Australia vs. Pakistan 4th ODI betting tips & match specials

It looked early on as though they would be forced into a tough chase as Sharjeel Khan (50) and Babar Azam (84) piled on early pressure.

But some excellent bowling from Josh Hazlewood (3/32) and Pat Cummins (1/42) restricted the visitors to 263 when 300 looked well and truly on the cards.

That total proved to be child’s play for the Aussies, who chased it down with five overs to spare.

It might have been a very different story if not for the ungodly good fortune of Peter Handscomb.

With Australia two wickets down after losing David Warner and Usman Khawaja in the space of an over, the debutant was given a reprieve on nought when a no ball from Junaid Khan cancelled out his knick to slip.

Then the Victorian was dropped at point soon after, although replays appeared to show that Junaid had overstepped once again.

He went on to make 82 in a match-winning partnership with Steven Smith, who ran the show with 108 from 104 balls.

Mitchell Starc didn’t feature at the WACA, but the big left-arm quick is expected to return to the XI for Sunday’s clash at the SCG.

That should mean Billy Stanlake misses out, although the Aussie brains trust could instead opt to rest Cummins after a gruelling 28.4 overs of bowling this series.

The touring party will hope their seamers and spinners alike do a better job in Sydney than they did on Perth’s firm, fast surfaces.

Besides the excellent Mohammad Amir, every Pakistani bowler was taken for upwards of five runs per over.

Hasan Ali has leaked far too many boundaries all series and could lose his spot to Wahab Riaz, although the fiery left-armer has to prove he has slain his own no-ball demons.

David Warner betting specials

‘Lloyd’ has yet to produce anything like his swashbuckling best in this series.

A tally of 60 runs in three knocks is not what we’ve come to expect from a man who tonked seven ODI centuries in 2016.

It’s also quite strange after back-to-back hundreds against New Zealand in December and barnstorming performances in the Melbourne and Sydney Test matches.

But he loves batting on his home ground, as he showed in both incredible innings of that New Year’s Test.

Warner averages 54.18 at the SCG in ODI cricket, with six scores of 50 or more from 11 innings.

It’s hard to ignore that kind of strike rate, especially for a guy who is itching to make a big one.

Over/under 45.5 player points – $1.83 at Bet365

Top Australia batsman – $3.75 at William Hill

Man of the match – $7.50 at Bet365

Australia vs. Pakistan ODI match tips

The alarming thing for Pakistan is that Australia’s best cricket is ahead of them.

The hosts weren’t great in Brisbane and were worse still in Melbourne.

While there was improvement in Perth, the all-round display – especially in the field – was a bit on the sloppy side.

Starc’s return will help, while the likes of James Faulkner and Travis Head should fare better on a Sydney wicket that usually offers plenty for spinners and multi-paced seamers.

Smith and Warner love making runs at the SCG, while Khawaja – if picked – will be eager to justify his selection in this format.

Pakistan need to show more killer instinct if they plan on keeping this series alive.

They fizzled out from a good position in Perth and allowed Smith to dictate terms through the middle stages of Australia’s innings.

Those who played in the Sydney Test will have bad memories of what the Aussie top order did to them on this ground less than a month ago.

Australia to win and wrap up the series.

Match result – Australia ($1.25 at William Hill)

Century to be scored? – Yes ($1.57 at Bet365)

Most Australia runs/wickets – Warner/Hazlewood ($14 at William Hill)