England step back into action on Friday in the third ODI cricket match against Pakistan. The hosts are leading the five match series by a comfortable 2-0 scoreline, after a century from captain Andrew Strauss helped England home in a more competitive second match. Pakistan looked a bit more lively in the second ODI, but still England had plenty enough in the tank to keep on track for a series whitewash. Strauss lasted until the 45th over when he fell on a wonderful 123, and it was his partnership with number three Jonathan Trott which really got England to their target of 295. What was nice to see from an England perspective was that all eight batsmen who were called upon made some contribution to the tally, with each of them making it into double figures. Being set a challenging target by Pakistan, who came out in more of a fighting mood, England set about their task with a sense of professionalism which seems to have pushed their short format game along very well over the last twelve months. So big has the improvement been for England, that they are actually second in the ODI rankings now, behind Australia, which looked unthinkable a couple of years ago.
There is more of a freedom with which England are playing at the moment, and they don’t looked scared or hesitant to go after shots. This is credit to the selectors and the players who have been called upon. As with any sport, a winning team can always look to improve themselves, and uncharacteristically, England were pretty poor out in the field in the second ODI. One of the visible benchmarks of England’s growth as a force in one day cricket has been their great fielding. It could have been a factor which cost them the second ODI were it not for an impressive run chase, and it is something which they will have to work at, and highlights just how dangerous a pitfall complacency can be. They won’t be let off so easily when they head down under for the Ashes tour. Thankfully England’s bowlers are continuing to shine in the home conditions, with Jimmy Anderson and Graeme Swann again putting in great shifts. So what next from a cricket betting perspective on this series? Because it will be a major shock if Pakistan win the last three ODI’s it is a safe bet for England to win the series, the only question is by how many?
England v Pakistan ODI series betting is leaning firmly towards the possibility of England making a complete clean sweep of things. Ladbrokes are pushing the best price on a 5-0 series victory for England at a price of 11/10. Probably one of the most popular score lines to take in your cricket betting is England 4-1 which is best priced at 13/8 at Stan James. If you think we are about to see some kind of resistance from the tourists, then an England 3-2 series win can be taken for 6/1 at SportingBet. For the optimists who like their sports bets long, then Pakistan to win 3-2 is out at 33/1 which sums up the reality of that actually happening. So while betting on England to win the series outright is not going to bring you any rewards at this point (hence the necessity to always get your outright bets down as early as possible), there are still plenty of options to make the most of your cricket betting on England. England are 2/5 at 888Sport to win the third ODI, while Pakistan are 5/2 at BetFred to gain their first win of the series. After those options, you can start delving a little deeper into the submarkets. There have been some impressive batting performances from England over the summer, and confidence and form plays a big part in England Top Batsman bets. Andrew Strauss is favourite at 4/6 with ExtraBet to top score in the third ODI, with Jonathan Trott 7/2 at Ladbrokes. But don’t discount the efforts of Steven Davies who is 5/1 at Ladbrokes and Eoin Morgan 33/1 at William Hill who is due another big knock. Plenty of options to go with.
For your cricket betting promotions, head on over to online bookmaker Stan James. When you place a Top Batsman bet on any One Day International at Stan James, and your selected player cracks a century but still doesn’t end up as the top batsman, you will get your stake refunded. This is a nice little bit of coverage should the unexpected happen. You simply need to make a qualifying stake of £5 and the maximum free bet return is £250. In a second cricket promotion at Stan James, should any limited over match end in a draw, then in a unique offer, Stan James will actually pay out on both teams as winners (at full odds) should that happen. That is a brilliant cricket betting offer to take advantage of. While you are at it, you can also make use of the generous £25 free bet which Stan James offers for new customers. Open an account, and when your first Stan James bet gets settled, they will match that first stake up to the value of £25.
