Tag: Australia

Confident Pakistan Sniff Series Upset Against Frail Australia

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The WACA in Perth has at times suited the Pakistan cricket team. Offering pace and bounce, the West Australian surface was right up the alley of Khan, Akram and Younis. Now, however, the pace and bounce are likely to trouble the Pakistan batsman and work against the slow bowlers that were so successful for them in the first two games of the series. The end result, favourable conditions for the home side as they seek to overturn the surprise defeat in game two and wrestle back the initiative in the five-game series.

The Series So Far

Australia’s familiar fragilities were again exposed in their shock game two loss. Too reliant on Smith and Warner, and an inability to rotate the strike against Pakistan’s trio of slow bowlers, the Australians made just 220 which was easily chased down by Pakistans top 6. The successful chase was the first win by Pakistan against Australia in any format since 2005 and added renewed interest to a ODI series that had the potential to lose appeal if the hosts ran out to a 2-0 series win.

The game two loss offsets a win in Brisbane by 92 runs, despite Australia not scoring as many as they would’ve liked there too. So a series tied at 1-1, with plenty to play for in Perth.

The Teams

Australia (probable)

1 David Warner, 2 Usman Khawaja, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Travis Head, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Marcus Stonis, 8 James Faulkner, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Billy Stanlake, 11 Josh Hazlewood.

Marcus Stonis has joined the squad from the Melbourne Stars to replace the injured Mitchell Marsh but might miss out if Peter Handscomb is picked and Smith relies on Maxwell and Head to get through their share of overs. Billy Stanlake may also get a second crack because of Mitchell Starc being rested ahead of a busy upcoming schedule. Adam Zappa is the other addition to the squad and could get a run.

Pakistan (probable)

1 Mohammad Hafeez (capt), 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Babar Azam, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Asad Shafiq, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Imad Wasim 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Hasan Ali, 11 Junaid Khan.

Unless Pakistan gives Amir a rest, we can’t see them making too many changes to the side that broke a 12-year drought in Australia by winning game two.

The Key Players

Australia

Glenn Maxwell has made useful contributions in the first two games of the series and remains the most dangerous player in the middle order. He’s dangerous because he scores all around the ground, 360 degrees, including behind the wicketkeeper. The unique trait and the fact that he plays so freely against spin has resulted in him being included in the touring squad to India.

Pakistan

Mohammad Hafeez was good with both bat and ball in game two. The stand-in captain, who is getting to the end of his career, will take great pride from the game two win and will be desperate to continue the upsets and maybe even sneak a series win against Australia, in Australia, before he retires. Expect Hafeez to have a big impact in both his disciplines in Perth.

The Match Odds*

Australia– $1.28

Pakistan – $3.75

*All odds from Bet365.

The Prediction

It’s hard to see the Australian’s struggling to post 300 for the third straight game, although we expressed our view that it was unlikely they would get less than 260 in the series after game one and were well wrong. Expect a strong bounce back this time and a big Australian win.

The Best Bets

For one of the best players in the world in all three formats David Warner has had a mediocre start to the series. The swing of Mohammed Amir has had him in all sorts of trouble, but it wasn’t long ago he smashed a century before lunch in the Sydney test. Warner’s well and truly due a score, and at $3.75 he’s nicely priced.

It’s clear after two games that the bowlers who bowl the death overs will pick up some cheap wickets. And after the Australians would have decided to give Imad Wasim more respect, Junaid Khan now looks like a good option to be the top bowler for the tourists. He’s at $4.50.

Pakistan Need Immediate Reversal to Stop Slide

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Australia is notoriously difficult to beat in one day cricket at home (most cricket as a matter of fact), and thus it proved in game one of their series against Pakistan at the Gabba. Australia ran out winners by 92 runs, and Pakistan may just have missed their best chance to steal a win from a team that India and New Zealand of late have found impossible to do so.

We preview game two of the series in Melbourne with a look at how the teams line up and how you might make some money from some of the more generous odds on offer.

The Series So Far

Australia were easy winners in game one in Brisbane despite falling to 78/5 at one stage. A fine recovery effort by Matthew Wade (100) and Glenn Maxwell (60) steadied the ship and saw Australia through to 268, which they easily defended thanks to James Faulkeners 4-32.

Pakistan will rue letting Australia off the hook, especially after taking the key wickets of David Warner and Steven Smith from consecutive deliveries. They’ll also be looking for a much-improved batting effort – the 176 they managed in game one won’t win them anything.

The Teams

Australia (probable)

1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Chris Lynn, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkener, 9 Pat Cummins, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Billy Stanlake

Mitchell Starc might be given a rest in a straight swap for Josh Hazlewood. Hazlewood, the game’s number one ranked test bowler earned a rest at the Gabba thanks to a heavy workload during the test series.

