Captain Cook relishing challenge

Alastair Cook says he and his team-mates will be looking to put England back on top of world cricket after being confirmed as Andrew Strauss’ replacement as Test captain (England 8/13, Australia 11/4, draw 9/2 – Ashes series betting with bet365).

Strauss announced his decision to retire from all forms of cricket on Wednesday after a remarkable time in charge of the national team.

The 35-year-old guided England to back-to-back Ashes series wins, including a first win in Australia in 25 years.

Strauss then lead from the front as England whitewashed India to move to the top of the Test rankings last summer.

However, after a run of six defeats in 12 Test matches, coupled with a drop in his own performance levels, Strauss has decided to call time on a highly successful international career.

The ECB moved quickly to name Strauss’ successor and have revealed one-day captain Cook will take over as Test skipper as well.

Cook’s first assignment as Test captain will be a tour of India in November, followed by an Ashes series next summer.

Cook admits Strauss has left some big boots to fill but is excited at the challenges that await him.

“I’m incredibly proud to be sitting here now as captain of England. It’s a huge honour. I’m very excited about the challenge,” said Cook at a press conference at Lord’s.

“I’ve got huge boots to fill, following Straussy who has done an incredible job.

“I’m really excited about the challenge ahead, we’ve got India away and two Ashes series in the next 18 months. There is a lot of cricket to play and hopefully I can do a good job.”

Before Cook can turn his attention to the tour of India he must first try and rescue the ongoing one-day series with South Africa.

After losing the second match in the series on Tuesday, England are 6/5 to win the upcoming game with bet365, with the Proteas 4/6.

Cook backs Bopara and Bell

One-day captain Alastair Cook believes England can cope with the absence of Kevin Pietersen and maintain their winning run in the 50-over game against South Africa (England Evens, South Africa 4/5 Series Betting with bet365).

Pietersen has not been an option for the selectors following his surprise decision to retire from the shorter forms of the game earlier in the summer, although England did not seem to miss him in a 2-0 series win over West Indies before a 4-0 thrashing of Australia.

That made it 10 wins without defeat in 2012 following a 4-0 win against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates – a series in which KP did participate.

England have now climbed to the top of the ICC one-day rankings but face a stern test of their credentials when they take to the field in the first one-dayer against the Proteas on Friday (England Evens, South Africa 4/5 Match Betting with bet365).

South Africa have already knocked England off the top spot in the Test rankings and will be gunning for a similar result in the 50-over game when hostilities resume in Cardiff.

KP has obviously been a key player for England in the past but Cook is confident that the likes of Ian Bell and Ravi Bopara can continue to thrive for the Three Lions.

“It’s given other people an opportunity – obviously Ian Bell at the top of the order and Ravi has come into the middle order and played fantastically as well,” he said.

“That is always encouraging when people step up to the plate like that.

“We are going to need more of that in these five games – that players at certain times in this series step up and be counted and put in a match-winning performance.”

Cook eyes room for improvement

England may have just thumped the best team in the world on current rankings but Alastair Cook admits that there is still work to be done if the side wants to win international tournaments (England 7/1 to win World Cup 2015 with bet365).

The Three Lions cruised to a seven-wicket win in the fifth and final one-day international against Australia late on Tuesday night to complete a 4-0 win in the series.

It could have been better for Cook’s side as a 5-0 whitewash would have secured top spot in the ICC ODI rankings but the weather ended their hopes after washing out the third match at Edgbaston last week.

England outclassed the Aussies in all departments and have now won their last 10 ODIs on the bounce, following series’ wins over Pakistan and West Indies, but Cook insists there is still room for improvement.

“We hope we’re heading in the right direction. Clearly we are, with the group of players we’ve got,” he said.

“If we want to win tournaments, we have to be playing as well as we are now in the week when we enter those tournaments.

“That will be the aim. We’re desperate to keep building on this, expanding our skills so that we get better as a side.”

England have now joined South Africa on 118 points in the standings – just one behind Australia – which has set things up nicely going into the summer series with the Proteas.

The two sides are the top two in the ICC Test rankings, with England 11/10 with bet365 to win the upcoming three-Test series, the tourists on offer at 21/10 and the draw at 14/5, before they go head-to-head in a five-match ODI series and a three-match Twenty20 series.

