Pakistan scenting victory

Pakistan dominated proceedings on the second day of the third and final Test in Karachi and the home side are now firm favourites at 2/7 (1.28) to clinch victory and seal a series triumph.

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Ending the day on 173-2, a lead of 180, Pakistan will be looking to press home their advantage on day three and India, who did pretty well to get within seven runs of Pakistan's first-innings total, will have to make quick inroads on Tuesday if they are to get back into the match, and the likes of Anil Kumble will need to be on top form.

Having been 5/4 (2.25) at the start of day two, India are now 7.2 (4.50) while the draw is a 17/2 (9.50) chance.

bet365 clearly think Pakistan can rack up the runs on day three as they make them 5/6 (1.83) that they take their total on to 450 or more, while Mohammad Yousuf, who's 30 not out, is 5/6 (1.83) to make 76 or more and his not-out partner, Younis Khan, is 5/6 (1.83) to take his own total from 25 to 68 or more.

Confident Pakistan
Pakistan ought to feel pretty confident in Karachi as they have a stunning record at the National Stadium, having won 19, drawn 17 and lost just one of the 37 Tests to have been played there. The only loss, remarkably, came against England in 2000 when they lost the series 1-0.

They have never lost to India on the ground, winning twice and drawing the other three matches, including the last two, though they were so long ago (in 1982/8 and 1989/90) that they don't hold too much significance, to my mind at least.

India will be happy that they won the toss, though, as the chance of victory is increased dramatically by batting second. In total, 17 of the 20 Test wins on the ground have gone to the team batting second. Not surprisingly, the first innings average runs per wicket is fairly low, at 29.80, an average which rises to 34.40 in the second innings. It dips to 28.1 in the third and then rises to a whopping 39.3 in the final innings of the match.

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