Fright Night: England v New Zealand Twenty20

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
England v New Zealand

Here at Bodog HQ if there’s a tangent we’ll find it, in fact there are more angles knocking around here than in a trigonometry handbook. Today may be Friday 13th but let’s hope there’s nothing scary or unlucky about it for England’s cricketers as they square up to the Kiwis (again) for the Twenty20 International match at Old Trafford. 

After this the five One Day Internationals will really kick off, in fact the last few meetings that the gruesome twosome (collectively speaking!) had at the ODIs meant the Kiwis walked away with a 3-1 victory.  So there will be lots for England to prove, captain Paul Collingwood will probably feel the pinch more than most as he only scored 32 runs …

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England v New Zealand: Celebrate Our Sporting Heroes

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
England v All Blacks

The mind boggles when it comes to the types of injuries sportsmen have to endure for the love of their game. We’re not talking a bit of ankle sprain or man-flu. Just honest to goodness face grimacing injuries that wouldn’t go amiss in a Jet Li flick!

Aye there’s method in our madness and we’ll get there in the end! We refer of course to this weekend’s rugby action when England takes on the All Blacks in Auckland. 

Mike Tindall is back on the squad to play in first test match since his Six Nations injury. He landed on the boot of Wales winger Mark Jones and get this, punctured his lung, was left with a hole in his liver and …

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Andrew Strauss Gets Political

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
Andrew Strauss Gets Political

Here at Bodog you could call us a bit of an old-fashioned bunch. We’re creatures of habit, we know what we want and we know where to get it. We like what we like and we know what we know…blah de blah. Not that we’re saying we can’t be unpredictable because we can, it’s just that if we want a footballer say, we want him to shut his gob and get on with the game instead of gassing on about fashion or some such subject.

Of course there are exceptions when the boundaries get a bit blurred and we have to make allowances for what we hear. Take sportsmen  turning their hand to something else, like opening restaurants or fashion lines. …

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Vaughan´s England Strike Fools Gold

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
Michael Vaughn And Kevin Peterson

Amusing to hear Michael Vaughan label England´s Test win over New Zealand as a "special victory". Yeah right. About as special as Gulliver emerging as MVP in a Lilliputt basketball competition.

New Zealand are pony, everyone realises that except the smirking Vaughan and his cronies. The very fact that someone as limited as Vaughan has held onto the captaincy, let alone his position in the batting order, is a decent guide as to the state of English cricket.

In betting terms the England skipper is known as a “flat-track bully”. The type of player who roughs up inferior opposition but is nowhere to be seen when the big boys come out to play.

A six-wicket haul from Monty Panesar and a century …

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Harbhajan Singh Slapped With 5 ODI Ban

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
Harbhajan Singh Gets 5 ODI Ban

The news is in, the report has been written by Sudhir Nanavati and “obnoxious little weed” Harbhajan Singh’s fate has been sealed. He’s full of tantrums and school yard name-calling. He slaps other players with the panache of a Japanese school girl but not anymore!

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) slapped him with a  five One Day International (ODI) ban. That will be the last time he gets fresh with his fist like he did on fellow cricketer Sree Santh.

The Disciplinary Committee of the BCCI, comprising President Sharad Pawar, President-Elect Shashank Manohar, and Vice-President Chirayu Amin said that Harbhajan will miss the upcoming tri-series in Bangladesh and two matches of the Asia Cup in Pakistan.

Singh had tried …

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Ready, Freddie? No…

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
Freddie Flintoff

Andrew Flintoff was in fine form last week as he discussed the prospects of making an international return with England. “I definitely feel I could play a Test match now,” he told one of the tabloid newspapers.

Brilliant news! Or so we all thought. Because just a day later, it turned out that ‘Freddie’ couldn’t play a Test match at all. Not just yet, anyway – a side strain (whatever that is, it all sounds very feeble to us. Is like a bit of an ache?) ruled him out of England’s squad against New Zealand. Boooooo, we all thought.

Should Flintoff, after an injury-ravaged past year and almost countless ankle operations, have been recalled immediately to the team? Damn right he …

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What A Total Slapper!

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
Harbhajan Singh

No one likes cry baby. But this is exactly what "obnoxious little weed" Harbhajan Singh is becoming. When he’s not whingeing and mouthing off he’s stamping his feet. His last exploit in loss of control on the pitch involved Sree Santh and led to an 11 match ban for the duration of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

But it seems that Singh has seen the light and is remorseful - or bored. As such he has lodged an appeal with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Which probably went something like this: "Honest Guvs I’ve seen the error of me ways, my slapping days are behind me, I can change - promise. On me Great Aunt Meena’s life. …

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IPL Tossing Balls?

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
IPL Season Update

For a tournament that climaxes at a place called Wankhede stadium this Indian Premier League has been anything but a load of old toss. Sixes and bouncers galore, punch-ups, thrilling run chases, the IPL has made for some outstanding viewing since it got underway in mid April.

Pick of the action on the field thus far for me has been the performances of three Aussie batsmen. In a game where an innings lasts no more than 120 balls the sight of Adam Gilchrist, Michael Hussey and Andrew Symonds notching 100s has been nothing short of sensational.

The tournament has had plenty of controversy as well with Harbhajan Singh handed an 11-match ban by the Indian Premier League for slapping fellow India star …

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Harbhajan Singh Gets 11-match Ban For Slapping!

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
Harbhajan Singh Slapping

Remember when Australia’s Matthew Hayden called Harbhajan Singh an "obnoxious little weed?" Well it looks like he could have been right all along. Oh yes there was lots of name-calling perfect for the school yard. Singh even called Australia’s Andrew Symonds a monkey during the second Test in Sydney in January. He was cleared of racial abuse, but his added misbehaviour and tantrum-throwing has come back to haunt him.

The 27 year-old spinner has been given a 11-match ban by the Indian Premier League after slapping fellow India player Sree Santh (and making him cry!) in last friday’s game against Kings XI Punjab. This could be curtains for Singh unless his team the Mumbai Indians get to the semis. A remorseful …

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FA Clamps Down On Scammers

by Bodog Beat News Ticker,
FA Clamps Down On Scammers

Alright so the missus is having a moan about the footy being on the telly, so you get your coat and sort yourself out with a couple of pints, a bag of pork scratchings and a nice comfy seat in front of the ‘Big Screen’ at the pub. You might even get your mates down but to be honest you don’t care either way as long as you get to see the game. But does it ever cross your mind where it came from? We may all assume that it’s case of setting up an account with Sky and Bob’s your uncle?

Well apparently not and the FA are clamping down on dodgy companies taking their live games and televising them …

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