Cricket Betting: Australia vs Pakistan 2nd Test Preview
Australia continued their revival with a win at the Gabba over Pakistan in the first Test, although it wasn’t as easy as it looked. Now as the teams move to Melbourne for the 2016 Boxing Day Test at the MCG, Australia set their eyes on a series-winning victory. The Big Bash running parallel shouldn’t take anything away from this traditional clash
Are Australia Getting Back on Track?
Australia recovered from the mauling at the hands of South Africa by winning two consecutive Tests with the pink-ball against South Africa and Pakistan. The introduction of new faces definitely helped with Matt Renshaw looking solid at the top and Peter Handscomb belying concerns over his technique with runs.
Steve Smith also seems to continue his love affair with Test runs, which means only Nic Maddinson is the odd-man out. The youngster could make way for Hilton Cartwright at MCG, where his bowling duties would help share the workload of their premier bowlers.
Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc did a lot of bowling at the Gabba, but look good enough to carry on. Nathan Lyon will be under spotlight, especially since the track at Melbourne suits him.
Can Pakistan address their first-innings blues?
Clearly, it was Pakistan’s poor first-innings debacle that eventually caused their downfall and they will want to address that at MCG. Sami Aslam looked okay although he struggled to make contributions of note. The poor form of Misbah-ul-Haq didn’t help their cause either.
Asad Shafiq looked in sparkling touch, while Sarfraz Ahmed will be asked to score more than the usual 30-40 he does. With the ball, the combination of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz can allow Pakistan a potent edge.
Pakistan will think hard over inclusion of a right-arm seamer in the place of Rahat Ali, while Yasir Shah will hope to come good at a more favorable MCG. Misbah may also look at adding a spinning all-rounder to the playing XI to get more bowling options.
Boxing Day Odds
Australia still hold the edge in the betting market and that confidence isn’t misplaced. Although Pakistan found a way to stretch the first Test, their inconsistency is a huge problem. As such, backing Australia to win the match at is the pick we will be going with.
Tip: Australia to win Boxing Day Test – $1.40 at Sportsbet
Hazlewood is fast becoming the leader of the attack and his consistent performances give the hosts an edge. We like the look of him to be the best bowler.
Tip: Josh Hazlewood Most Wickets Australia – $3.25 at Sportsbet
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