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16th Jan 2012 | Cricket

Pakistan v England 1st Test: Alastair Cook

Leading Chef

Looked in great form during the warm-up games and we get our money back if Bell wins the market.

The first test gets underway on Tuesday morning and Betfred have made my bet relatively simple.  If Imran Farhat (Pakistan) or Ian Bell (England) are top batsmen for their side, Betfred will refund all losing bets on their side’s top batsman market. Considering Ian Bell was on my short list of two, it makes Alastair Cook the obvious bet.

In 2011, Bell and Cook were the standout performers for England. They averaged 119 and 84 runs respectively, both scoring over 900 runs in total.

Next best were Kevin Pietersen and Matt Prior but both are suspect players of spin, with Prior batting at number seven perhaps short of opportunities to build a big innings.  Andrew Strauss has seen his form suffer under the added burden of captaincy, whilst Jonathan Trott has struggled for form after injury. Eoin Morgan is still adapting to life as a test cricketer, leaving the top batsman market as a two horse race.

We get out money back if Ian Bell is the top first innings scorer in the first test, therefore the only option is Alastair Cook at 4/1 with Betfred.

Odds correct at time of publishing: 11:14 16th Jan, 2012 but subject to change

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