Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series

[kevshat]

After the whitewash of England in the test series, Pakistan now host England in 4 ODI's and 3 T20's over the remainder of the month, out in the UAE like in the test series. As with the test matches all the games are live on Sky and with England under fire there should be even more betting opportunities than normal. Schedule: [TABLE=width: 630]

[TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%]Mon Feb 13 11:00 GMT | 15:00 local 11:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 1st ODI - England v Pakistan Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Wed Feb 15 11:00 GMT | 15:00 local 11:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 2nd ODI - England v Pakistan Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sat Feb 18 11:00 GMT | 15:00 local 11:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 3rd ODI - England v Pakistan Dubai International Cricket Stadium [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Tue Feb 21 11:00 GMT | 15:00 local 11:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 4th ODI - England v Pakistan Dubai International Cricket Stadium [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Thu Feb 23 16:00 GMT | 20:00 local 16:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 1st T20I - England v Pakistan Dubai International Cricket Stadium [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sat Feb 25 16:00 GMT | 20:00 local 16:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 2nd T20I - England v Pakistan Dubai International Cricket Stadium [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Mon Feb 27 16:00 GMT | 20:00 local 16:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 3rd T20I - England v Pakistan Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[Lancey]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Shahid Afridi top Pakistan series bowler 4pts win 7/2 Bet Victor I wish I'd have posted this up earlier in the week - Afridi was 4/1 with Sportingbet, but at 7/2 and even 10/3 with Tote, Fred and Hills I think Afridi's worth backing. England's problems dealing with quality spin bowling are obvious and in Afridi, they will be facing a man who has an excellent track record against them in similar types of conditions this series will be played in. He has a total of only 31 wickets in 22 ODIs at a strike rate of 31 against England, but that doesn't tell the whole story. In subcontinental conditions, this record reads 15 wickets in 8 ODIs at a strike rate of just below 26. OK, this series isn't taking place in Pakistan (or Sharjah where Afridi has played against England previously), but we've already seen how the wickets play and that they have suited both spin and a spinner who bowls the ball a little faster. Afridi is a man close to the top of his game, ranked 14 in the ICC ODI bowler lists, having achieved his highest rating in December last year, was joint-leading Pakistan wicket taker in 2010 with 19 (Shoaib Ahktar was the other) and was second in the world in 2011 with 45, some 11 in front of his nearest team mate, Saeed Ajmal. Having witnessed the whitewas in the Test series from afar, he will be keen to re-state his position as the star man of the one day team. Anything north of 3/1 would be perfectly acceptable for a sizable bet for me.

[Tyler]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Three outrights for me: - 4pts Pakistan to win the ODI series @ 11/10 [Ladbrokes] England have won 12 of their last 38 matches in this format of the game. Four of those wins came against Bangladesh and Netherlands. Pakistan have won 12 of their last 13 matches. England's form away from home has been very dodgy. They got absolutely marked last year when they went away to India and I see a very confident Pakistan doing a very similar thing over the next format. Pietersen will open the batting which i don't overly agree with. That will put Kieswetter down at number 5 or 6 in conditions he's never played in before? Right. Morgan Buttler, Patel, Bopara will make up the middle order and there is a lot of inexperience and bad form there for me. Dernbach hasn't quite proven himself for me yet either. The more experienced players are going to have to step up if England are ever going to get anything from this series and well, lets take KP for example, he hasn't scored above 80 in an ODI since November 2008. Pakistan for me. - 2pts Top Pakistan bowler: Shahid Afridi @ 7/2 [betVictor] Completely echoing Lancey above. Nothing more to add. - 1pt Top England Bowler: Steven Finn @ 6/1 [bet365] If I remember rightly, Kev had him to be Top Bowler in India last year and this came in at 9/1. He really shouldn't be 6/1 to repeat this in Dubai. He has come along way since he appeared on the International scene and he has been quite effective in ODI's. If he starts well he should play in at least three of the four matches here and the pace he will stir up should cause any batsmen problems. The price is far too high. He can be economical as well which gives him the edge over players like Dernbach. Broad's presence might mean he is not a DEFINITE starter but I like the price on this one. So i'll throw away 1pt to see how he fares.

