It’s time for the Pakistan v Australia 5th ODI Betting Tips. It’s the fifth and final outing of the One Day International series between Pakistan and Australia and we’ll play to a conclusion on Sunday 31 March. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium plays host and although the series has been finished as a contest for some time – Australia winning at the earliest opportunity – there’s still plenty to play for.
When the result of this match is added to the history books, both teams will then move their focus to the upcoming ICC World Cup in England. Australia get started on 25th when paired with the hosts at Ageas Bowl in Southampton and their recent form suggests they will push hard for the outright prize. Pakistan get the ball rolling with a match against Afghanistan on 24th May and you’d expect them to get off to a winning start.
There’s plenty to get through before that however, and followers of this tour will find there are no lack of markets to bet on in the 5th ODI, including match winner, top batsman, top bowler, most sixes, a century to be scored, and plenty more besides. Coral bookmakers offer over 50 markets before the coin goes up and many of them are carried through the match thanks to in-play betting. A punt is as exciting before the start as it is in the closing stages.
Line in the Sand
Australian cricket bosses spoke to the media this week, setting out their plans for an important year, as well as their desire to draw a line under what has been a testing period for all concerned. The ball-tampering scandal that threatened to destroy cricket in the country, bringing one of the sport’s biggest names to their knees, rumbled on for most of 2018. Steve Smith and David Warner were banned, chiefs at CA walked to appease furious fans, an independent review found there was blame on both sides and ex-players called the whole thing a farce.
We finally appear to have come out the other end of the tunnel, however, and the end of the player bans has helped draw a line in the sand. Kevin Roberts told the press on Friday everyone concerned are determined to bring harmony and continuity back to the game. They will learn the harsh lessons taught over the last few months and use them as a positive to move forward, becoming a closer, tight-knit team. It certainly looks like everyone is pulling in the same direction again, much to the relief of supporters.
Smith and Warner were not included in the squad that travelled to play Pakistan in this One Day International series and the players know there’s still much work to do if they are to regain their place back in the team. They can’t expect to simply stroll back onto the field and we’re confident there would be more trouble if they did, but the two men are professional enough and talented enough to realise their dream of playing for Australia again.
Players Respond
The duo may not have been on the tour but recent developments concerning them seemed to have an effect on those who did board the plane and Australia have been sublime since beating Pakistan in the opening One Day International. They got off to a winning start when claiming an eight wickets cheer on 22 March. A hard-fought contest but we saw something from Australia we hadn’t spotted in a while and that was cutting out individual errors, playing as a team and taking their chances.
The final score in the 1st ODI returned Australia 281-2 (49.0) against Pakistan’s 280-5 (50.0). There was little for the beaten team to feel disheartened about, other than the fact they lost the match, and many, including bookmakers, expected Pakistan to bounce back and stay competitive by levelling the scores. That didn’t happen and what we did get was Australia looking like the team of old and going through the gears. They wanted to prove a point to their critics and did just that when winning the 2nd ODI to bag a strong 2-0 lead.
It was three-in-a-row in midweek when Australia won the series at the earliest opportunity, thanks to an incredible 80 runs margin. If Oz were just warming up before that we saw them at full-speed, blowing away Pakistan as every member of the team proved their worth. Let’s not forget, this wasn’t a mere confidence booster against a weak side, Pakistan went into the series confident of their ability to win it and have their own World Cup campaign to prefer for but were well beaten in every department. This is the kind of play from Australia we haven’t seen for a while and it’s a great thing for the sport of cricket as a whole.
Wrap Things Up
Australia chose to bat first on Friday and set their opponents a target of 277-7. Pakistan put up a fight, immediately setting about closing the gap and securing a win that would, at least, keep the series outright score competitive. But it ended up a similar tale to what we have saw already in this series, with Australia sticking to their guns and grinding out the win. They went 4-0 up and moved a step closer to the whitewash with a six runs victory, the 4th ODI scored at Australia 277-7 (50.0) against the 271-8 (50.0) of their opponents.
Judging by what we have saw already, Pakistan can take confidence from how they have played in defeat, but all the talk will be about the much-improved performance of Australia who look to be returning to their best cricket. They don’t need to win the 5th ODI but the chance to claim a 5-0 over a capable opponent will ensure this match holds their interest. Traders have Australia priced 8/15 at Coral to win again and although that is short, it’s difficult to go against. We make it worth a place in your accumulators. Pakistan can be backed at 6/4 to claw one back.
Our Tip: Australia to win – 8/15 at Coral
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