The world’s most unpopular cricketer was seemingly out in the cold for good. Retiring from One Day cricket because “of the increasing demands on his body,” (roughly translated as “in order to maximise his bank account,”) it then emerged he sent derogatory texts to the touring South African team about his England team-mates. With his popularity in the wider cricketing fraternity at an all time low, he stayed out of the limelight for all of five minutes, until he emerged recently saying he is very sorry, and that he would like to play for England again “as soon as possible.” Now on a perplexing course of “reintegration” with the team, few can escape the fact he is an unbelievable batsman, who should be playing in an out-of-form national side. He’ll be back to his egotistical self soon enough.
Tipster’s odds: 1/5
Long shot – Northampton Saints to win the Aviva Premiership
Last season, the Saints reached the semi-finals before losing to eventual champions Harlequins. It was a strong season for the Franklin’s Gardens outfit, who as recently as 2008 were relegated to National Division One. Since coming back up to the top flight, they have won the LV= Cup, reached the final of the Heineken Cup and appeared in the Premiership semi-finals in 2011. In short, they are a club on the up. This season, they have played six and won five, including a handsome 24-6 victory over Wasps. They lost this weekend to London Irish but they are still top of the league. However, it is an incredibly strong league this season, and it is debatable whether they can maintain their lead with the likes of Leicester, Quins and Saracens breathing down their necks.
Tipster’s odds: 5/1
Absolute madness – San Marino to qualify for the World Cup in 2014
Played 113, won one, drawn five, lost 107. These are the woeful statistics of the San Marino national football team since their first ever match in 1990. They are currently the joint-worst national football team in the entire world alongside Bhutan and the Turks and Caicos Islands. To put that in perspective, Monserrat, effectively a deserted island after a volcano in 1995, is 26 places above them. Their only win came over Liechtenstein in 2004, and they once managed to draw with the Vatican City – a team full of priests. However, all is not lost for their dream of Rio 2014! They are currently NOT BOTTOM of Group H, Moldova having conceded one goal more. This meteoric rise up the table surely means one thing only: the beginning of a journey that will include convincing wins over England with leading all time scorer, 36 year old Andy Selva (eight goals in 55 games) netting hat-tricks all over the place. Definitely gonna happen.
Tipster’s odds: 10,000/1