Australia favourites for Twenty20 clash

Australia made a winning start to their Ashes tour on Thursday with victory over the PCA Masters in a Twenty20 match at Arundel and things step up immediately when they meet England over the same format at the Rose Bowl on Monday.

Betting on these kind of games is often virtually a lottery, not just because of the format but also because of the lack of history to go on and the fact that the Aussies have only just arrived and are unlikely to be in full swing. That's not to say they won't win it, of course, and Bet365 are taking no chances by making them 4-7 (1.57) favourites, while England are 5/4 (2.25).

With big hitters Matthew Hayden and Adam Gilchrist in their side, you'd have to fancy Australia, even though England's players will have more experience, and both teams will be looking to score any psychological edge they can ahead of the Ashes.

bet365 make England surprise favourites to hit more sixes in the game, at evens (2.00) with Australia 5/4 (2.25) and the tie 5/1 (7.00). Gilchrist and Ricky Ponting top the Australia batting markets at 7/2 (4.50), while Hayden is 4/1 (5.00) and Andrew Symonds 11/2 (6.50).

For England, Marcus Trescothick is a slight favourite at 7/2 (4.50), just ahead of their two biggest hitters, Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pieterson, who are both 4/1 (5.00). Vikram Solanki is a 5/1 (6.00) chance and captain Michael Vaughan is 11/2 (6.50).

With the emphasis on quick runs, the bowlers usually get the short end of the stick in Twenty20 games and all the other markets concern the batsmen. Of those, perhaps the most interesting is a straight match bet between Flintoff and Pieterson. Both are clean strikers of the ball, and though Flintoff has more experience, Pieterson will be on his home ground and that could make the difference. Both men are 5/6 (1.83).

Cambers' Choice
Kevin Pieterson to outscore Andrew Flintoff - 5/6 (1.83)