Cook could represent value

Jonathan Trott heads the list of England runscorers so far in the four-Test series but with one match to go, there is still a lot to play for and anyone of six men could come out on top.

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Having initially believed Andrew Strauss would come good I have been surprised by his lack of form, but I still wouldn't write him off entirely. The captain averages 64 at Lord's and where better to show his ability then cricket's HQ by hitting a big score to secure another series win for his side?

Trott, who has been steady if unspectacular, is favourite with bet365 at 11/8, having scored 220 runs to date. Matt Prior, second on 212 but hampered by batting at No 7, is a 10/3 chance, with Eoin Morgan, who has 175 runs to his name, a 7/1 chance.

Strauss is also 7/1, having scored 142 runs and obviously as an opener he may have two bites at the cherry compared to others who may not. But to me, Alastair Cook could represent the best value at 15/2. The opener hit a much-needed century in the second innings at the Oval and will be hugely encouraged by what was a courageous effort. With 157 runs to his name, and an average of 53 at Lord's, he could sneak through the pack. Kevin Pietersen is an 8/1 chance.

Azhar Ali remains favourite for Pakistan at 13/8, having scored 130 runs to date, but the fact that 130 leads the way after three Tests shows just how bad Pakistan's batting has been.

Mohammad Yousuf, who made 89 runs on his recall to the side, looked a class above the rest at the Oval and if he shows that kind of form he could easily end up on top, which makes bet365's price of 3/1 look rather tempting.

Imran Farhat, second at the moment on 107, is also 3/1, while Salman Butt (81) is 6/1 and Umar Akmal (99) is 13/2.

James Anderson looks home and hosed in the bowling market for England, with 20 wickets to Graeme Swann's 13 and two more chances to wreak havoc in the Pakistan batting line-up.

Original preview
With Pakistan having already shown they have bowlers of real class and potential, how England's batsmen cope with them could go a long way toward deciding how the four-Test series between the two sides pans out.

The consensus of opinion seems to be that England have the clear edge in terms of batting, up against a relatively inexperienced Pakistan line-up but just who will step up to stamp their authority on the series?

As usual, Kevin Pietersen tops the betting with bet365 to come out on top, available at 11/4 to see off the rest. Pietersen is a fantastic batsman - everyone knows that - but I think he's a pretty shaky favourite after some time out through injury. It may take him some time to get up to speed and if that's the case, someone else will take advantage, so at such a short price he is not exactly good value.

Captain Andrew Strauss makes is far more appealing at 3/1. As a left-hander, Strauss will negate a lot of the danger that comes from Mohammad Aamer's outswingers to the right-handers, and he should be able to cope better with the left-armer's inswing.

Equally importantly, he will want to show that he is in as good form as he has been ever since, and just before, he took over the captaincy, coinciding with a great run for the England side as a whole as they build towards the winter's Ashes series.

The last time these two sides played in England, Strauss was England's top runscorer with 444 runs from four Tests, including two centuries. The make-up of the Pakistan side is quite different now from then but Strauss will still fancy his chances.

Behind them, Alastair Cook, who also scored more than 400 runs in that series, is 4/1, the same price as the seemingly ever-consistent Jonathan Trott. In the absence of Ian Bell, Paul Collingwood is next at 7/1 and Eoin Morgan, who will probably bat at No 6, is 10/1.

Pakistan's relative lack of experience means that Salman Butt is the obvious favourite to come out on top for his side. The new captain is the class batsman in their side and he is worthy of favouritism at 2/1.

If he bats well, though, the chances are that his success will feed down the order so some of the others may follow suit. Imran Farhat is next at 7/2, Umar Akmal is 4/1, Azhar Ali 6/1, the much more experienced Shoaib Malik 7/1 and Kamram Akmal 8/1.

In the bowling markets, England's starters will think they have a great chance to get a decent haul and James Anderson is the 2/1 favourite to take the most of all. If there is any cloud cover, Anderson is the best swing bowler in the side and he is in good form so there is no reason not to expect him to have a good series.

Graeme Swann, who has been right up there in terms of wickets in the past few series, or in fact ever since he came onto the Test scene, is 5/2 and will benefit from a recent rest. Stuart Broad, who goes into the side after an eight-wicket haul for his county, is the same price and it really should be between those three.

As for Pakistan, teenage whizz Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif share favouritism at 2/1 and that too seems right. Both men are fine performers and though they have plenty to learn, they are learning fast and like Anderson, if there is any help from the conditions, they can be deadly.

Spinner Danish Kaneria is always a threat, at 3/1, while Umar Gul is 7/2.

Cambers' Call
Andrew Strauss to be top England series runscorer - 3/1 bet365

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.