Pakistan tipped to start well

Marcus Trescothick tops the England batting markets - and will captain the team as well © Getty Images

I've already talked long and hard about how hard it will be for England to bounce back from their Test series in the one-day series, which begins with the first match of five in Lahore on Saturday. bet365 clearly agree as Pakistan are 8/13 (1.61) to take an early lead, while England, who are without their captain Michael Vaughan and leading spinner Ashley Giles, are 6/5 (2.20) to make a good start.

Click here to bet on Pakistan v England at bet365

With few one-day series between the two in Pakistan to go on, the statistics are perhaps of less use to punters than usual. However, what little there is does not make happy reading for England, who have won just one of the four clashes on Pakistan soil, a last-over triumph in 1987/8. Of the four matches, three of the four have been won by the side batting second, although overall on the ground there seems to be little advantage to chasing runs, as 20 of 45 matches have been won by the side batting first and 24 by the one batting second. Pakistan have won 24 of 38 one-day internationals in Lahore, and seven of their last 10.

Trescothick, who will lead the side, is 3/1 (4.00) favourite to top score for England, which is not surprising as he has been a consistent and at times devastating one-day performer in recent years. Kevin Pietersen, who averages a stunning 73 in 23 games, is next at 4/1 (5.00), while Bell, who replaces Vaughan, and Andrew Strauss, who has returned after the birth of his first child, are 5/1 (6.00). Vikram Solanki and Andrew Flintoff, the latter who could do with a big performance but who looks exhausted, are 11/2 (6.50) while Paul Collingwood, who has a couple of one-day hundreds to his name, is a 13/2 (7.50) chance.

For Pakistan, captain Inzamam-ul-Haq heads the betting at 3/1 (4.00) after his superb efforts with the bat in the Test series. Always vulnerable to the run-out, particularly in the one-day format, Inzamam is nevertheless a fine limited overs performer, averaging almost 40 with 10 hundreds. Mohammad Yousuf, with a slightly better average, is 4/1 (5.00), while Salman Butt is 9/2 (5.50), and Younis Khan and Shoaib Malik are both 5/1 (6.00).

Both sides are 11/10 (2.10) to hit the most sixes, while the tie in that market is 5/1 (6.00).

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

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