Pakistan (probable)

1 1 Azhar Ali (capt), 2 Sharjeel Khan, 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Babar Azam, 5 Mohammed Nawaz, 6 Umar Akmal, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Imad Wasim, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Hasan Ali.

Junaid Khan could enter the mix, either if Amir is rested or at the expense of one of Imad Wasim or Mohammad Nawaz. Shoaib Malik or Asad Shafiq are the other names that could cross the selector’s minds if they feel they need to strengthen their batting.

The Key Players

Australia

Chris Lynn is probably the key player not for his own side but for his own position in the side. The big hitting BBL freak needs to find a way to bring his six hitting T20 exploits to the ODI game, and if he can he can secure his place in the side permanently with an eye on the Champions Trophy in the UK this winter. Expect Lynn to curtail his slog sweeping in game two, but not completely.

Pakistan

Imad Wasim put in a fine ten over spell in game one. His quick little sliders were difficult to get away, meaning he was easily the best bowler on display in the visitor’s side, registering 2-35. His left-armers could again be the key in the crucial middle overs here in game two.

The Match Odds*

Australia– $1.21

Pakistan – $4.50

*All odds from Palmerbet.

The Prediction

Australia should forge on in game two and take a 2-0 lead in the series. They’ve won 17 of their past 21 ODIs against Pakistan, and we can’t see the eight best ODI team challenging them in any of the three areas of the game at the MCG. Australia by six wickets or 70 runs.

The Best Bets

Travis Head has made a number of half centuries and other promising starts in his ODI career to date. He’s just missing that really big score to truly announce his place in the side permanently. If you think game two could be the game (with him opening and having a greater chance now), then the $5 on him being the top batsman should be attractive.

Babar Azam looked the best Pakistani player in game one and not simply because he top scored. His runs were scored effortlessly before a rash stroke saw him exit for 33. He’s also at $5 to top score again for his side and looks like good money.

Australia Face Selection Headaches Ahead of Sydney Test

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Most of the talk in the lead up to the final cricket test between Australia and Pakistan has been around the composition of the two sides. Firstly, comes the retirement question of Misbah-ul-Haq. Secondly, is the characteristics of the Sydney pitch and how conducive to spin it will be, and consequently how that alters the thinking of the Australian selectors.

The questions are unanswered for now, but once known will form the nucleus of the key talking points about the dead rubber. We’ve highlighted some of the other key talking points below:

The Series So Far

For all the decent cricket Pakistan has played in the series thus far, they still find themselves down 2-0. After the heartbreak of Brisbane – falling just short of a record fourth innings chase – and the huge amount of time lost to bad weather in Melbourne, the touring side gave everybody reason to believe the series would still be alive. However, a final day capitulation for the ages – at the hands of Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon – gave Australia their second win of series from as many matches.

Frustratingly, for Pakistan fans and for the cricket neutrals, the series has been competitive, with Pakistan missing a little bit of quality in the key moments (and relying on too many individuals).

The Teams

Australia (likely):

1 David Warner, 2 Matt Renshaw, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steve Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Hilton Cartwright, 7 Matthew Wade, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Steve O’Keefe

Debutant Hilton Cartwright is expected to replace Nic Maddinson to better balance the side and allow a second spinner to play. Whether that is O’Keefe (the incumbent) or Ashton Agar remains to be seen. Agar may be viewed as more of a batting allrounder and would allow for the three quicks to stay in the side, but that results in Matthew Wade batting quite high for someone who is short of runs.

Either way, it will be two spinners and a new number 6.

Pakistan (likely)

Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali.

The big talking point during the week was Misbah’s retirement. Whether he will continue and play in Sydney is still unknown at the time of writing. If he does call it a day, it will close the curtains on a tremendous career. He’ll leave the game as the most successful test captain in Pakistan’s history and will richly deserve the praise he receives.

The Key Players

Australia

Garry the GOAT (Nathan Lyon), is quickly becoming a cult favourite amongst the cricket-following public of Australia. The offspinner is lapping up the social media attention, although presumably, he’d like to be garnering the attention for world class bowling performances, not his nicknames. The Sydney test gives him such an opportunity. The SCG will turn, but will the turn be too slow for Lyon to be effective. If not he’s a key figure in the game.

Pakistan

Mohammed Amir has been good on tour but not great. Wickets are never easy to come by in Australia as has proven this time around for Amir too. He’s bowled nice spells, he’s beaten the bat countless time and has kept the scoring rate in check. However, Pakistan needs wickets from him and lots of them if they can sneak a win in the already lost series.

