Cricket Betting: Australia vs Pakistan 1st ODI
Big Bash may be driving the craze down under but make no mistake, international cricket is still catches the eye amongst Australians. Australia and Pakistan continue their tussle with five ODI series set to start with the first match at Brisbane on Thursday, January 13.
Bar the whitewash they endured at the hands of South Africa, the World Champions Australia are a strong force in this format. Even in the recent Chappell-Hadlee trophy they looked invincible and ran the Kiwis ragged. With most of their ODI regulars also part of their Test series win, the Kangaroos should start as a confident unit.
That stems from the fact that in David Warner and Steve Smith they have two of the best batsmen in this format. Add to that the presence of Usman Khawaja at the top and it is a seriously scary line-up. Chris Lynn makes the side after his exploits in Big Bash and will be the one to watch out for in the final stages of the innings.
Josh Hazlewod is rested for the first match which means newcomer Billy Stanlake is in line for a debut. Pat Cummins looked lively with his pace as he looks to build his fitness and comeback to the side. But the trump card should be the leg-spin of Adam Zampa who’s fast becoming one of the best bowlers in this format.
Pakistan need to reboot… It’s easy to say but Pakistan need to flush out the poor performances in Test matches and reboot as quickly as they can. The ODI squad has some specialists flying in and there is enough experience too, to be a match for the Aussies.
Azhar Ali will be expected to bear the burden of scoring runs as well as revitalizing the side which may become tricky for him. Thankfully he has the experience of Shoaib Malik to fall back on. Keep an eye on Babar Azam who will look to bury the ghosts of Test matches. With the ball, the usual suspects Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir will look to trouble the hosts while Hasan Ali will be expected to bring control.
A look at the odds market tells you only one thing – forget a Pakistani win. An Aussie win is offered at odds of 1.25 (Ladbrokes) which may not offer value but is a very safe punt, on current form.
TIP: Australia to Win – $1.25 at Ladbrokes
Khawaja is one of those silent performers who loves doing his stuff and still remain in the background. His exploits in the longer format made sure that he replaces Aaron Finch at the top of the order. Back him to be the hosts’ top batter at odds of 4.0 (William Hill).
TIP: Khawaja top scorer for Australia – $4 at William Hill
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