ODI preview / Ed Hawkins / 26 June 2010 / 1

English battles with old rivals will be a feature on Sunday. Can the cricketers inflict pain on Australia at Old Trafford for a third consecutive game? Ed Hawkins has the answer

Team news
With seven consecutive one-day victories, England are basking in a new light. Not since the late 1980s and early 1990s have they been so highly regarded. With that in mind, it would be churlish in to discuss team changes for the third one-day international against Australia.

England have managed three consecutive victories over Australia in an ODI series only three times since 1997. If they are to add to the tally they could consider dropping James Anderson, who was expensive at the Rose Bowl, for Ajmal Shahzad but that would be harsh in the extreme.

Instead it will be Australia who make changes. Nathan Hauritz is out of the tour with a foot injury. Shaun Tait has been called up as a replacement. There are injury doubts about Ryan Harris (groin).

Venue and conditions
Old Trafford has not been the happiest of hunting grounds for England in 50-over matches. Granted they beat India there in 2007, but Sri Lanka (twice), South Africa, Pakistan and Australia inflicted defeats before that.

The reason is that the Old Trafford wicket is difficult to make a judgement on a score - one of the 'old' England's great failings. A first-innings average of 206 in matches since 2000 reveals a wicket which gives assistance to bowlers but if a batting side can get to grips with it early on, then they can score well. Sri Lanka posted 318 in 2006.

With Australia having made 267 and 239 batting first in the two games so far, it would be reasonable to place wagers on the first-innings runs market of more than 250. The sun should be out and batting conditions will be at their best.

Match odds
Match odds markets can be slow to catch on to one team's superiority. However, it has taken only two cosy wins for bettors to recognise that England - [2.56] outsiders for the series before a ball was bowled -can be trusted.

The hosts are [1.93] for this one with Australia [2.06]. One could be forgiven for reckoning that the Aussies, who lost three on the spin as recently as April 2009 against South Africa, must surely bounce back.

They have not done a great deal wrong so far. In fact, if they can work out a way to get Eoin Morgan (he has top scored twice) out cheaply then it could be even steven. Perhaps Tait can help in that regard.

Winning the toss might help, too. Five of the last eight have been won by the chasing outfit and overall 21 from 36 have gone to the fielding-first team. The bias is not heavy enough to make it a pick 'em affair, but certainly Australia might be worth following if the flip goes their way.

Top batsman
Morgan, with 155 runs, and Cameron White, with 96, are the top two batters in the series. At [4.50] and [5.00] respectively you won't hear this correspondent admonishing you if you back either, especially after touting their skill in the preview for game one.

Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss have top-bat efforts in the last two games at the venue. That gives a clue to the type of batsman who could go well. Both are adept at finding gaps rather than making gaps in boundary hoardings. Colly is [5.00] and Strauss [3.75].

Ricky Ponting, who has 34 runs in two innings, needs a score. In his one Test at Old Trafford he amassed 163 runs. In his two ODI innings there, he has managed only 41.

Ed Hawkins says: back Australia if they chase

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1. Ed Hawkins | 26 June 2010

   Shahzad has been released from squad. Ryan Sidebottom is in contention to replace Michael Yardy (groin)

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