All to play for in decider

Off the field it may be mayhem in the Pakistan camp but on the field they have been putting it together and all of a sudden there is everything to play for in the one-day series with England as the two sides head to Southampton for the decider on Wednesday tied at 2-2.

No group of player thrive in adversity the way Pakistan do - perhaps it comes from years of troubles on and off the pitch - but what they have done in winning back-to-back games is still very impressive.

The momentum is with them going into the decider and England will need to get their game and their heads in order and their tempers in check if they are to win the series and complete a clean sweep of all the home series they have played this summer.

That said, Pakistan have benefitted from batting first in the last two games, especially in the day-nighter at Lord's on Monday and the toss could be equally important in another day-nighter to round off the series.

Bet365 make England 4/7 to win the match and clinch the series win but Pakistan are not out of it, obviously, and at 11/8 will get plenty of backers.

My advice would be to wait for the toss and if England win it and bat first, back them. Otherwise leave it alone.

Original preview
If England don't win the five-game one-day series against Pakistan, starting on Friday, given all the problems that Pakistan have had over the last fortnight, then there is something seriously wrong.

The big question is what kind of effort Pakistan can produce. We have seen in the past that they have the ability to find form even in the most dire of circumstances. It's an admirable trait and the likes of Shahid Afridi, who will captain them, will want to prove they deserve to be on the world stage.

but sometimes, and particularly when money is involved, you have to use your brain and stick with the obvious.

Bet365 make England 1/5 favourites to win the series, with Pakistan 7/2. Now I am not suggesting that 1/5 is a price worth taking, particularly, but England should win this series handily, so the correct score markets are worth looking at.

Given how strong favourites England are in the outright market, it's no surprise that a 4-1 win is the favourite, at 23/10. It's just 9/4 that they edge it out 3-2 and only 11/4 that they complete a series whitewash.

If you really believe Pakistan can win, then it's 4/1 that they shade it 3-2, 14/1 that they manage a 4/1 win and 66/1 that they complete a 5-0 series whitewash of their own.

On the other hand, Pakistan do have plenty of ability, especially in the one-day game, and even without Mohammad Amir and Mohammed Asif, they have firepower and variety that could get the better of England, if they are not on their game.

Even if England are on their game, I struggle to see how they will win 5-0. Almost any side in world cricket can win at least one game out of five and Pakistan, even right now, are better than most.

It's easy to see why the 4-1 win is the favourite as it makes most logical sense - England may take their eye off the ball once and Pakistan could have one good game. But it wouldn't surprise me if they lose two of them so the 3-2 win could be popular.

It's about time Andrew Strauss found his form and he's favourite to top-score in the series, available at 5/2 with bet365. The skipper is a far better one-day batsman than he used to be and since he has a point to prove, then he may be worth backing.

Jonathan Trott is an excellent batsman but does not score fast enough for my liking in this form of the game so the 7/2 is not good value to my mind. Instead, Eoin Morgan looks more likely at 4/1. His versatility has been a welcome addition to the England set-up and he is in form, which is more than you can say for a lot of players.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Yousuf is the favourite, but I have watched him play over the years and in the one-day game, he scores painfully slowly. He may get plenty of runs but he won't do it quickly, and others could come out on top over the series.

Umar Akmal and Kamran Akmal are each 4/1 and I am pretty sure one of those two is likely to finish on top.