Inzamam a key target for England bowlers
If Pakistan are to do well against England this winter, then they will need a big performance from their captain, the enigmatic Inzamam-ul-Haq
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Anyone who averages more than 50 in Tests deserves respect, and for all his comical running between the wickets, he is world class. In his 102 Tests, he averages 50.13, and in his last 20 matches, that is even better at 51.36. He has hit 22 centuries and 39 half-centuries in 170 innings, which means he passes 50 in slightly better than one every two and a half innings.
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The key for England, as it was with Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist in the Ashes, is to get Inzamam early. A touch shaky early on, Inzamam has been dismissed for 10 or less a massive 48 times, or put another way, once every three and a half innings. In fact, he has been dismissed for 30 or less on 89 of his 170 innings. When he gets going, though, he is tough to remove and on home soil, naturally, he is even better, averaging 53.05 and against England on home soil that rises to a massive 60.
If you are thinking of backing Inzamam to top score for Pakistan in the individual Tests, you would perhaps be best to go for the first Test, in Multan. The skipper averages 110.00 there in three matches, and while averages are sometimes misleading in markets like this, he has hit two centuries in the three matches.
At Faisalabad, venue for the second Test, he averages just 36, with four fifties in five matches, while in Lahore, the venue for the final Test, it is much better at 63.16, with two hundreds in eight matches.
Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.
Simon Cambers is Cricinfo's new betting correspondent
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