[Lancey]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Pakistan to win series 4-0 2pts win 6/1 Blue Square I can't see anything other than another kicking coming England's way. As Tyler has indicated, this is a very inexperienced England middle order and if the 'best players in England' (copyright Andrew Strauss) struggled against a spin attack featuring Ajmal and Hafeez in the Tests, why would it be any different in the ODIs? Throw in Afridi and Gul's class as a death bowler, with another spin option in Malik, and I just don't think they'll have an answer for the Pakistan attack, which features the top two rated ODI bowlers in the world in Ajmal and Hafeez, with Afridi at 11 and Gul at 24. They beat a better ODI side than England, in Sri Lanka, 4-1 in November at these venues and come into the series on a high. I did consider a saver on 3-1 to Pakistan, but the best odds are 2/1, so I'm happy to go for the second whitewash in a row. Trott Highest English Runscorer Series - 2pts 7/2 Bet Victor, Ladbrokes Proven in both forms of the game and scored most runs for England in the Tests, so in some kind of form, especially in comparison to the rest of the line up. Who are the challengers to this bet? Cook - I'm not convinced by him in this form of the game; Pietersen - a man looking for a role in a team some believe he shouldn't have been selected for and woefully out of form; Kieswetter - unproven in these conditions and is he really suited to batting middle order?; Bopara - just not good enough at the highest level; Buttler/Bairstow/Patel - two hugely promising cricketers and one who, again, whilst throwing in the odd good performance lacks the class in international cricket. That leaves Morgan as the only realistic challenger for me, but he struggled in the Tests. OK, it's a completely different game this time, but, after a stellar start to his career in ODIs, his performances dropped off in 2011. 443 runs in 14 knocks at around 32 per innings, compared to 1,315 in 28 knocks at around 45 per innings for Trott. 7/2 is good enough for me 1st ODI Pakistan Highest Opening Partnership 6pts 10/11 Blue Square Moving Pietersen up to open smacks a little of desperation to me and of a team desperately trying to accommodate a previously stellar batsman who appears to be on a downward spiral now. Cook and Kieswetter showed signs of developing a useful partnership at times during the English summer and, as Tyler has indicated, Pietersen's last major contribution was over 3 years ago now. It's very possible Pakistan will open the bowling with a spinner - Afridi, Hafeez? - and Cook likes pace on the ball. It's a vulnerable looking partnership between one player who has yet to prove himself in this sphere and another who is patently out of sorts. I'm happy to take a large bet on the likely openers Hafeez and Farhat can beat this pair reasonably comfortably.

[Tyler]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Good luck Lancey. Four for me: - 6pts Pakistan to beat England @ 8/11 [bluesq] Can't really ignore this bet to be honest. I don't see England winning tomorrow and I am fully behind the hosts to win this first ODI. They have won 10 of 17 matches here in Abu Dhabi and come up against this dysfunctional England side lacking any confidence. I mentioned earlier that I don't fancy Pietersen as an opener. No matter where he bats, Pakistan will have a plan for him and if he were to go early then England will be in bits. Kieswetter as a middle or batsman doesn't say alot for me and I don't think England have the bowlers to trouble Pakistan in familiar conditions. Pakistan on the other hand should be completely comfortable. I see them doing England both setting the pace and chasing a total if need be. I expect 30 overs minimum of spin and that should be enough to deal with England. Hosts for me quite confidently. - 4pts Total Sixes: Under 6.5 @ 4/5 [stanJames] This ground in Abu Dhabi is clearable but sixes generally are a premium here. Abdul Razzaq hit 10 sixes and 7 fours in one of his crazy innings in 2010 but other than that mad ODI aside, there have been more than six sixes once in the five previous ODI's at this ground. Looking at the two teams and you can expect limited maximums too. I think Pietersen will have a tough time from the Pakistani bowlers. That means Cook and Trott to do the most of the batting. Not many sixes there. Pakistan will have Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Imran Farhat, Asad Shafiq etc which shouldnt mean a great deal of sixes there either. England will get tied down and Pakistan will just nurdle the quicks around for singles here and there. I think there is sufficient scope to play under seven sixes here tomorrow in Dubai. - 4pts Player Performance: M. Hafeez 41@Over @ 5/6 [bet365] I like Hafeez here. He has transformed into one of Pakistan's most important players in recent months and he has a great record in Dubai to go with it. He has taken at least a wicket in three of the four matches he's played here in Abu Dhabi and in the match that he didn't snag one, he got 68 runs. I don't envisage TOO many problems with him batting early up and he should get a minimum of 8 overs at least. That should be enough for 41 points. Overs for me. - 1pt Top England Batsman: Ravi Bopara @ 15/2 (ew 3places, 1/5odds) [Coral] Big price here from Coral I'm quite surprised. The lowest I expect Bopara in tomorrow is #5. Infact I can see him being #4 after Cook, KP and Trott which should mean a decent chance of a Top Bat and more importantly a place. Yes Bopara hasn't played in months. Yes he has been doing nothing other than carrying drinks for ages. Yes, he is notorious for not taking his chance when he gets it but at the base of everything he still is a very talented player and a very good player of spin. I dont have any issues in seeing how one of my favourite batsmen fares tomorrow. Especially at odds longer than 7/1.

