Ed Hawkins has worked in national newspapers for 11 years, the last six of them as a cricket correspondent in two spells at the Racing Post with a brief soujourn at the defunct The Sportsman in between.

He has built a reputation as shrewd student of the game thanks to memorable tipping feats like a 90 per cent profit on the most recent World Cup in the Caribbean and regular myth-busting columns.

He rates Yuvraj Singh and Shahid Afridi as his favourite players in the world game, although for differing reasons. Yuvraj because he is so often underrated on the markets and Afridi for consistently failing to live up to an overblown reputation.

• 1st ODI Betting: South Africa v England
• Twenty20 Betting: South Africa v England
• T20 Betting: England can win one from two in the right conditions
• Fifth ODI Betting: India have the strength to push on for series victory