Australia and Pakistan head to Perth on Thursday in a rather unusual position for the third match of their One Day International series. The number one ranked ODI team in the world were shocked by the visitors in Game 2, with Pakistan recording their first win in Australia since 2005. So few would have expected to be heading to Perth with this series well and truly alive at one-all.
The hosts were simply outplayed in Melbourne. The cavalier approach by the Australians to their batting has led to sub-standard scores so far this series. No doubt the Pakistans have bowled well with a strong emphasis on spin and aggressive fields, but that’s no excuse for a team that has high expectations for their upcoming tour of the sub-continent.
Pakistan were well led with stand-in captain Mohammad Hafeez earning man of the match honours in Melbourne with a top score of 72. To put into perspective the disarray that this Pakistani team suffered this tour, Hafeez wasn’t even in the original ODI squad for this tour. With injuries and other changes, including a hamstring injury to captain Azhar Ali, Hafeez was thrust into the leadership position and seems to be relishing the opportunity.
For Australia they will head to Perth determined to swing the momentum back their way and they should get plenty of favours from a fast, bouncy WACA wicket that will suit their quick bowlers. They will want to resist hitting the panic button after one loss, but a couple of forced changes will see Mitchell Marsh and Chris Lynn sit out this match. Coming into the squad are Peter Handscomb and Marcus Stoinis, ripping the heart out of the Melbourne Stars BBL team. The Stars will be compensated a little with Adam Zampa released to play the next BBL match as he continues to struggle to get a game in this ODI team.
Pakistan will be full of confidence heading to Perth but it has been 4,368 days since they won at the WACA – a streak that seems unlikely to be broken in this match. It was a great win in Melbourne, but there's no way you can tip against the Aussies.
There’s little value in backing Australia to win at $1.27 so we’ll have to look elsewhere for a sweat on this match.
It’s great to see Usman Khawaja back in the Australian ODI side. I’m a big fan and think he’s a star of the future in all forms of the game. I love seeing him open the batting, and with Dave Warner a little out of sorts, I think it’s a great chance for Uzzy to post a big score on a fast wicket.
TIP: Usman Khawaja Leading Run Scorer for Australia - $5.00 at Bet365
I’m also going to take a stab at the leading wicket taker market with Tasmanian James Faulkner leading the way with six wickets in the first two games. His off-pace bowling has been quite effective this series, and he’s also a death bowler which increases his chances of some cheap wickets. If Mitchell Starc is rested from this game, then I like this bet even more!
Tip: James Faulkner Most Wickets for Australia - $4.25 at CrownBet