[kevshat]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series 4 outrights for me in this series. 5pts Pakistan to win ODI series 11/10 Paddy Power 2pts Pakistan to win 4-0 6/1 Blue Square I can't ignore Pakistan in this series. They are so much better than England in this format of the game it's untrue. England struggled badly with the bat in the test series and that comes relatively soon after they went to India and suffered the same fate. Putting it simply England's batsmen can't play quality spin and not only can we not play quality spin we certainly can't attack it and score freely from it. Throughout this series I would expect Pakistan to bowl at least 40 overs of spin and that won't bode well for England. Pakistan's batting line up could be there for the taking but Younis and Misbah have seen so much and I expect them to do enough to get Pakistan home in most matches in this series. I just don't see England scoring enough runs to be competitive in this series especially when judging a good score will be tough with Umar Akmal and Shahid Afridi in the opposition. England lost 5-0 in India before Xmas and to be fair we never looked like winning a match out there. Given our inadequacies against spin I can't help but feel 6/1 on Pakistan to win every match is a big price as is Pakistan to win the series. 2pts K.Pietersen Top England Series Batsman 7/2 Blue Square Kevin Pietersen has been moved back up to the top of the order which is a move I quite like. He didn't do a bad job in the World Cup without doing a brilliant one but if he can get himself in against the seam then he should be moving his feet well enough to attack the spinners. He will get out to the spinners during the series but when 40 overs of spin is being sent down that's only natural but he will also attack the spinners too and if he can get a few shots away he may move the close fielders so that the ones are a lot easier to find. With Cook having the captaincy to worry about and Trott likely to be getting the stupid 'he scores too slowly' comments thrown at him I think Pietersen looks the best bet out of England's top 3 particularly when he's the best player of spin in the top 3 in terms of attacking shots he possesses. 1pt S.Finn Top England Series Bowler 6/1 Bet365 Can't really add too much to what has been said before me really. Finn was exceptionally good out in India and took 3 wickets in the warm up match against the England Lions on this tour. Ok he'll face harder batsmen in the series but he is very motivated as he wants to get his place in the test side back and his discipline with line and length and his work rate are unquestioned. I think he'll start the opening match of the series and hopefully he can take a few wickets to keep his place throughout the series and if he plays all four matches then he will be a big price at 6/1.

[kevshat]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Will be a fairly slow start to the series for me. 4pts S.Afridi's Performance Pts - 46&Over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch & 20pts per wicket. Shahid Afridi should go well in this match even though he doesn't have the best record on this ground. We saw in the domestic T20 competition in England last summer that he can be devastating against English batsmen and he bowled to the likes of Bopara, Kieswetter and Morgan in that tournament. His changes in variation especially his pace make him very hard to get any kind of rhythm against and I fully expect him to pick up wickets in this match against players who can't play spin very well. Afridi bowls in powerplay overs which is always a help as he could pick up some cheap wickets. He's a decent enough fielder and as we also saw in the T20 competition over in England he is able to tonk most English bowlers around any ground. Should he get into bat with enough time to bat he could cover this with the bat. He can definitely cover it with the ball and any catches he wants to throw in as well will be greatly received. A decent all round game should see this covered comfortably, a decent game with bat or ball also does so I'll take the overs here. 1pt ew A.Shafiq Top Pakistan Batsman 11/2 Coral (1/5 1,2,3) Asad Shafiq looks a big price to me here. He will bat in the top 3 in this match, most likely at 3 but he's been priced up as if he'll bat down at 6 like he did in the test matches. He went fairly well in the test matches, playing his part in a couple of decent stands which set up a couple of wins and given that he can play seam and spin equally as well I see no reason not to take the youngster as an each way bet here. Similar to Virat Kohli for India, Shafiq can play all around the wicket and he can play the long innings with the strike being ticked over nicely for the likes of Akmal and Afridi down the order to come in and smoke it to all parts. Defensively Shafiq is solid and given that he's going to be in the top 3 in this innings I think 11/2 is a perfectly fair each way bet on the Pakistan batsman.

