Australia Day 5th ODI cricket betting specials & top tips

DAVID Warner’s hundred in Sydney last weekend steered Australia to an insurmountable 3-1 series lead over Pakistan.

But the New South Welshman was only one of several Aussie bats who took advantage of the very friendly pitch conditions.

Steve Smith (49), Travis Head (51) and especially Glenn Maxwell (78) all played their part as the hosts posted 353 – the fifth-highest ODI total ever scored at the SCG.

Adam Zampa also impressed on his first appearance of the series, returning 3/55 on a wicket that was ill suited to any type of bowling.

Big Billy Stanlake carried the drinks in that game, but he could be given another run at Adelaide Oval – his home venue in Big Bash League cricket.

While Pakistan may have lost the series, there were positives to be taken out of last Sunday’s effort.

Sharjeel Khan was excellent again at the top of the order, blasting 74 at a strike rate of 157.44 before holing out off Zampa.

There were also promising starts for Mohammad Hafeez (40) and Shoaib Malik (47) as the tourists, despite falling 86 runs short, put up their best-ever ODI score at Sydney.

But the star of the show was Hasan Ali, who returned an impressive 5/52 with little support from the likes of Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan.

Amir looked like a man ready for the end of the tour, so there is a chance he could be rested for Adelaide.

If that happens, either Rahat Ali or Wahab Riaz could come in for their only start of the series.

Josh Hazlewood betting markets

A lot of folks rate Mitchell Starc as the world’s best exponent of white-ball pace bowling.

Yet Hazlewood has outperformed his fellow NSW quick in just about every way this summer.

Whether it’s Test cricket or the one-dayers, the 26-year-old from Tamworth has a better average, better economy rate and a better strike rate than Starc over the last few months.

He is a master of line and length who doesn’t rely on swing or raw speed to befuddle batsmen.

In his only ODI appearance at Adelaide to date, Hazlewood starred with 4/35 in a big win over Pakistan at the 2015 Cricket World Cup.

He likes the venue and has consecutive three-wicket hauls behind him, so why look anywhere else?

Most wickets vs. Amir and Starc – $2.70 at CrownBet

Top Australia bowler – $3.75 at Sportsbet

Man of the match – $15 at CrownBet

Sharjeel Khan bet specials

The Pakistan top order has improved immensely since this man stepped in for Sami Aslam in the Sydney Test.

Sharjeel is an opener of the same school that spawned the likes of Warner, Virender Sehwag and Sanath Jayasuriya.

He swings hard, scores fast and looks to put bowlers on the back foot early.

His returns have increased with every knock this series: 18 in Brisbane, 29 in Melbourne, 50 in Perth and a superb 74 in Sydney.

The 27-year-old lefty is trending upwards in a big way, and one suspects the flat, even surfaces of Adelaide Oval may suit him.

If he gets in, expect a big score.

Top Pakistan batsman – $5 at Bet365

Top match batsman – $11 at Sportsbet

Man of the match – $17 at William Hill

Australia vs. Pakistan ODI match tips

This series has been far less one-sided than the scoreline suggests.

The Australians have enjoyed some brilliant spells, but they have also endured some rather ordinary patches.

Although Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, et al have provided some match-turning cameos, it is the consistency of guys like Hazlewood, Travis Head and super-skipper Steve Smith that has kept them ahead.

Even if Stanlake comes in and someone like Pat Cummins misses out, it will be a strong side that suits up on Australia Day.

As has too often been the case down the years, the Pakistanis have shown so much ability and yet so little regard for the fundamentals.

Some fine individual efforts with both bat and ball have been rather undercut by lazy fielding, dropped catches and lackadaisical running between the wickets.

A team cannot afford to make those kinds of mistakes on a ground such as Adelaide, where a bowling side’s errors tend to be punished with great cruelty.

Match result – Australia ($1.27 at William Hill)

Century to be scored? – Yes ($2.04 at Sportsbet)

Most Australia runs/wickets – Smith/Hazlewood ($13 at William Hill)