Pakistan narrow favorites for Edgbaston showdown

Pakistan are 4/6 favourites to beat India on Sunday at Edgbaston in what is effectively the last Champions Trophy quarter final. India fans can bet on their team at 11/10, but in a one-off match, anything could happen.

In the absence of Sachin Tendulkar, India will need a telling contribution from the top order. Indian skipper Sourav Ganguly is favourite to win the Man of the Match Award. He is 15/2, ahead of Pakistan's Yasser Hameed who is 17/2. Following these two, Rahul Dravid, Virender Sehwag and Shoaib Akhtar are all 9/1. Harbhajan Singh has been in great form with the ball, and represents good value at 14/1.

Shahid Afridi is also worth considering. Rehabilitated under Bob Woolmer, Afridi is an important part of the team, and has already rewarded the trust of the new coach with match-winning performances against India (4/20 in Amsterdam) and Kenya (5/11 at Edgbaston). If Afridi returns to form with the bat (he has just 25 runs in his last five innings) then you have a man who is a prime Man of the Match candidate.

The Top Team Batsman market is usually dominated by the openers. Sunday's match is no different - Ganguly (3/1) and Sehwag (7/2) are in pole position for India, and Yasser Hameed (10/3) and Imran Farhat (4/1) head the market for Pakistan. However, in English conditions, players further down the order are certainly worth considering.

Given recent fragility in the top order, a lot has been asked recently of Mohammad Kaif (6/1) and Yuvraj Singh (7/1). Neither batsman can be confident of his place, and will be keen to rise to the big match occasion. For Pakistan, Yousuf Youhana 9/2 is always worth a look, and Abdul Razzaq 12/1 is a solid prospect further down the order.