[BIG X]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series 4pts - Player performance 40pts and over - SCJ Broad @ 1.83 Bet365 Deliberated over this for a while, but decided to get involved. Broad was bowling as well as I have seen towards the end of the test series and I fancy him to carry that on today. Undoubtedly the pitch will be more suited to spin, but this was also the case in the test series. I think Broad is doing enough with the ball to trouble the Pakistan batting line up and I think can take a few wickets today. Unfortunately, due to the poor quality of England's batting I can also see him getting more than enough over to contribute with the bat - and again he showed in the test series he can score runs in these conditions. You can also add the chance of the odd catch as he has managed 18 is ODI career so far. While I don't expect him to cover this line on either discipline alone. I do think we have enough scope for him to get over with all three.

[BIG X]

4pts - Player performance 40pts and over - SCJ Broad @ 1.83 Bet365 Deliberated over this for a while, but decided to get involved. Broad was bowling as well as I have seen towards the end of the test series and I fancy him to carry that on today. Undoubtedly the pitch will be more suited to spin, but this was also the case in the test series. I think Broad is doing enough with the ball to trouble the Pakistan batting line up and I think can take a few wickets today. Unfortunately, due to the poor quality of England's batting I can also see him getting more than enough over to contribute with the bat - and again he showed in the test series he can score runs in these conditions. You can also add the chance of the odd catch as he has managed 18 is ODI career so far. While I don't expect him to cover this line on either discipline alone. I do think we have enough scope for him to get over with all three.

Perhaps I should have deliberated a bit more. That was a shocking call Well done to all the winners

[Tyler]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series

LOSS - 6pts Pakistan to beat England @ 8/11 [bluesq] WIN - 4pts Total Sixes: Under 6.5 @ 4/5 [stanJames] LOSS - 4pts Player Performance: M. Hafeez 41@Over @ 5/6 [bet365] PLACE - 1pt Top England Batsman: Ravi Bopara @ 15/2 (ew 3places, 1/5odds) [Coral]

Don't sweat it X, England surprised all of us. Bopara played well for his 50 and there wasn't a single six which brought that bet in comfortably but Pakistan capitulated and Hafeez bowled beautifully without striking which means a poor first ODI for me. Pakitan have to win the next three matches to take the series which is also a bit annoying on the outright front. Here's hoping Finn continues his success in the forthcoming matches.

[Edberg]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Finn and Cook have been oustanding yesterday but Pakistan way below their standard imho.

[Lancey]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Dreadful start. Sorry all :sad Will lick my wounds and hopefully find some good value - winning - bets for the second game tomorrow

[Tyler]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series I have been waiting all day for Ladbrokes to put up some markets on innings extras but it seems as if they're not going to. There really isn't a lot for me around tomorrow. Backing the side batting first seems to be the play though. Should England win the toss, they should go off at around EVS and after seeing Pakistan's batting under lights last time out that might not be a bad price. Other than that though, one for me, small stakes once again. - 4pts Total Wides: Under 14.5 @ 5/6 [WillHill] I didn't expect there to be a great deal of dew around the other day in the 1st ODI but there definitely appeared to be some. That doesn't really bode well for this bet here but even with the threat around, I fancy unders. England's seam attack is quite well disciplined and with Pakistan's obvious batting issues, they shouldn't be under too much pressure at any stage in the innings. Pakistan on the other hand have very disciplined bowlers in the form of Gul, Afridi, Hafeez and Ajmal. They should cover 35 overs at least. If Rehman were to come back, I wouldn't really be scared either. However, I can't deal with Wahab Riaz, I don't know how its possible for someone to bowl so many loose balls and over-step so much, if he has a nightmare tomorrow I'm f*cked. Word is, he may be on the chopping board though so it might be all good. I like unders.

