sides in Leeds, including in 1993 when they posted the highest-ever score of 653/4d. In total, as spread buyers in the total match runs market will be aware, Australia have three of the five Test bests here, and eight of the top ten have been posted by sides opening the batting.
It is also somewhere Ricky Ponting finds to his liking. Those spread punters buying his runs will be interested to know that he has two centuries and a fifty, at a hefty average of 114.33, from his three Headingley innings. Few members of England's XI have tasted individual success at the northern-most setting of this series. Spread punters looking at Andrew Strauss's individual markets will see that he has the most total runs at 266 among the current crop, but sellers will know they were accrued at an average of 38. Should his body pull together, Andrew Flintoff is another that many Sporting Index customers will be punting on, although his previous performances have been mixed. A total of 254 runs in five matches elevates him into the ground's top 50 all-time scorers, however buyers of his runs will see that they've come in a somewhat schizophrenic spell with three fifties offset by four ducks, reducing his average to 28.22. Spread sellers of his match and series runs will also see that he has mustered only nine wickets since making his first Headingley appearance in 1998, the same year as his England debut.
Related links:
