Kiwis look to finish off Australia

It is a mark of just how bad things are in Australian cricket right now that captain Ricky Ponting, who had been due to be rested for two matches, has been rushed back to their line-up for Sunday's third one-day international against New Zealand. However, with his team trailing 2-0 in the five-game series, things don't look good for the home side.

The Aussies have now lost five straight one-day matches, and having also been beaten in two of their past three Test series, and with a tough trip to South Africa on the horizon, they desperately need to find some form to lift their confidence.

So, Ponting is back to lead the side in Sydney and their batting will be much the better for it, but to date, New Zealand have dominated this series without exactly breaking their backs to do so.

The laws of probability suggest that their losing run will end sooner rather than later, and bet365 make Australia 4/9 to win the third match, while New Zealand are 7/4. The prices are no reflection of form, though - the Aussies are favourites by reputation and home advantage alone.

Bet365 have yet to update their prices on top Australia batsman but Ponting is likely to be favourite, despite Michael Clarke's fine effort in the last match. Ponting will know that he has to lead from the front so expect a positive knock from him.

Ross Taylor tops the list for New Zealand at 11/4, just ahead of Brendon McCullum, who is a vital cog in the Black Caps batting line-up, at 3/1.

The other opener, Martin Guptill, is next at 5.1, while Grant Elliott and Peter Fulton are both 6/1 and Neil Broom, who batted well in the second match, is 13/2. The winner should come from this group, but Daniel Vettori, who is 20/1, should never be totally overlooked for he is a very capable batsman.

Until Australia, who have been racked by injuries and retirements of leading players, show some backbone and start winning again, I can't advise backing them at odds-on, so for the third game in a row, New Zealand have to be the pick.