[kevshat]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Can't decide if that first match was anything to do with the lights or Finn just bowling a fantastic spell and Pakistan batting crap. We'll find out here I guess. 3 for me. Pretty obvious fare so I'll keep write ups short as it's nearly 3am. 4pts S.Ajmal's Performance Pts - 40&Over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch & 20pts per wicket. This one is self explanatory. England haven't played Ajmal well all series and even when they win he still takes 5 wickets. Wicket will only turn more here and I can't see Ajmal going from 115pts to below 40pts. 2 wickets will be enough for us here and I expect him to deliver them especially bowling at the stages of the innings he did in the first ODI. 4pts Under 4.5 6's 5/6 William Hill Another relative no brainer in many ways. The wicket was slow here on Monday and it won't get any quicker in the 36hrs between matches. I expect it to be even slow, even more turn and even harder for the big shots to come. When Afridi middles a ball and doesn't get it for 6 you know you are struggling. No 6's on Monday and I don't see 5 coming here unless someone does something outrageous. 1pt ew S.Patel Top England Batsman 14/1 Bodog (1/5 1,2,3) Samit Patel looked good at the end of England's innings on Monday. The man above is surely the only man who knows why Kieswetter came into bat in front of him but at least he didn't use up much time. I don't expect England to bat as well in this match but even then it was only two men who did first time round and one of them was dead to the world lbw on 2. If the England top order fail again then Samit is in conditions he revels in and he can go very well down the order at 14/1.

[^Newbie^]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series 5 Points Allister Cook to score over 27.5 runs @1.83 Stan James He really played well the last time out scoring a century easily for fun . I cant see him scoring less than 30 runs this time round as he's on form and dealing with Pakistan bowlers pretty well . Like my chances to get this bet in .

[^Newbie^]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Amazing ton again Cook . Playing really well and bringing this easily up . Even dropped catch at 28 wouldnt have hurt my bet .

5 Points Allister Cook to score over 27.5 runs @1.83 Stan James He really played well the last time out scoring a century easily for fun . I cant see him scoring less than 30 runs this time round as he's on form and dealing with Pakistan bowlers pretty well . Like my chances to get this bet in .

[Tyler]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series

LOSS - 4pts Total Wides: Under 14.5 @ 5/6 [WillHill]

Aizaz Cheema did his very best to shit on me last week. If you saw my face when he bowled seven wides in three balls.... Onto tomorrow though and an early one for me: - 8pts Total Sixes: Under 4.5 @ EVS [WillHill] I definitely expected this line to be Over/Under 3.5 at 5/6, so to get this higher line at a higher price has to be snapped up. There are very few major six hitters in these two squads. This has been reflected in the fact that there has only been two sixes in the two matches played so far. Pietersen, Morgan, Afridi and Umar Akmal. Those are the players I'd say are the most natural big hitters on show. Recently thoguh, Pietersen looks distinctly out of sorts. Pakistan just throw the ball to Ajmal when Morgan is on strike and he just shits himself, Afridi has been more shit-shit than boom-boom with the bat in the last year or so and I actually expect Akmal to be dropped after his showing with the gloves last week. The potential for sixes here is madly sedate. The average first innings score at this stadium has been 230 too. Infact in the EIGHT matches that have been played here in this format, only ONE match has seen more than five sixes. That was two and a hlaf years ago too. This track is generally a slow-low turner and I really wouldnt be surprised to see Cook/Trott or Younus/Misbah nudge and nurdle their way to a modest score. I definitely don't expect fireworks. Unders for me, confidently too.

[BIG X]

You did well to snap that price up. I just tried to get on the under's and it's currently @ 1.66 Good luck on that

[slizorn]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series

You did well to snap that price up. I just tried to get on the under's and it's currently @ 1.66 Good luck on that

\You can still get Under 4.5 6's @ 1.83 Ladbrokes which I think are decent odds :ok