Tredwell called up as Swann rested

England have called up James Tredwell to the squad for the fourth one-day international against Australia (England Evens, Australia 4/5 in the match betting with bet365) as they have taken the opportunity to rest Graeme Swann for the rest of the series.

Alastair Cook’s men have taken an unassailable lead in the five-match series following the abandonment of the third ODI at Edgbaston on Wednesday on the back of wins at Lord’s and The Oval.

Swann has been troubled by a sore elbow so the selectors have decided to give him some time off to make sure he is ready for the upcoming Test series against South Africa – the top two sides in the ICC rankings (England 5/4, Draw 3/1, South Africa 17/10 Series Betting with bet365).

Selector Geoff Miller said: “We had earmarked the fourth and fifth matches as an opportunity to rest Graeme, regardless of the result at Edgbaston.

“We have to consider our preparations for the Test series later this month.”

Chris Woakes was called up to the squad for the third ODI with doubts over James Anderson’s fitness and has retained his place for the last two matches as Jade Dernbach will miss the rest of the series with a side strain.

Woakes gets England call

England have called up Warwickshire’s Chris Woakes to the squad that they hope will wrap up the series against Australia (England 1/8, Australia 5/1 Series Outright with bet365), while James Anderson remains a doubt for the day-nighter at Edgbaston.

Anderson suffered a groin problem in the opening 15-run win at Lord’s last Friday which forced him to miss Sunday’s second one-day international, with Jade Dernbach stepping in to help England to a convincing six-wicket win.

That means the Three Lions are 2-0 up in the five-match series although Andy Flower will have to tinker with his winning side for the third ODI at Edgbaston on Wednesday (England 4/5, Australia Evens Match betting on bet365).

Dernbach and Surrey team-mate Stuart Meaker are both absent on compassionate grounds as they will be attending the funeral of Tom Maynard, while there are still doubts as to whether Anderson will be fit to return.

“We’re not sure yet,” England captain Alastair Cook said. “We want people to be fully fit to play.”

Woakes, who has taken seven wickets in four ODIs for England at an average of 24.14 runs, has been recalled to the squad for the third encounter and is ready to step in if Anderson does not recover.

Cook backs pacemen to shine

England captain Alastair Cook admits that his job is made easier by having four quality fast bowlers as they prepare to face Australia in Sunday’s second ODI (England & Australia 10/11 Match Prices with bet365).

England got off to the perfect start in their five-match series with the Baggy Greens with a 15-run victory in the first one-dayer at Lord’s on Friday.

And there is little time for either side to regroup as the players will make the short journey across London to the Oval for match two of what should be an intriguing series.

England set the men from Down Under a challenging target in the series opener, but it looked as though the tourists would chase it down as David Warner’s rapid half-century got them off to a flying start.

But the four-pronged pace attack eventually wore down the opposition and, with wickets falling at vital times, they came up just short.

England’s success might have come at a price as James Anderson picked up a groin injury and may well miss the Oval encounter but England have a quality replacement in Jade Dernbach if they opt to go in with four seamers (Dernbach 4/1 Top Eng Bowler with bet365).

And that looks the likely option, as Cook feels that packing his side with top-class fast bowlers means that opposition batsmen can never relax for long.

“What is very nice as a captain when you’ve got five experienced bowlers like that, they might bowl the odd bad over but they don’t bowl many bad spells,” he said.

Aussie skipper Michael Clarke admitted his men had been outplayed but has vowed that they will bounce back when battle is renewed at the weekend.

He may look to strengthen his batting ranks as Steve Smith at six looked a bit out of his depth and England did not have to work too hard to take wickets in the middle order.

Anderson ready for Aussie test

James Anderson believes the upcoming one-day international series with Australia will prove to be a good acid test of how far England have come in the 50-over game (England 10/11, Australia 10/11 series betting with bet365).

The Lancashire pacemen is one of five bowlers who are expected to be part of England’s team for the opening match in the series at Lord’s on Friday.

England have decided to go with five recognised bowlers, despite the Australia’s boasting a fearsome looking bowling attack themselves.

The Baggy Greens, ranked the number one ODI side in the world, have Brett Lee, James Pattinson, Pat Cummins and Ben Hilfenhaus in their squad for the five-match series, all of whom are expected to start.