The Match Odds*

Australia – $1.42

Pakistan – $7.10

Draw – $5.90

*All odds courtesy of Sportsbet

The Prediction

Neither are likely to occur, but the money on a Pakistan win or a draw are very attractive. With the Sydney test dominated by wet weather last year, the draw could be the better of the two. Having said that, in the slow turner of Sydney, Yasir Shah could be a factor. The gambler says take a punt, the cricket pundit says Australia to win comfortably.

The Best Bets

Steve Smith to top score for the Aussies at $3.25 is hard to ignore. This bet isn’t like the Kane Williamson of NZ or the Joe Root of England. Place it every time and it should come good more often than not.

Alternatively, if you like fairytales (and better returns) bank on Misbah going out in style (if he doesn’t retire before the game) and top scoring. That’s paying $6.

A Boxing Day Sequel to Brisbane’s Epic

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Pakistan fought valiantly in Brisbane after being written off following their meek first innings. Their effort was surprising yet encouraging and gives game two in Melbourne an intriguing tint. Have Australia well and truly turned the corner, or does the fourth innings nerves prove that there are still nerves amongst the camp when they’re under pressure.

We’ll find out on Boxing Day when the MCG hosts the teams for game two of the series. Check out our thoughts on the key players and how you might be able to make some money from them below:

The Series So Far

The Gabba opener has been labelled the game of 2016, which is no mean feat given some of the exceptional games of cricket in Bangladesh featuring England earlier this year. At its conclusion, Australia snuck a 39 run win after setting Pakistan a mammoth 490 fourth innings chase. Pakistan garnered admiration for their effort in the fourth innings which was spearheaded by Asad Shafiq, Younis Khan and Azhar Ali. However, they also showed a fragility in the first innings that could be exposed throughout game two.

The Teams

Australia (likely):

1 David Warner, 2 Matt Renshaw, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steve Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Hilton Cartwright, 7 Matthew Wade, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jackson Bird.

Debutant Hilton Cartwright is expected to replace Nic Maddinson after the left-hander has registered just 5 runs in his first three test knocks. The team is otherwise settled.

Pakistan (likely):

Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Yasir Shah, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali.

No changes are expected from the visitors for game two at the MCG.

The Key Players

Australia: David Warner was one of the big winners when the ICC announced their awards for 2015/16 during the week. Along with Starc, Warner was named in both the Test and ODI teams of the year. The selections illustrate just how important he is to the Australian side in both forms of the game, and how successful he has been.

Pakistan: Asad Shafiq is quickly becoming one of the premier test number 6s in the world. The diminutive veteran of 41 tests has hundreds in England, South Africa and Australia now, a feat that Kohli, Root and Williamson haven’t achieved. His even tempering and range of shots see him as the key player in the Pakistan batting line-up, as he proved in Brisbane. If he can replicate his effort, Pakistan could push Australia all the way and the test match well into the last day.

The Match Odds*

Australia – $1.40

Pakistan – $6

Draw – $5.50

*All odds courtesy of Bet365.

The Prediction

Australia hasn’t lost a Boxing Day test match since 2010 (against England). Therefore, we’re loathe to bet against them here. With momentum, history and form on their side, we expect Australia to win by 9 wickets or over 150 runs.

The Best Bets

Mitchell Starc was once rested for a Boxing Day test against Pakistan. It was 2012 and Micky Arthur didn’t last much longer after the blunder. He’s coaching Pakistan now but I don’t think he’ll be able to prepare his side for the Starc onslaught that’s about to head their way. We’re backing him to be the best Australian bowler at $2.75.

Younis Khan’s second innings of 65 showed he’s approaching close to his best form. He could be good money at $4.50 to top score for the tourists. If his top three can shield him from Starc early, a half century or more could be on the cards.

Fast Pitch, Pink Ball Welcome Pakistan to Australia

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Pakistan has arrived in Australia for a three-match test series, beginning with a day-night test in Brisbane. We take a look at the main talking points ahead of the match and give our tips for finding the best betting options.

The Last Time These Two Met

In the 2014/15 series, Australia was deeply embarrassed. The Australians caved to spin in the UAE, but as is often the case in matchups between these two sides, the home side usually prevails – so Australia is well and truly expected to bounce back from that 2-0 series defeat two years ago.

Both games were bossed by Pakistan. By 221 runs and 356 runs. Expect none of the same here, and more of the same of Pakistan’s last trip to Australia – they lost all nine games across the three formats including a 3-0 clean sweep in the test matches.

The Teams

Australia (likely):

1 David Warner, 2 Matt Renshaw, 3 Usman Khawaja, 4 Steve Smith (capt), 5 Peter Handscomb, 6 Nic Maddinson, 7 Matthew Wade, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Josh Hazlewood, 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Jackson Bird.

The Australians will be unchanged from the side that saved some face and beat South Africa in the third test of that series. Despite several of the personnel changing the group will also be on a high after sweeping New Zealand in the interruptive ODI series.