[kevshat]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series 2 for me in game 3. 4pts England to win 3rd ODI 10/11 Ladbrokes I made the mistake of overestimating this Pakistan batting line up before the series when in truth it's been very poor indeed and looks a batsman light to me. To be it looks like they are missing Abdul Razzaq down the order. He would have been perfect the other night when Abdur Rehman trotted out and batted at the pace of a snail and in the end that cost Pakistan the second match. England have been fantastic with the bat and the ball in this series. Before the series began I didn't think England would be able to attack the spinners and get the runs they will have needed but the simple fact has been with the way their bowling attack has performed they haven't needed as many runs as I thought they would have. The balance of England's side looks good even if not everyone is firing particularly with the bat but Pakistan's make up looks a mess. They clearly don't have anyone that can bat at 3 effectively although why they don't use Umar Akmal there I've no idea, and they haven't really got an ideal number 8. If Younis Khan doesn't score you tend to feel there's a deck of cards feel about this Pakistan batting line up on the evidence we've seen of it so far. England have been the better side in the series and with the same conditions expected now we've moved to Dubai I expect England to wrap up a series I called completely wrong at the start, here. 4pts R.Bopara (+4.5 runs) to beat Y.Khan 5/6 Ladbrokes No idea where these odds come from. Certainly not the line anyway. Ravi Bopara has scored 50's in both matches whereas Younis has made 15 and 5. If anything, on what we've seen in the series so far it's Younis who needs to be getting 4.5 runs from Ravi not the other way around. What has impressed me most about Bopara's performance in this series is that he is actually picking the spinners and he's made playing them look pretty easy on the whole really. His wristy style is very effective in these conditions and having batted long periods with Alastair Cook in the series too that's also helped as they are teammates at Essex. Younis Khan looks like he can't play an aggressive shot in anger at the minute and you feel it's only a matter of time before England get him out and with that being the case I've got to take Ravi with this head start because let's face it, there's no guarantees he'd even need a run based on what we've seen from Younis so far. 1pt ew U.Akmal Top Pakistan Batsman 8/1 Bodog (1/5 1,2,3) I wasn't going to take a top bat in this match until I stumbled across this price and then I had to. With the struggles of those above him in the batting order Umar Akmal is never an 8/1 shot to top score for Pakistan here. He was second in the first match when Shahid Afridi came in and biffed a few away to beat him and then in the 2nd ODI he was going nicely before he was out to one of those did it didn't it catches from Samit Patel. In a way that shot was a good sign for this bet because he timed it so well it got to Samit in the covers whereas if he wasn't timing it so well it would have fallen short. Umar's a confident batsman but he's a quality batsman despite all the baggage that goes with him. He really should be given longer to form an innings in this line up but the way Pakistan are batting he's getting more than enough time at the crease anyway and I'll take him to counter attack himself to the top of the Pakistan run charts in this 3rd ODI.

[^Newbie^]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series I thought Pakistan lost the last game because they used the wrong batsman in crunch time ? Ajmal or Gul would have been much better as Rehman threw the game and chase away IMO . He practically wasted 2 overs for 1 run . I'll still fancy Pakistan to chase 250 if England do get to 250 again today .

[^Newbie^]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series 5 Points Allister Cook to score over 29.5 runs @1.83 PaddyPower Like this bet again to be honest and with the form cook's in so far in the ODI , 30 runs wont be too much to ask for . Hope england bats first as i really don't like the idea of england chasing . Might force the Pakistan bowlers to play more tightly if its a low score .

[Lancey]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Farhat to beat Pietersen +1.5 runs batsman matchbet 6pts win 5/6 Ladbrokes Pietersen is all over the place mentally and with his foot movement in this series. We've seen a few times now that, once he has something in his head (problem achilles, being stitched up over the captaincy etc.) it has a massively adverse impact on his form, form which has been poor this whole tour. His interview yesterday about grappling with DRS demonstrates just how fragile that mental state is at the moment and, with Pakistan inevitably fielding a number of spinners and maybe even opening with Hafeez again on a sluggish pitch, Pietersen will be vulnerable. In contrast, Farhat looked to be getting to grips with the hugely impressive Finn in the second ODI, having been blown away in the first, along with the rest of the top order. I'm not so sure Finn will be quite as effective on this wicket and with Farhat having comfortably outscored Pietersen in the second and lost by just 4 runs in the first, I'm happy to take slight odds-on with a start. Trott top England runscorer 2pts win 9/2 Sportingbet Kev won't be too pleased I'm quoting this money-grabbing bookie with their recently-introduced deposit fee:p but they are over priced here. My series bet on Trott looks to have gone South in view of Cook's stunning form, but his stats over the last 12-18 months in this form of the game bear the closest scrutiny and his knock in the second ODI showed an encouraging improvement, having been done by Afridi's googly first ball in the opening game. Everything I said earlier still applies and on a pitch likely to suit his grinding style, I'll take some of the 9/2 for him to top score.

[Tyler]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series

LOSS - 8pts Total Sixes: Under 4.5 @ EVS [WillHill]

The less said about this the better. One for tomorrow: - 4pts England Sixes: Over 2.5 @ 5/4 [Ladbrokes] I am not the biggest fan of betting on meaningless matches so I am only going with a small bet tomorrow. I didnt really expect Pakistan to allow England to smash 220+ runs so easily a few days ago. Pietersen hit his biggest score in four years and when Alastair Cook is smashing your opening bowler for six over deep mid-wicket you know something is not right. Judging by Pakistan's complete lack of ideas right now and England's complete dominance, I like the look of three sixes. I can see people like Jos Buttler and Tim Bresnan coming into the side tomorrow and if they do that adds to the six potential for England. Only one wicket fell last time out, and we saw four. If England win the toss and put up a decent score. Three sixes will be a minor.

