Australia v Pakistan preview, player tips & predictions

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MATCH INFO
Australia v Pakistan
Venue: County Ground Taunton, Wednesday, June 12, 10.30am (British time)
Head to head odds: Australia $1.40; Pakistan $2.90
Last time they met: Australia 7-327 (50 overs) d Pakistan 7-307 (50 overs) in Dubai, March 31, 2019.

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Pakistan have already caused the biggest upset of the 2019 ICC World Cup so far when they rebounded from a first-up thrashing to beat tournament favourites England.

They will need to produce every bit as big a shock to upstage five-time champions Australia here.

They missed a potential two points when their match against Sri Lanka was washed out, and a word of warning that the forecast in Britain for the Wednesday is not good. So this match may well be rain-affected.

Australia thrashed Pakistan 5-0 in a one-day international series earlier this year, and they have only been strengthened by the return of David Warner and Steve Smith and return to fitness and top form of Mitchell Starc.

As always, a lot will depend on which Pakistan arrives: the one capable of outgunning England or the one prone to collapse.

Despite the threat of rain, we will scour the markets at our favourite cricket bookie William Hill.

This Australia v Pakistan betting preview will run you through betting options for match 17 of 48 of the ICC World Cup 2019.

Australia v Pakistan odds:

For full markets visit the William Hill website.

HEAD TO HEAD BETTING:
Australia $1.40, Pakistan $2.90
Prediction: If we get a full day’s play and 50 overs per side, we think Australia will simply be too strong all round. Despite their loss to India on Sunday, the Australians have enough players in great form to prove a handful for any side at this event.

TOP RUN-SCORER BETTING:

Australia:
Top five in betting: David Warner $3.75, Aaron Finch $4.33, Usman Khawaja $4.50, Steve Smith $4.50, Shaun Marsh $7.

Top scorers from past five ODIs:
v India: Steve Smith 69
v West Indies: Nathan Coulter-Nile 92
v Afghanistan: David Warner 89no
v Pakistan: Usman Khawaja 98
v Pakistan: Glenn Maxwell 98

Pakistan:
Top five in betting: Babar Azam $3.50, Fakhar Zaman $4.50, Imam-ul-Haq $4.50, Mohammad Hafeez $5.50, Haris Sohail $8.

Top scorers from past five ODIs:
v Sri Lanka: Match abandoned
v England: Mohammed Hafeez 84
v West Indies: Fakhar Zaman 22, Babar Azam 22
v England: Sarfaraz Ahmed 97
v England: Babar Azam 115

Top batter prediction: We might go a little wide here, for Pakistan at least, and have a small wager on Haris Sohail, who made two centuries in the five-match series against Australia in the lead-up to the Cup. The $8 is tempting. For the Aussies, we had a collect after tipping Steve Smith to top-score against India. We will stick with the former captain as he is in magnificent touch.

TOP WICKET-TAKER BETTING:

Australia:
Top five in betting: Mitchell Starc $3.50, Pat Cummins $3.75, Kane Richardson $5, Jason Behrendorff $5, Adam Zampa $5, Nathan Lyon $5.

Top wicket-takers from past five ODIs:
v India: Marcus Stoinis 2-62
v West Indies: Mitchell Starc 5-46
v Afghanistan: Pat Cummins 3-40, Adam Zampa 3-60
v Pakistan: Jason Behrendorff 3-63
v Pakistan: Nathan Coulter-Nile 3-53

Pakistan:
Top five in betting: Mohammad Amir $4, Shadab Khan $4.33, Wahab Riaz $4.33, Hasan Ali $4.33, Shaheen Afridi $5, Imad Wasim $5.

Top wicket-takers from past five ODIs:
v Sri Lanka: Match abandoned
v England: Wahab Riaz 3-82
v West Indies: Mohammad Amir 3-26
v England: Shaheen Afridi 4-82
v England: Imad Wasim 2-62, Mohammad Hasnain 2-80

Top bowler tip: The Australian attack was largely ineffective against India, but this pitch might offer more assistance than The Oval’s. At the only other WC2019 match played at this ground so far, runs were hard to come by. Mitchell Starc will prove a real handful once more, so we will back the lanky left-armer to salute at $3.50. Mohammad Amir has been easily Pakistan’s most dangerous bowler so far and can be backed with confidence at $4. Yes, two favourites, but you might be able to secure enhanced odds on the day of the match with William Hill.

WGL best bets: Australia v Pakistan

Each of our ICC World Cup betting previews will highlight some potential wins for punters, or where our cricket tipsters think there is value to be found.

Aaron Finch total runs under 38.5

The Aaron Finch total runs under 38.5 option is paying $1.83 with William Hill. The Australian opener endured a long run of outs before bursting back into form earlier this year. We can’t help but feel he is slipping back into a rut.

Mitchell Starc top Australian bowler and Australia to win

We are investing heavily in Starc, but he is a confidence player. He destroyed more than one team in the last World Cup in Australia. This time around he has already ripped apart the Windies and he seems certain to do it again at some stage. This double is paying $4.50.

Australia v Pakistan prediction

Short and sweet here. We like Australia to win but are wary of the rain. A game decided under the Duckworth Lewis system can work in your favour but equally go against you. Check the forecast in the hour before the match and maybe even wait for the toss.

ALSO READ:
ICC World Cup 2019 betting guide
ICC World Cup 2019 leading wicket-taker
Cricket betting sites
ICC World Cup 2019 leading run-scorer
ICC World Cup 2019 player of tournament

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