Australia vs Pakistan ODI Series

By Nishant Joshi

Having swept to a comfortable test series victory, the world champions now find themselves 3-0 up against a Pakistan side doing their best to break every rule in the corporate governance handbook.

With PCB chairman Ijaz Butt announcing the sacking of current captain Mohammed Yousuf midway through this series, Pakistan are nothing but an utter shambles. They are arguably a more talented side than Australia, but with no team cohesion whatsoever there have only been disjointed performances, interspersed with the odd mercurial knock.

The dropping of MoYo as captain is fair enough; he is a fantastic batsman but his defensive field settings have attracted no end of criticism. Having said that, being captain of Pakistan is a thankless task at the best of times. It would seem as if Pakistan are now more intent on sightseeing and getting back home ASAP, and with two dead rubbers to come, I can't see them putting any extra effort in the matches to come.

Australia have rekindled their ruthless efficiency in the ODI arena, winning the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy after a thumping post-Ashes win against England. An ODI series win away in India was the icing on the cake. These wins have taken Australia to a phenomenal streak of 18 wins in their past 21 ODI's, a record synonymous with the times of Gilchrist/Hayden/Bevan et al.

In terms of team selection for these next two matches, Mitchell Johnson will return for Doug Bollinger, after a deserved rest for the first three matches. As Australia's leading run-scorer and wicket-taker in the past year, Shane Watson will sit out the next two matches. Ryan Harris should keep his place after taking five wickets in the 3rd ODI, whilst Brad Haddin - the most odious player to have ever donned the baggy green - will move up the order to open the batting. James Hopes should slot in for Watson at no. 7, as a like-for-like 'does a bit of both, but neither too well' all-rounder.

As for Pakistan, with the team selectors quite happy to throw a curveball every single match, who knows what their team selection will be? And quite frankly, who cares? Why should we care about a team more concerned about going home than performing for their country and fans?

One must feel sorry for a shattered and demoralised Mohammed Yousuf in a selection meeting more likely to represent a kangaroo court, with selectors more interested in deflecting blame and covering their own arses. For what it's worth, teen sensation Mohammed Aamer will probably miss the rest of the series with a groin niggle; but if we're being realistic, after impressive performances in the opening two matches, it's practically in the PCB's handbook to rest a key player in form.

Here are my predicted line-ups for the next two matches:

Australia (predicted) 1 Shaun Marsh; 2 Brad Haddin (wk); 3 Ricky Ponting (c); 4 Michael Clarke; 5 Cameron White; 6 Michael Hussey; 7 James Hopes; 8 Mitchell Johnson; 9 Nathan Hauritz; 10 Ryan Harris; 11 Clint McKay.

Pakistan (unpredictable, but I'll give it a shot) 1 Jabba the Hut; 2 Ijaz Butt's secret lovechild; 3 Any player who has been dropped and re-selected at least five times; 4 Inzamam-Ul-Haq (capt); 5 Any Akmal Brother; 6 Genghis Khan (wk); 7 Imran Khan; 8 Fast bowler whose birth certificate says 14 years old but looks like he has been smoking for at least 20 years; 9 General Musharraf's nephew; 10 Shakoor Rana; 11 Shahid Afridi (to prop up the tail)

Overall, Australia look a great bet at William Hill's 1.91 to complete a 5-0 whitewash here, and we should bet confidently.

NJ's Bet:

Australia to win series 5-0 - 3.75pts @ 1.91 (Bluesq )