[kevshat]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series I'm the same as Tyler. No real fan of dead rubbers. I'll take 2 though. 4pts Over 4.5 6's 11/10 Ladbrokes I think we'll see some sixes hit in this match today. England are going to make changes to their side which could give the Pakistan batsmen a little bit of leeway but I only expect the changes to come in the bowling department apart from Jos Buttler coming in with the bat. That will leave us with Umar Akmal, Afridi even Misbah himself who can hit big balls for Pakistan and Pietersen, Morgan, Bopara, Kieswetter if he plays, Buttler if he plays and even Patel who can clear a rope. Alastair Cook cleared the ropes here on Saturday which shows the potential there is for them to be cleared and with potentially stronger bowlers being saved on both sides for the T20 series I think we'll see 5 6's off the lesser bowlers. 1pt ew E.Morgan Top England Batsman 6/1 Bodog (1/5 1,2,3) Eoin Morgan's had a shocking tour in many ways but he's slowly began to come to life in the last couple of matches and going into the T20's where he's the vice captain I'm sure he'd love a score in this match. He was sent in at 3 in the last game which worked and whether he'll go in there or not today remains to be seen but I see no reason why he wouldn't if Cook's the first one out so that we keep the left and right hand combo at the crease. Wherever he bats though as long as Pakistan get him in I think he'll go well and at a perfectly backable each way price I'll chance my arm that we see the Middlesex batsman walk in earlier than expected again and land the top score.

[Tyler]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series ODI series wasn't brilliant. Finn came in with the Top Bowler though. Onto the t20's. - 2pts Top England Series Batsman: Kevin Pietersen @ 3/1 [Ladbrokes] KP has to be the play here. He had a more than impressive ODI series and he seems to be full of confidence. He will bat no lower than the Top 3 in all the T20's and he is head and shoulders above the "competition" in this market. I don't expect the selectors to completely shit on broad's parade and bring back Cook. That would be deep. I expect Kieswetter to open with KP and he hasn't looked in great nick this past few weeks. Bopara, Morgan, Hales will more than likely form the middle order but to be completely honest, you'd side with an in-form KP over those lot anyday, in any format. In an ideal world, we'd get 7/2 or higher for this, but at 3/1 I'm happy to side with the South African. - 2pts Top Pakistan Series Batsman: Umar Akmal @ 11/2 [bet365] - 1pt Top Pakistan Series Batsman: Awais Zia @ 8/1 ew (3 places, 1/5 odds) [Labrokes] Firstly, Umar Akmal is the leading run scorer for Pakistan in t20i history. Noone has scored more runs than him. He's an undeniable talent, and he can hit the ball over the top at will. He has to get looked at in this market always. Awais Zia though has been called up to the squad though on the back of some very good domestic performances. This dude has a t20 strike rate of 146 and will more than likely bat in the top 4 in this squad. Considering this is 4/1 in some places, I can't really explain why Ladbrokes have him at 9.00. Yes, he is an unknown entity. Yes he will probably shitting himself when he comes out to bat. Yes, he might not play EVERY match. But at 8/1, I can't let a big-hitter slip through my fingers. A quick 30-run cameo in one of the early matches and he's in with a chance of a place at least. I'll chance the newbie.

[Tyler]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series One for the first match: - 4pts England (to beat Pakistan) @ 4/5 [Ladbrokes] England to keep the momentum going for me. Pakistan oddly looked all at sea in the ODI's and that is something that I don't think will change that quickly. I like England's team make up for this mini series. Pietersen at the top of the order as mentioned above has been a good move and Bopara, Morgan, Hales, Bresnan in the middle should bring that youthful and dynamic element to the team. England are also a much better fielding side than Pakistan which counts for a lot and I like England's bowling options. Samit Patel is a canny bowler whilst Jade Dernbach (despite me still being one of his harshest critics) can be very effective at the death. England for me.

