The One Day International series between Australia and Pakistan will be brought to an end on Thursday January 26th with the fifth and final match of the series to be held in Adelaide. It’s the traditional Australia Day clash and the home side should cap off a successful series with another dominant performance.
This ODI series really has played second fiddle to the adrenalin-fuelled excitement of the Big Bash League. With Australia now taking an unassailable 3-1 lead into the final match, many are questioning why Cricket Australia are draining their most successful product (BBL) of their best players to play in a meaningless ODI match here. Of course, representing your country will always come first but the BBL is now at the point where CA must consider avoiding this clash of codes in future seasons to allow the best players to play both competitions.
Australia wrapped up the ODI series with another comprehensive victory in Game 4 led by a dynamic David Warner century and some creative batting from the enigma that is Glenn Maxwell. They were also helped by some shoddy Pakistani fielding with four catches going down in a rather typically poor effort from Pakistan.
Sharjeel Khan injected some life into the Pakistan innings with a whirlwind 74 from 47 balls at the top of the order, but the target of 354 was always going to be too much to haul in.
It was good to see Adam Zampa finally given an opportunity with the ball and he again delivered. I find it hard to understand why he wasn’t considered for earlier matches in this series, or for the tour of India, as he is really starting to blossom as a bowler, he’s a good fieldsman and a handy bat as well.
Not much will change in Adelaide but the Aussies may look to rotate their bowlers once again with Billy Stanlake and James Faulkner a chance to come back into the team. It was announced earlier this week that David Warner will be rested from the tour of New Zealand, with he and Usman Khawaja already setting their focus on the red ball. It may mean that Travis Head and Peter Handscomb may get opportunities at the top of the order in the fifth ODI, and maybe even Maxwell and Faulkner may get more time with the bat.
The Aussies are overwhelming favourites to win and there’s no value launching into the $1.21 odds on offer. The value is with Pakistan to cause an upset at $4.45 at Sportsbet, especially considering this is a dead rubber, but you’re a brave soul to ever commit your money on a team like Pakistan.
Instead, we'll make a few small plays on some of the Australian middle order who may get more of an opportunity to shine in this match.
TIP: Travis Head top Australian run scorer - $6 at Sportsbet
TIP: Peter Handscomb top Australian run scorer - $9 at Sportsbet
TIP: Matthew Wade top Australian run scorer - $26 at Sportsbet
I also think it's worth backing the form of Sharjeel Khan. He's clearly a confidence player and he will be riding high from his innings the other night. I think there's some value in backing him to do it again.
TIP: Sharjeel Khan top Pakistan run scorer - $5 at Sportsbet
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
