Pietersen and Flintoff value in batting markets

Kevin Pietersen needs to show his class in the first Test to reinforce England's shaky batting line-up © Getty Images

With Michael Vaughan on the sidelines, Marcus Trescothick captains England in the first Test against Pakistan in Multan this weekend and the opener is favourite to be his side's top scorer in the match. Having hit a century in the tour opener, Trescothick is one of the few to have shown any kind of form since arrival in Pakistan and has been installed at 11/4 (3.75) to make the most runs in the first innings.

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Since the West Indies tour 18 months ago, Trescothick has established himself as a world class batsman, lifting his average to an excellent 45. Indeed, in his last 20 matches, always a good indication, he averages 54. And on his one previous outing as England captain, against New Zealand at Lord's in 2004, he made 86 and 2.

Andrew Strauss, who hit a half-century in the second warm-up game, is 7/2 (4.50) second favourite, while Kevin Pietersen is 5/1 (6.00) and Andrew Flintoff 6/1 (7.00). Both Pietersen and Flintoff have struggled for runs in the build-up to the game, but as the Ashes showed, they tend to time their innings for just when their team needs them most.

Ian Bell, who looks set to replace Vaughan in the middle order, is also 6/1 (7.00), while Paul Collingwood is 8/1 (9.00), Geraint Jones is 14/1 (15.00) and Shaun Udal, who will make his debut at the age of 36, is 33/1 (34.00).

Pakistan players
No surprise to see Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq at the top of his side's batting markets, as the skipper still averages more than 50 in his 102 Tests. Inzy is 100/30 (4.33) to be top scorer in the first innings, just ahead of Younis Khan, at 7/2 (4.50) and Mohammad Yousuf, at 4/1 (5.00). Salman Butt and Shoaib Malik are both 11/2 (6.50) chances, while of the rest, the ever-dangerous, but very erratic, Shahid Afridi is 9/1 (10.00).

The Man of the Match market often offers more value than most and Danish Kaneria is a generous favourite at 15/2 (8.50). The leg-spinner averages around five wickets per Test and is sure to fancy his chances of knocking over an England line-up not at their best against spin.

However, the likes of Flintoff and Pietersen handled Shane Warne pretty well during the summer, so he will not have it easy. Flintoff is next in the betting at 8/1 (9.00) while Trescothick and Inzamam are both 10/1 (11.00). Wily veteran spinner Mushtaq Ahmed is 11/1 (12.00) while Pietersen actually looks reasonable value at 14/1 (15.00).

Of the other markets, the player performances are always worth a look. Offering 20 points per wicket taken, 1 per run scored, 10 per catch taken and 25 per stumping, bet365 make Giles 5/6 (1.83) to total 118 points or more. Considering that he was the top England wicket-taker in Pakistan five years ago and that he has shown form with the bat in the warm-up games, that looks a touch low.

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

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