[kevshat]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series 2 outrights for me in this T20 series. 3pts K.Pietersen Top England Series Batsman 3/1 Ladbrokes I took KP in the ODI series and annoyingly he found Alastair Cook 20 or so runs too good for him but I don't think he will find anyone too good for him here. He comes into this T20 series in the form that we come to expect from someone with his undeniable talent. KP hit back to back centuries in the last two ODI's and the ease with which he scored his runs must give him the confidence I have in him and also worry the life out of the Pakistan bowling attack. KP opened in that series which he may not do here but he'll bat no lower than 3 so I'm fine with that, especially with two youngsters ahead of him desperate to prove themselves ahead of the ICC World T20 later in the year and potentially trying too hard. Pietersen is a real run scorer for England in this format of the game. He has gone past 40 in 6 of his last 9 innings in this format including 53 in India in our last match. In the two T20's England played here in the build up to the last T20 World Cup, Pietersen made 43* and 62 and I see that form continuing here and leading him to leading England's run list over the next 5 days. 1pt S.Patel Top England Series Bowler 7/1 Coral I like to throw a speculative value punt in among my outright bets and Samit Patel gets the nod for me here. Quite how he's 7/1 anyway given that he'll bowl 12 overs in the series in remarkable in itself but when you think he's more likely to be successful than Swann given that he takes the ball away from the right handers it's even more daft. Granted Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan are massive dangers and I wouldn't be surprised if they were to scoop the market but Samit isn't a 7/1 shot by any stretch of the imagination. He had a good one day series with the ball where he was getting used in the powerplays so with the potential of a cheap wicket if he gets some powerplay action and the potential of him being the one they have to attack if the seamers have been as tight as they were in the ODI series there's plenty of mileage to take a piece of Samit Patel leading England's bowling in this three match series.

[kevshat]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Gone a bit giddy in this opening T20 as I'm taking four. Toss is shortly so I'll keep write up's relatively small. 4pts England to win 1st T20 4/5 Skybet Like Tyler I think England will keep the momentum going. England are an excellent side in this format of the game and if I had a slight doubt about them it would be over Broad captaining the side but other than that I think England are good enough in all 3 dimensions of the game to win this match and win it well. With a top 6 assuming that Bopara is injured of Hales, Kieswetter, KP, Morgan, Samit and Bairstow with Buttler at 7 England aren't going to struggle for runs and quick runs at that. With Finn, Bresnan and Swann with the ball we are safe while England will save 10-15 in the field which is massive in these matches. Pakistan's batting failed miserably in the ODI series and there will be pressure on a couple of youngsters to deliver in this series to make them competitive, their bowling looked more and more mundane as the ODI series went along and well their fielding is such a shambles it's barely worth acknowledging it. With the better players in all three disciplines of the game I'll take England here. 4pts Over 6.5 6's 8/11 Ladbrokes I like this line. When these two met here before there were 11 6's in the second match and while I wouldn't expect that many here I do think we'll see seven. Pakistan offered little in the hitting stakes in the ODI series but in the likes of Hammad, Umar Akmal, Misbah, Afridi and this new chap they are all talking about - Awais Zia Pakistan have a number of hitters. England have them from 1 to 7 really. There's no Cook or Trott plodding along on the deck in this series. Any one of England's top 7 can clear the ropes which aren't especially long here in Dubai. More than enough potential for 7 6's so I'll take the overs here. 3pts England Highest 1st 6 overs 10/11 Ladbrokes England won this market in 3 of the 4 ODI's and I think we will win it today as well. If Pakistan start with a spinner we've a couple of big hitters to push the field back and they've not yet found a seamer to trouble us throughout the series. England's seam bowlers have been all over Pakistan's top order like German Measles and I see no reason why that won't continue here. To be fair Hafeez has gone well on this tour but with a new opening partner and a soft underbelly to the batting line up in terms of strike rotation and big scoring I think England will be ahead after 6 overs. If England lose 2 wickets they have KP and Morgan coming in. If Pakistan do they have Shafiq and Misbah. Chalk and cheese in scoring rates there so England for me. 1pt ew H.Azam Top Pakistan Batsman 11/2 Bodog (1/5 1,2,3) It looks like the youngster Hammad Azam will open for Pakistan in this match which makes the 11/2 price about him with the each way terms on offer pretty daft anyway but he's coming into a Pakistan batting line up which has failed for most of the tour bar perhaps one innings here in the third test. I remember Hammad Azam from the u19's World Cup a couple of years ago. He batted in the middle order on that occasion but it was clear to see he was talented and anything in his half of the pitch went and went a long way. He has a strike rate in domestic T20 of over 140 so it's fair to say this bloke can get a shift on. He might take an over or two to get going given that this will be his T20 debut but at 11/2 with him opening the batting with his strike rate there's plenty there to suggest he's well worth a top bat tickle.

[Mirage]

Re: Pakistan vs England - ODI series & T20 series Unlucky with England guys, they really did throw that away with some average fielding in the last few overs when bowling and suspect shot selections when batting.