Australia vs. West Indies, First Test

The Australian side to play the West Indies in the first Test in Brisbane starting today has been named:

Ricky Ponting (c), Shane Watson, Simon Katich, Michael Hussey, Michael Clarke, Marcus North, Brad Haddin, Michael Johnson, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle, Ben Hilfenhaus. 12th man: Doug Bollinger.

• Head-to-head the two nations have played each other in 105 Tests with Australia winning 50 of those matches and the West Indies 32. Of the remaining fixtures, 22 draws have resulted as well as 1 tie.

• Of the 23 Test series played Australia has won 13, the West Indies 8 and there have been 2 draws. Of the past six Tests, Australia has won 5, as well as 14 of the past 16.

• In the past 10 years the West Indies have only defeated Australia on one occasion - the fourth and final Test of the 2003 series in the Caribbean. Australia have won the past four series, and six of the past seven.

At The Gabba, Brisbane
• Australia have won their past five Tests.
  
• Australia are undefeated at the Gabba in their past 20 Tests, winning five and drawing five. They last lost at the Gabba in 1988, against West Indies.
  
  
West Indies At The Gabba
• Tests played 11; Australia won 5; West Indies won 2; 2 draws; 1 tie
• Australia and West Indies played the first tied Test in history at the Gabba, in the first Test of the 1960-1961

Going into this first Test of the Summer, it is very hard to see anything but another Australian victory, and unsurprisingly TAB Sportsbet has installed Australia has firm $1.22 favourites compared to the $13 West Indies. A draw is paying $5.50.

The match is scheduled to begin at 10:00am.

Betting jargon explained #20

Cover - To bet the spread by the required number of points. If such occurs you have "covered the spread."

Barclays Premiership action

In the latest round of the Barclays Premiership, the game of the week is without doubt the clash between Liverpool ($1.95) and Manchester City ($3.70) at Anfield.While Liverpool have lost 5 matches already this season, manager Rafael Benitez is confident they can bounce back and chase down the League table leaders after the Christmas break. Their greatest handicap has been the ongoing injuries to key front line players, and while Steven Gerard is expected to return this weekend they will be once again without the services of Fernando Torres.

Manchester City manager Mark Hughes has returned from a two week trip to Abu Dhabi after meeting with the club owner Sheikh Mansour, and the pressure will no doubt be on him to achieve victory after his £200 million team's 5 successive draws.

In the other matches Chelsea ($1.12) are expected to continue their winning ways when they play host to the Wolverhampton Wanderers ($19.00) at Stamford Bridge, while Manchester United ($1.33) will have similar expectations when they face Everton ($8.50) at Old Trafford. Everton has been ordinary this season but Manchester United's defence has been worse conceding twelve goals already. A draw ($4.50) is not likely. Everton's manager David Moyes is a very organised and smart operator so fellow countryman Sir Alex Ferguson will have to give due respect to Everton this weekend.

Betting jargon explained #19

Commingling - Commingling is the process whereby one totalisator organisation (bookmaker) combines its wagering pool with another, e.g. the NSW TAB combining with the QLD TAB.

Algeria vs. Egypt World Cup Qualifier

On Thursday bitter rivals Algeria and Egypt will clash in a sudden-death playoff for a spot in the Football World Cup finals, and if the previous fixture in Cairo is anything to go by, expect there to be plenty of fireworks.

In that match, needing to beat the Group C leaders by two clear goals at home, Egypt recorded a famous last gasp 2-0 win five minutes into stoppage time. The result meant that both Egypt and Algeria finished tied on points, goal difference, goals scored and head-to-head records sending the fixture into a sudden-death playoff.

In addition to the events on the field, the match will also be remembered for the scenes that followed in its aftermath including rioting in the Algerian capital Algiers, and French port city of Marseilles and incidents in and around Cairo itself where 12 Egyptians and 20 Algerians were injured - some of the latter being wounded after their bus was stoned. Such behaviour is a continuation of the event's that took place on Thursday, when the Algerian team bus was attacked by Egyptian youths.

