take a punt on ponting

Ponting - should comfortably outscore Bell.

By Dave Tickner

It's a relatively quiet morning in the office, and I've been casually surfing various bookies' websites checking out the vast array of betting options available for this Ashes series.

And I reckon I've stumbled on a cracker at totesport.

They've priced up a series of 'match bets' between batsmen for the series, and odds of 1/2 about Ricky Ponting outscoring Ian Bell are just too good to pass up.

Now Ponting doesn't actually have the best of records against England. But that's inasmuch as he 'only' averages in the low 40s against the Poms rather than the high 50s against allcomers.

Bell may have bounced back in impressive style from last year's Ashes series, but the fact is he averaged only 17 in five matches against the old enemy, and both Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath look to have his number.

Bell was in imperious form against Pakistan in England, but a return to Australia seems to have seen old demons resurface.

Stuart Clark - the poor man's Glenn McGrath - dismissed him second ball in the tour match in Sydney. And it was a wicket that was all too familiar, with Bell nibbling at one outside the off stump and nicking to the keeper.

Indeed, Bell is far from certain to even play in Brisbane on November 23, while Ponting, arguably the world's best batsman and undoubtedly keen to right the wrongs of last summer, is nailed-on to play all five Tests barring injury.

And injury is the only way I can see him failing to land this bet, so get involved while the 1/2 is still available.