What are the odds Edwin van der Sar goes out in style at the Champions League final? Find out here - Derek McGovern's Bets of the Day

By Derek McGovern in Betting Blog

Published 23:13 25/05/11

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Edwin van der Sar has played a crucial role in helping Manchester United to the title this season. Mostly by keeping Tomasz Kuszczak out of the side.

After playing understudy to the Dutchman for the last six years, Kuszczak is now seeking another club, one that won’t utilise his skills by keeping him gloved up on a bench.

David de Gea has been hailed as the new Van der Sar, which has thrilled everyone at Old Trafford, including the old Van der Sar. Everyone except Kuszczak.

Whether it is a good idea to sign De Gea, 20, remains to be seen.

Fergie ­squandered £4.5million on Massimo Taibi, who played four games for the club before being jettisoned after a series of blunders.

Bet365 are betting on Van der Sar’s last game for United.

They offer 25-1 he saves a penalty and 5-2 he keeps a clean sheet.

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England's cricketers go in to this summer series against Sri Lanka and India with a chance of becoming the No.1 Test team in the world by the end of it.

I never thought I’d ever be writing that sentence in my lifetime – or anyone else’s for that matter.

Kevin Pietersen is back in the fold after recovering from a double hernia operation, which he believes was caused by picking up a quick single.

The customary way a doctor checks to see whether you’re suffering from a hernia or not is by getting you to cough while he fixes a tight grip on your privates.

My doctor gets me to pay the bill by exactly the same method. Sri Lanka, England’s ­opponents today, have been severely weakened by the retirements of spin king Muttiah ­Muralitharan and fast bowler Lasith Malinga.

Muralitharan is the leading wicket-taker in Test history. Where he takes them to I’ve no idea.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers have reportedly had trouble adapting to the conditions.

Getting a decent place to stay in Cardiff is no easy task.

I recall a nasty experience at a Cardiff hotel some years back. I asked a porter at reception to check me out. He just looked me up and down and said, ‘Yes, not bad at all.’

Two bets appeal: 888Sport’s offer of 5-1 about Pietersen scoring a ton in the First Test and William Hill’s best price of 17-10 about the draw.

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The success of Countdown is ­something of a conundrum.

The show appeals to an older crowd, the type who can’t really tell the ­difference between a coronary and an orgasm, apart from the fact that coronary has two more letters.

Presenter Jeff Stelling is leaving the show because he wants to concentrate on his Sky Sports football show, where next to Paul Merson and Chris Kamara he comfortably has the highest IQ in the studio, closely followed by the hat stand.

Nobody in football has a bad word to say about Stelling but if they did it would quite likely be a four-letter one.

The next presenter of the ­institutional show, played in every old people’s institution, is likely to be Alexander Armstrong, the actor whose finest work to date has been that Pimms advert.

Armstrong is the 3-1 favourite with Hills although Ladbrokes have Terry Wogan as their 3-1 jolly.

Richard Madeley is also a possible successor to Stelling at 10-1.

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BET OF THE DAY

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