England v Pakistan First ODI: 3 Bets to Take

England take on Pakistan in the first of three ODIs tomorrow at Sophia Gardens in Cardiff. England’s entire ODI squad was forced to self-isolate two days before the start of the series following seven positive Covid-19 tests among the team’s players and management. Ben Stokes will captain a new-look ODI squad consisting of players like Zak Crawley, Dawid Malan and Saqib Mahmood.

We’ve put together three bets to take for the first ODI of the series.

Pakistan to Win

Pakistan head into this series having now won three bilateral series on the bounce. The last time they were in ODI action, they beat the Proteas 2-1 in a three-match series in South Africa. They’ll be coming into this series full of confidence based on their own form and the fact that England’s preparations for this series were dealt a huge blow following the seven positive Covid-19 tests. Babar Azam’s men will be happy to begin the series at Sophia Gardens with their W3, L0 ODI record in Cardiff since the start of 2016 including two wins against England. I can only see a Pakistan victory in this match unless they shoot themselves in the foot with a below-par performance.

Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar Zaman had an outstanding ODI series against South Africa earlier this year in which he was named Man of the Series for his performances with the bat. He also has an exceptional record in England & Wales, where he averages 65.50 with the bat in ODIs. He also has an average of 53.50 at Sophia Gardens in the two matches that he’s played at the ground. He’ll be licking his lips at the prospect of facing an inexperienced English bowling attack and I’m backing him to score big in this match.

A Hundred To Be Scored In The Match

The chances of a hundred being scored in this match are very high. Pakistan’s top three of Imam ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam all average above 49 with the bat in ODIs. They’ll be coming up against an inexperienced bowling attack so you would back one of them to score big tomorrow. This new-look England side have a few batsmen of their own who could score a ton in this match with the likes of Dawid Malan and James Vince being extra motivated to impress and force their way into the ODI team, not to mention captain, Ben Stokes.