Pakistan (from):

Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Azhar Ali, Sami Aslam, Sharjeel Khan, Younis Khan, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Yasir Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Rahat Ali, Sohail Khan, Imran Khan.

Pakistan hasn’t shown their hand yet, but they have retained the same group of players that were soundly beaten by New Zealand recently. While competitive at times in that series, their batsman lacked runs and made things incredibly hard for their talented bowling unit. They’ll need more from the likes of Misbah, Ali and Sami Aslam.

The Key Players

Australia: Josh Hazlewood is the completely unregarded, humble and quiet achieving lynchpin of the Australian fast bowling stocks that rarely gets the credit he deserves. His accuracy and patience traits pale in comparison to the speed and swing of Mitchell Starc, however, they are arguably more important to his team’s chances. He’s unrelenting and the perfect foil for Starc, especially as players relax a touch when they don’t have Starc screaming in at them. Look out for Hazlewood to have a big impact on this series.

Pakistan: The fast Australian pitches could suit one player more than any other in the Pakistan squad, and that’s Sarfraz Ahmed. The wicketkeeper-batsman loves to play his shots; hit through the line. Consistent bounce and with a bit of speed behind the ball (especially at the GABBA) could suit his game immeasurably. He could thrive with the extra bounce unlike some of his teammates who may struggle.

The Match Odds

Australia – $1.38 at Unibet.

Pakistan – $6.60 at Betfair.

Draw – $7.40 at Betfair.

The Prediction

Australia will be far too strong over the three games let alone the series opener. They’ll boss the tempo of the game, so expect huge totals and twenty wickets. Australia to carry on their revitalisation and get their second straight win with the exciting and young squad.

The Best Bets

Usman Khawaja to top score at $4.50 from William Hill looks like good money. He loves batting in Australian conditions and generally turns hundreds into really big ones.

Wahab Riaz may enjoy the extra pace of the GABBA if he gets a chance to play. Cricket fans all over the world will remember his spell during the World Cup to Shane Watson and if he can generate anywhere near the same sort of pace and discomfort in spells here he could easily be the top Pakistan bowler. $4.50 again at William Hill.

England Favourites to WhiteWash Australia; Remain Unbeaten.

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Australia head to Twickenham after a dour performance against Ireland going down 27-24, which also ended their Grand Slam hopes. England looks to extend their winning streak to 13 after closing out Argentina 27-14 in a spiteful match.

England rolled Australia at home 3-0 during the June tour, so there is plenty of incentive for both teams to win and there is no love lost between coaches Eddie Jones and Michael Chieka, who have been at it in the media since June. However, Australia has struggled in 2016, and during this tour faded late into the 2nd half, which was truly evident against France and Ireland. Australia failed to put a patched up Ireland to the sword turning over too much ball in the way of errors and poor protection at the breakdown, and failing to execute backline play.

England remains unbeaten and is willing to win ugly. On top of injuries and suspension, coach Eddie Jones will need to replace battering ram #8 Billy Vunipola, who suffered a knee injury against Argentina. However, most of the team from their last fixture will be available.

Heading into this fixture, England is clear favourites and it’s hard to look past a team playing with confidence and thriving under coach Eddie Jones, who has moulded exciting combinations amongst his squad. Australia will need to front up and ensure someone takes control of the backline if they want to penetrate a rushing English defensive line. This encounter will be one game too much for the Australians; the English should come home easily 16-20 points and will want to make a statement with the upcoming 6 nations.

Teams

England

XV: M Brown; M Yarde; J Joseph, O Farrell; J May; G Ford; B Youngs; M Vunipola; D Hartley (capt); D Cole; C Lawes; G Kruis; C Robshaw;T Wood; N Hughes.

Replacements: J George; J Marler; K Sinckler; C Ewels; T Harrison; D Care; B Te’o; H Slade.

Australia

XV: Israel Folau; Sefanaia Naivalu; Tevita Kuridrani; Reece Hodge; Dane Haylett-Petty; Bernard Foley; Nick Phipps; Lopeti Timani; Michael Hooper; David Pocock; Rob Simmons; Kane Douglas; Sekope Kepu; Stephen Moore (capt); Scott Sio.

Reserves: Tolu Latu; James Slipper; Tom Robertson; Dean Mumm; Sean McMahon; Nick Frisby; Quade Cooper; Henry Speight.

Odds

Australia: $4.00 at Betfair.

England: $1.29 at Unibet.

Prediction

It’s an old fashioned head and heart dilemma this week. The $4 is such a tempting prospect for a heart longing for a nice betting win, and to see England’s unbeaten run end. But the head says this is an England team that beat Australia 3-0 in June and should be too strong. Okay, you’re right head, England to remain unbeaten against Australia this year.