ENGLAND can stay on a roll and beat Australia for the third time in nine days at Chester-le-Street in Durham on Thursday (start 2.30pm).
Michael Vaughan’s men, who have complemented their recent wins over the Aussies with two thumping victories over Bangladesh, really should be odds on favourites in their present form, but the bookmakers still make them underdogs, with Coral offering a best price of 6-5.
England’s 100-run win over Australia in last week’s Twenty20 clash is best treated with a pinch of salt, but they were good value for their three-wicket win over Ricky Ponting’s men at Bristol on Sunday.
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Ultimately, they needed a spectacular 65-ball knock of 91 not out by Kevin Pietersen to win that match, but what the layers seem to have ignored is that success was achieved without any significant contributions from Marcus Trescothick, Andrew Strauss, Geraint Jones, Darren Gough, Vikram Solanki or Paul Collingwood.
It is difficult to believe that sextet will not make an impact this time, especially Collingwood, who is likely to receive a standing ovation on his home ground after a remarkable performance against Bangladesh at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, where he scored a century and took six wickets. Steve Harmison, who took five for 33 in the match at Bristol, will also enjoy playing on home soil.
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By contrast, the Australians could be forgiven for feeling a little homesick. Apart from losing twice to England, they have also been humbled by Hampshire and Bangladesh in the past fortnight.
They have too many top-quality players to keep on losing but, with the majority of them struggling to find their best form, they look too short at 4-6.
Some will point to Brett Lee making a difference to their bowling attack, but the fiery fast bowler will be returning from a shoulder injury and remains a more potent force in the longer form of the game. Indeed, he can be a liability in limited overs matches because, apart from bowling no-balls and wides, he is inclined to spray it around.
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Pietersen is 5-1 with William Hill to again be England’s top runscorer but Strauss, a 9-2 chance, could be a better bet after hitting 152 against Bangladesh on Tuesday. Matthew Hayden is 9-2 with Paddy Power to be Australia’s top scorer. The powerful left-handed opener, who averages almost 41 after 112 one-day internationals, looks a solid option at that price.