Win the Toss Betting Odds on South Africa vs England

As successful as Michael Vaughan has been as England captain, his record at winning the toss is abysmal. This series alone in South Africa alone, he has called heads each time only for it to be tails. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Vaughan's misfortune is not confined to this series. He has won the toss only six times in 22 Tests, making him the least successful England captain of modern times, with a success rate of 27.3% (Sunday Times Jan 9th). Whilst losing the toss in the first and second Tests didn't prove damaging, losing in the third game was disastrous. Neither team wanted to bowl first in the Cape Test having only a couple of days earlier been involved in a gruelling five-day game. Having been so unsuccessfully in anticipating which side the coin will fall, Michael Vaughan is now strongly considering asking another member of his team to fulfil this particular duty. According to cricket law, there is no rule not allowing this. For those who take a particular interest in the coin toss, the odds makes are giving both sides an equal chance of winning. Perhaps if Vaughan is seen walking out before play, the best bet would be on the hosts winning the toss for a fourth game in a row. However, if another member of the England team is charged with calling heads or tails, the hope for the visitors winning would be significantly increased. This is of course very much a red or black type of bet, and so anyone thinking of a bet on this particular market should proceed cautiously.