The deciding match will played at the neutral venue of Sudan. Head to head TAB Sportsbet (NSW) has Egypt has $2 favourites ahead of the $3.50 Algerians, while a draw after 90 minutes is paying $3.50. Other betting markets on the match include Correct Score, Half time/Full time double, Half-time result, 1st Half correct score, and Total Goals Over/Under (normal time).

Betting jargon explained #18

Buy (Points) - In sports betting, a player pays an additional price to receive half a point or more in his favour on a point spread game.

Betting jargon explained #17

Buck - A sports betting term for a $100 wager.

All Whites vs. Bahrain - One Shot for Glory

This Saturday night, Wellington's Westpac Stadium will be full to capacity as the New Zealand All Whites take on Bahrain in their do-or-die clash for Football World Cup qualification.

After the first-leg of the two leg play-off in Manama ended in a 0-0 draw both sides go into the match with it all to play for. For Bahrain, thanks to the away goals rule, a score-draw would be enough to see them through, but such a result is far from a certainty.

Buoyed by 35,500 screaming Kiwis (the largest ever football crowd in New Zealand), the All Whites will be a formidable opponent for the 5th placed Asian qualifier. Furthermore, the predicted weather conditions for Saturday night's match (a brisk 11 degrees) couldn't be more different to what the Bahranian side will be used to.

The New Zealand TAB has the All Whites as narrow $2.40 head-to-head favourites ahead of Bahrain at $2.70. While a draw after 90 minutes is paying $3.20. There are also a raft of other special markets on offer including Half time/Full time double, Half-time result, 1st team to score, Time of 1st goal, Total goals in match, Goal Start. Exact Score, Winning team & Method, Number of corners, Double Chance, Penalty in match, NZ to score and/or Bahrain to score.

In other upcoming World Cup qualifiers this weekend, Greece ($2.05) takes on the Ukraine ($3.30); Portugal ($1.37) takes on Bosnia-Herzegovina ($8.25), the Republic of Ireland ($2.70) plays France ($2.40); and Russia ($1.35) meets Slovenia ($9.00).

Tiger out to break Oz duck

World Number 1 golfer Tiger Woods arrived in Melbourne earlier this week ahead Thursday's JBWere Australian Masters at the Kingston Heath Golf Club in Heatherton, Victoria.

Woods, who is only played in 3 previous events in Australia - the 1996 Australian Open, 1997 Masters at Huntingdale, and most recently the 1998 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne, is yet to record to a win on Australian soil and is determined to break the duck.

While Woods comes into the event in solid but not startling form, having placed sixth at the World Golf Championships tournament in Shanghai, TAB Sportsbet has installed the American as $2.50 favourite in the early stages of betting. Other golfers who could challenge Tiger include Geoff Ogilvy ($10), Adam Scott ($15), Michael Sim ($17), Aaron Baddeley ($21), John Senden ($21), Rod Pampling ($23), Matthew Goggin ($26) and Stuart Appleby ($34).

Further to the usual markets, TAB Sportsbet will also be offering the options of Top 5, Top 10 and Top Australian as well as daily features including 3 Balls for the first two days of the tournament and 2 Balls for the weekend along with special markets for Tiger Woods.

Betting jargon explained #16

Boxed Quinella - The easiest and most popular way to take a Quinella (the first two finishers). You pick three, four, five or more runners and by boxing them, you buy all possible combinations of those horses coming first and second. The more runners the greater the cost, e.g. at $1 per combination: three runners boxed = $3, four runners boxed = $6, five runners boxed = $10.

Boxed Trifecta - The same as above, except this time you buy all possible combinations of the chosen horses come first, second and third.

Shocking - big support for Lexus Stakes winner

Following on from Saturday's dominant showing in the Group III at Flemmington, Lexus Stakes winner Shocking has had his odds slashed from $26 to $12 for the Melbourne Cup and is thus far the best supported runner since Saturday night's barrier draw.

However that being said, the horse that defeated Shocking at two of his three prior starts, Alcopop ($5.50) remains the backers elect favourite, slightly ahead last year's Cup winner Viewed ($5.60). Also amongst the favourites is another from the Cummings' stable, Roman Emperor, solid in the Final Field Market at $9.40.

Other horses worth a look include Danny O'Brien's remaining hope, Master O'Reilly ($15); Daffodil ($18) and Basaltico ($44).