With the Test match series coming to an end, attention now turns to the One Day Internationals which come to us this summer in everyone’s favourite format – the Tri Series. Australia will be joined by India and England in a round robin competition where each team will play each other twice, so four matches each in total, with the final between the two top teams in Perth on February 1st.
It’s an important series for teams in their final preparations for the World Cup and it all starts this Friday at the SCG between Australia and England.
Australia have named their World Cup squad of 15 and there really weren’t too many surprises. The quicks picked themselves, with Ryan Harris an obvious omission, while the batsmen were also relatively clear cut. The selectors have punted on Michael Clarke’s fitness, but I would suggest that Shaun Marsh will be on standby to jump in at any moment.
Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell had to be picked, despite Marsh’s injuries and Maxwell’s form slump (edit: not any more!). Both players are three-dimensional match winners.
The only question mark I have is over the choice of Xavier Doherty as the spinner. The selectors claim his experience and consistency will be a positive, but I think it could actually be a liability. On fast, flat pitches, I think his style will be pretty ineffective and opposition batsmen will see Doherty as a soft spot in this bowling attack. I would’ve liked to see selectors take a chance with someone like Zampa or Boyce. They are bowling exceptionally well and could be really dangerous, whereas I think Doherty is a conservative, defensive choice.
For the one-dayers, Kane Richardson and Gurinder Sandhu have been added to the squad and will probably play in order to give the likes of Mitch Starc and Josh Hazelwood some valuable rest following a gruelling Test series.
George Bailey will lead the Aussies in the absence of Michael Clarke.
England have tuned up nicely for this game with a couple of soft wins in exhibition matches against representative XI’s. It’s a new look line up, especially at the top of the order after the controversial dumping of former captain Alastair Cook. The general consensus is that was the move that had to be made, but I feel Cook cops a lot of criticism when he has been an exceptionally talented contributor over many years.
It looks like Moeen Ali and Ian Bell will be the new opening combination following their brilliant start in the PM's XI game, with Alex Hales also in contention. Taking over the captaincy is Eoin Morgan.
Another interesting omission from their squad is Ben Stokes, who responded in style by smashing the cover off it in the Big Bash League, so it will be interesting to see if that decision comes back to bite them also.
The Indian squad looks pretty similar to the Test line up with a super strong batting line up, a solid pace attack and a couple of useful spinners. MS Dhoni will lead the side into the World Cup after announcing his retirement from Test cricket during the recent series. His experience and power hitting will be valuable with Virat Kohli in support to give them a very dangerous look.
Their bowlers will need to find a little more than they did during the Test series to perhaps they will look towards their second and third string spin options such as Ravindra Jadeja to make an impact.
Our coverage
We won’t be providing articles for each of the ODI matches during this series due to the sheer amount of cricket on at the moment. The Big Bash is heading towards the end of its season and there are far better markets, promotions and interest in the Big Bash than this ODI series. Keep an eye on our Twitter account for any betting tips throughout the ODI series.
Betting
Current Odds:
Australia - $2.00 at Bet365
England - $5.50 at Sportingbet
India - $3.50 at Luxbet
It’s hard to see Australia missing out on the final completely, which means that the $2.00 offers a little value. India could be a dangerous opposition, and they should be too strong for England.
Australia to win ODI Tri Series @$2.00 at Bet365 (3 units)
There’s not a lot of value in other markets. I’d be very weary of betting on anything with the Australian bowlers who are likely to be heavily rotated throughout the series.
The batting looks a little clearer, but again be careful if Test regulars like Warner, Watson or Smith are talked about resting prior to the first match on Friday.
Warner and Kohli are the favourites in the Leading Run Scorer markets, so we’ll look to find a bit more value that what they offer. We’re going to make a play on Steve Smith since he’s in such good form, his confidence is high and he’ll bat at four. The price of $11 is juicy. We’ll also back Aaron Finch. He’s been one of Australia’s best ODI batsmen over the last year and although he’s struggled in the Big Bash, he can easily turn it around in the ODI’s. He’ll open the batting and will definitely play all five matches, so again the price looks value.
Steve Smith leading series run scorer @$11.00 at Sportsbet (1 unit)
Aaron Finch leading series run scorer @$11.00 at Sportsbet (1 unit)