England are currently on a six-series winning run on home soil and Anderson says he is keen to make sure that record continues against the old enemy.

“Every time you play against Australia, it’s a big series,” the 29-year-old told BBC Radio Lancashire.

“We always hate losing to them and they’re the number one one-day side in the world at the moment.

“It’s a really good test for us because we’ve been playing some really good one-day cricket in England.”

England (10/11 first ODI, Aus 10/11 in the match betting with bet365) will start the series at Lord’s before moving on to the Oval, Edgbaston, Chester-le-Street and Old Trafford for the rest of the fixtures.

Warne forecasts Aussie success

Shane Warne has predicted that Australia will beat England in the one-day international series between the teams (England 10/11 Australia 10/11 To Win Series Outright with bet365).

The two teams square off in a five-game series starting at Lord’s on Friday (England 10/11, Australia 10/11 – Match Odds with bet365) and Australia warmed up for the encounter with a 179-run win over Essex at Chelmsford on Tuesday.

England go into the series having recorded two comfortable victories over the West Indies recently and they named an unchanged 14-man squad to take on the Aussies, who are ranked as the world number one.

The former Aussie star Warne has written in the Telegraph that he predicts Australia will be too strong for England in the series which he claims can send a real message ahead of next summer’s Ashes.

Warne reckons Australia possess a “strong” batting line-up and has hailed the starting pair of David Warner and Shane Watson as dangerous weapons, while the likes of Michael Clarke, David Hussey and Mathew Wade can all contribute big runs for the tourists.

When speaking about the bowling attack, Warne has pinpointed the young combination of James Pattinson and Pat Cummins as “super-exciting fast bowlers” who can cause massive problems for England.

“In my opinion there is a lot more for Australia to gain from these five matches than England,” he said. “I actually think Australia will win this series.

“I just sense they might under-estimate this Australia team of young players. I also believe this Australian team will give England something to think about before the Ashes next summer in England.”

Bell confident of more ODI success

Ian Bell believes he can be Kevin Pietersen’s long-term successor at the top of the England batting order following his match-winning innings against West Indies (2nd ODI Top team batsman 3/1).

The Warwickshire batsman was the hero in the first one-day international at the Ageaus Bowl on Saturday, hitting a stylish 126 as England cruised to a 114-run victory.

It was only Bell’s second ton in a stop-start ODI career. He now has an opportunity to establish himself in the side following Pietersen’s shock retirement.

The 30-year-old is confident he can build on his promising innings and become a success in the shorter form of the game.

“Hopefully I can have more days like this in the future. I believe I’m a better player now than I was the last time I was at the top of the order with England,” said Bell.

“I’ve enjoyed the success with the Test matches so hopefully I can take that confidence into one-day cricket now.”

England move on to the Kia Oval on Tuesday looking to wrap up the three-match series (To Win outright 1/5).

Captain Alastair Cook is unlikely to make any changes to the team, with the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Jade Dernbach made to wait patiently on the sidelines.

Barath handed Windies recall

Adrian Barath has replaced fellow opener Kieran Powell in West Indies‘ 13-man squad for the final two ODIs against Australia (4/9 – To Win The Match, West Indies 7/4 with Bet365) in St. Lucia.

The 21-year-old, who has been beset by injuries recently, announced his return to form and made himself hard to ignore by smashing a century for Trinidad and Tobago in their first-class match against Guyana at Port of Spain last week.

Barath, who played the last of his 12 ODIs for West Indies against India in December 2011, batted for more than six hours in making 114 in T&T’s first innings.

Powell has been left out after making 8, 0 and 12 in the first three ODIs of the five-match series, which is currently locked at 1-1 after the thrilling tie at St Vincent on Monday.

Marlon Samuels (4/1 Top West Indies Batsman) and Dwayne Bravo (6/1) were the only batsmen to make any significant runs as the home side chased 221 to win, with captain Darren Sammy‘s late innings of 35 almost getting them home, before a calamitous last-over run out (16/1 Sammy).

Australia are expected to be unchanged for the match with Mike Hussey (5/1 Top Australia Batsman), George Bailey (11/2) and David Warner (10/3) all among the runs on Monday.