/ Jaymes Monte / 17 June 2009 /

Life has a tendency to throw up awkward situations, some of them more trivial than others, but the consequences of these situations can often be greater than expected.

Casually walking along the street, I spotted an, shall we say acquaintance, about 50 yards ahead of me on the opposite side of the road walking in the same direction. Now it's not that I dislike this guy, I just really have nothing of interest to say to him nor is there much I'd like to hear from his mouth.

Then, out of the blue, he crosses the road. Unsubstantiated, unreasonable panic comes across me but in a split second of clarity I stop mid walk, crouch down and begin untying then re-tying my shoe laces. 'Crisis averted' I assure myself, a quick scan up ahead and said acquaintance is not to be seen, a little self-congratulatory smile creeps across my face.

I continue with my journey quite merrily, safe in the knowledge that I have done my good deed for the day. Be assured that this was not a selfish deed, I have every confidence that said acquaintance would not want to catch my eye and be caught up in awkward small talk either. Then without warning he walks out of the shop no more than ten paces in front of me. Time to employ the slow walk, but my man ahead has an unhealthily slow walk too. This is getting desperate.

I cannot recall what happened next, but for the sake of five minutes of 'any plans for the weekend?' and 'the weather has been nice'; I ended up on a number seven bus in the complete opposite direction and consequently 30 minutes late for meeting my missus, for which I am still feeling the repercussions.

Three selections not to avoid this week...

Bet 1: Football - Confederations Cup

A meaningless tournament used by the FIFA hierarchy to massage their egos and put a little extra cash in the coffers. Or a welcome spectacle in an otherwise barren spell of top class football. Whatever your opinion of FIFA's Confederations Cup, Mr Blatter has somehow convinced the participating nations to send their strongest available squads and it promises to be an interesting tournament.

I can only assume that for supporters of the world's premier clubs, the sight of their star players participating in an arguably meaningless tournament at the end of a long hard season cannot be a welcome one. The final is to be played on the 28th June, leaving most players with just one month rest period before pre-season gets into full flow. Is that enough time for players coming off the back of a sixty games season? I guess time will tell.

On the plus side, it does provide us with some useful betting opportunities and the joys of Garth Crooks on our TV screens. It took a last-minute penalty for Brazil to beat Egypt 4-3 on Monday with some decidedly dodgy defending from both sides. The Italians won't make the same defensive mistakes as Brazil did, and should win this one comfortably.

Selection 1: Back Italy to beat Egypt @ [1.65]

Bet 2: Cricket - Twenty20 World Cup

What a tournament it has been; we've seen shocks (see Netherlands), we've seen batting master classes (see Chris Gayle), we've seen bowling records smashed (see Umar Gul) and we are guaranteed to have a new champion crowned come Sunday evening. And there are still two semi-finals and a final to come!

Whether it's been Pakistan's fielding, Chris Gayle's glasses, Paul Collingwood's captaincy or India's in-fighting, there has certainly been no shortage of talking points throughout the tournament. One glance towards the members area at Lord's will tell you that even the most hardened of traditionalists are starting to warm to the Twenty20 format of the game. And undoubtedly this tournament has proved that Twenty20 has been a success in its main aim in creation; attracting new fans to the game.

T20's appeal lies in its fast pace, potential to change on the turn of a ball or the swing of a bat and principally, its often unpredictable nature. However, there have been two constants throughout this tournament; Sri Lanka's superb bowling and South Africa's all round outstanding performances.

Both sides have been set challenges of varying difficulty throughout the tournament and have passed all tests with flying colours. They can both continue their unbeaten records until the final where one of them will lift the trophy.

Selection 2: Back South Africa to beat Pakistan @ [1.65]
Selection 3: Back Sri Lanka to beat West Indies @ [1.75]

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