New Zealand beat Bangladesh

Daily Result: £62.39

Well I guess there's no real surprise at the result. Maybe at the size - New Zealand beat Bangladesh by 9 wickets - but with the price as short as 1.06 before the off I guess you could say the actual result was in little doubt.

Still didn't stop me from having a cheeky lay of New Zealand to start with though. Unlikely as it was to be profitable it wasn't the biggest of lays and was easily reversible. As it happens Bangladesh got off to an ok start. The run rate was always a little on the low side but for a long time they kept wickets in hand, a half decent total was on the cards, and the New Zealand price even drifted a little.

For the second match in a row though Bangladesh collapsed - this time going from 3 for 122 to 9 for 140! An unexpected last wicket partnership saw them to 174 but it was never going to be enough and New Zealand knocked the runs off with ease in under 30 overs with Fleming making an unbeaten 102.

Tomorrow serves up another short-priced mismatch. Ireland v South Africa. Today's 1.04 about South Africa is no longer available and they're now a best priced 1.03 on Betfair. Hope they bat first I guess so at least we can have a play on the innings runs market. The trouble with both that, and the handicap markets, is the liquidity just isn't the same.

I don't begrudge Ireland or Bangladesh their places in the Super 8s. They got there on merit. Pakistan and India, the two teams everyone expected to be there instead of them, simply didn't deserve to progress. Of course, the problem is we're now being left with very short-priced non-competitive matches which don't make for the best trading. Or, indeed, viewing. It's all a bit annoying but ultimatley fair enough. You never know, we may get another upset, but the reality is give me another suitable sporting event to trade and I'm switching channels.