Australia can complete sweep

It was quite interesting to see Australia made to work a lot harder than expected to get the better of Pakistan in the first of two Tests on English soil, something to give England plenty of cause for optimism come the winter's Ashes series.

Their bowling attack looks far poorer than in recent years and as yet, no one is remotely looking like being capable of taking the places of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, which is not that surprising.

Of course, Australia did win the first Test and at 4/6 with bet365 they are not that bad a price to make it 2-0 and complete the sweep of the series by winning the second and final match, which begins on Wednesday at Headingley.

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has stood down as skipper, leaving Salim Butt to take over an while the Pakistan team are well used to turmoil in the dressing room, even this minor tremor won't be easy to get used to. Pakistan are 13/2 to win the match and the draw is on offer at 19/10.

Captain Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich are each 10/3 to top-score for Australia in their first innings, with Shne Watson 4/1, Michael Clarke 9/2 and Michael Hussey 11/2.

New captain Butt is favourite at 11/4 to top-score on his debut in charge for Pakistan, while Umar Akmal is 4/1, Imran Farhat 9/2 and Shoaib Malik 5/1.

Unless the weather intervenes and despite their own limitations, I can't see anything other than another win for the Aussies here and they should wrap it up inside four days.

Cambers' Call
Australia to win 2nd Test against Pakistan - 4/6 bet365

Original preview
The turmoil on their own soil means no one wants to play cricket in Pakistan at the moment, especially not Australia, who have been more protective of their players' wishes than most over recent years. Thankfully England have stepped in and the two-Test series will be played at Lord's and Headingley.

The series offers English fans the chance to see some extra cricket before the hosts' own Test summer begins, but more importantly gives Pakistan and Australia the chance to showcase their own skills, something that would not have happened if it were not for England standing in at the last moment.

Now Australia, as usual, are big favourites to win the series and though they are definitely not as good as they were even two years ago - something we may see when England tour there this winter - they still take plenty of beating.

Pakistan's record on English soil is quite good and it's arguable that their pace bowlers will get more help from the conditions in England than they would have done on the slow dust bowls of Pakistan.

However, bet365 still think Australia are good enough to come out on top and make them 2/5 favourites to win the series, with Pakistan 7/1 and the drawn series a 10/3 chance.

Australia have won about half of the 55 Tests between the two - 27 to be exact, losng 11 and drawing 17. It's hard to draw a fair comparison because of the neutral ground but Pakistan are something of a side in transition, having won just one of their past 12 matches and with tour manager and former fast bowling legend Waqar Younis already having described it as a "learning tour".

Anything they get from the series will a massive bonus, but for Australia, it means a little more as they are chasing consistency to go into the Ashes series this winter. On paper, they have plenty of talent but do not have the aura of a few years ago and are vulnerable when a team gets hot.

They have won just 13 of their past 25 Tests over the past two years, way below the returns they enjoyed over the previous decade and a half, and if they do not perform, they are now vulnerable.

However, they remain the side to beat, on a general basis, and bet365 make it just 8/5 that Australia win the series 2-0, with a 1-0 win available at 15/8. It's 17/2 that Pakistan win it 1-0 and 33/1 that they win both games, while it's 8/1 on it finishing 0-0 and just 5/1 that they share the two games in a 1-1 draw.

Pakistan do have an innate confidence and will enjoy plenty of support from the big Pakistani fan-base that live in both London and Leeds, but there is not exactly a shortage of Australians living in Britain either, so I doubt that will make any difference.

In the end, class usually wins out and I would be surprised, albeit not stunned, if the Aussies don't win both games, which makes the 8/5 on a 2-0 win look quite generous.

As for the first Test, which begins at Lord's on Tuesday, bet365 make it 10/11 on an Australia win, 5/1 on Pakistan taking it and 13/8 on the draw. Again, 10/11 is not a bad price on what should be a clearly superior team.