Sixth ODI Betting: Australia v England

ODI preview / Ed Hawkins / 01 February 2011 /

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Andrew Strauss has struggled with the bat

"Shaun Tait could return at the expense of Doug Bollinger while Tim Paine may also get a game, batting at No 3"

Ed Hawkins discusses the betting options for the dead rubber in Sydney on Wednesday morning

Team news
England's injury list is growing at about the same rate as fear about their World Cup chances. Ajmal Shahzad (hamstring) joins Chris Tremlett (side strain), Tim Bresnan (calf), Graeme Swann (knee) and Stuart Broad (stomach) on the treatment table.

Liam Plunkett has had to be flown in from the Caribbean where he was on tour with the England A side. But he won't arrive until the final match of the tour.

If Shahzad and Tremlett are not fit, Steven Finn and Chris Woakes will again team up with James Anderson with James Tredwell, Luke Wright or Michael Yardy providing a bowling option.

Australia are unlikely to be unchanged from the side that claimed the series in Brisbane.
Shaun Tait could return at the expense of Doug Bollinger while Tim Paine may also get a game, batting at No 3.

Venue and conditions
The SCG surface proved to be a sluggish one when the sides met in the third one-day international. Expect more of the same. England could only manage 214 batting first and that total gives a first-innings average of 254 in the last 10 games.

Australia, of course, won that match quite comfortably although they bucked a trend in doing so, becoming only the fourth side in 15 day-nighters at the venue to successfully chase.

Match odds
It is far from ideal that the series is over because if there is one thing bettors do not like punting on, it is a dead rubber. With the series wrapped up, Australia are [1.83] for a fifth win to keep them on course for a repeat of the 6-1 hammering they dished out to England the last time the sides met.

England are [2.18] and with their injury problems worsening you won't find much positivity here. They look jaded and ready for the plane home. A trade might be the only option - especially with the toss bias.

Top batsman
Jonathan Trott and David Hussey were the top runscorers for the teams in the previous meeting on the ground. Trott is [4.90] for a repeat with Hussey [5.20]. Kevin Pietersen, who has slammed the crazy scheduling of the series might have decided he's had enough and can be laid at [5.80].

Featured market
One of the main reasons for England's poor performance in this series is their failure to get off to good starts with the bat. Their opening partnerships read: 20/23/1/12/90. And the 90 came when Andrew Strauss was paired with Steve Davies.

But Davies was cruelly jettisoned by England for Matt Prior and the scheme has badly backfired. Strauss and Prior are averaging only 14 together with Prior managing 87 runs in four innings. Strauss has just 116 in five.

It means we should keep our eyes out for a lay of England's first-wicket runs. At the moment you can back 40 or more for [2.00] so it might be worth asking to lay at around the [3.00] mark. You may also be able to lay 30 or more for around [2.50].

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