England wait on ODI series go-ahead

An interesting series ended in scandal on Sunday when a number of Pakistan players were questioned by police surrounding allegations of "spot-fixing" in the final Test, eventually won handily by England. The result will go a long way to deciding Pakistan's immediate future at this level, but in theory the two sides have a one-day series still to play.

Bet365 are understandably waiting for the go-ahead before naming their prices for the one-day series and if it does go ahead, it will be fascinating to see how the two teams respond to what's happened.

If the series does get the green light, I will have a full preview, so please keep checking back here to catch all the latest advice.

Original 4th Test preview
Well then. Pakistan produced a strong all-round performance and England's batsmen let them down to breathe life into a series that looked dead. England lead 2-1 with this week's fourth and final Test to come, and motivation could be the key factor in determining the outcome.

England's run of six straight Test wins came to a halt with a faltering performance by their batsmen, who let slip a strong position in the second innings to allow Pakistan to clinch victory. The tourists again bowled well and Mohammad Yousuf added stability to their batting but if England had played to standard, they would surely have won.

So now both sides have plenty to play for - Pakistan to try to force the series draw and England to get back to winning ways and rebuild momentum and consistency going into the winter's Ashes tour.

Bet365 make England 4/6 to win the fourth Test, which starts at Lord's on Thursday, with Pakistan 9/2 chances and the draw on offer at 5/2. Weather may well play a part again but we have already seen enough to know that we probably only need a maximum of four days' play to get a result.

It will be interesting to see if Kevin Pietersen manages to get a really big score for the first time in the series. Despite one 80 early on, he has been scratching for form and needs something to restore his confidence to the kind of levels England will need when they go to Australia.

But what he has done before, his reputation, precedes him and he remains joint favourite to top-score for England in their first innings at 7/2 with bet365, alongside his captain Andrew Strauss, who could also do with a big score himself.

The fact that neither man has been in form means there is better value below them in the markets, but Strauss averages 64 on his home ground of Lord's and could well prove to be the man for the big occasion.

Pietersen also averages 64 at HQ but there is a pretty good argument to be made for backing Alastair Cook, who rediscovered his own form just in time with a fine century in the second innings at the Oval. He also likes Lord's and averages 53 there, so his price of 9/2 could be rather popular.

Jonathan Trott is also 9/2, with Paul Collingwood 11/2 and Eoin Morgan 13/2, with Matt Prior, perhaps the most on-song of the England batting order, is an 11/1 chance.

For Pakistan, Mohammad Yousuf is favourite to top-score in their first innings having shown enough at the Oval to suggest that a year away from the Test arena has not done him any harm. The former skipper is 3/1 to come out on top, with captain Salman Butt 4/1 and Yasir Hameed 5/1. Imran Farhat is also 5/1, with Umar Akmal and Azhar Ali each 11/2 and Shoaib Malik available at 6/1.

Slope always a factor
Coping with the slope at Lord's is always a factor and the young Pakistan bowling attack may just struggle to replicate the kind of form they have shown to date. Lord's slopes an awful lot from one side to the other, going across the square, and many bowlers find it tough to hit the right line with consistency.

Nevertheless, the Pakistan bowlers have excelled to date and Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif share favouritism to take most first-innings wickets at 15/8. Both men should get help from the conditions but it is about controlling the ball more than pace.

Saeed Ajmal, who bamboozled England in the second innings at the Oval, is 3/1 but England will surely play him better this time round. And Wahab Riza, the star of the first innings with his fast left-arm line of attack, is 7/2.

For England, James Anderson is the favourite at 2/1 and that's about right because experience is usually key at Lord's. Graeme Swann is 13/5 but that might be a bit short if England's seam attack hit the ground running. Stuart Broad and Steven Finn are both 7/2 while Tim Bresnan, pushing for a place in the XI, is 9/2.

I just think that when it comes down to it, Pakistan have played very well in this series but do not have the consistency to trouble England other than on a one-off basis. England will be angry with their batting display at the Oval and will surely play better this time, so all in all, bet365's price of 4/6 is not at all bad.