Dubai is all set to host the first Twenty20 match between England and Pakistan on Friday, 19th February 2010. Pakistan has already played and won three twenty20 matches on the newly built ground. This is coupled with the fact that Pakistani players are very comfortable at this format of the game having won the 2009 ICC T20 World Cup. It’s no wonder that they are voted the favorites for a win with a rating of 5/6 on Sporting Bet. However they do have their in-fighting along with other controversies which makes the English team a stronger bet with Boylesports offering a 6/5 for an England win.
An interesting turn of events is that both teams have lost playing their warm-up matches against Pakistan A and England Lions respectively. Paul Collingwood is leading England and is leading the bets at William Hill for scoring maximum runs from his side. Another strong player with England is Jonathan Trott, however lately his form is not up to the best he can offer while Kevin Pietersen has got a long way to prove himself and would be looked upon to perform well at the match. Sky Bet is offering a 4/1 bet on Trott and a 4/1 for Pietersen.
The expected best batsman to perform well from the English side is Eoin Morgan who is rated at 6/1 on Bet Fred. The Irish cricketer recently shifted his loyalties to England and is in an excellent form. On the other hand, Pakistan’s Imran Nazir has just returned to the national team after his stint with the ICL. Coral is offering the odds of 4/1 for Nazir to score well at the match. Shoiab Malik will lead his team after putting aside several accusations by Mohammad Yousuf and Shahid Afridi will miss all action as he serves the two-match ban.
William Hill is offering the odds of 11/2 for Malik while 888Sport is offering a 9/2 for Umar Akmal who had a good start just like Trott. However, he seems to have lost his form after his brother, Kamran Akmal’s controversy from the Sydney Test match defeat. He is expected to regain his form in the coming match against England.
Boylesports lists England as a favorite for the win with 6/5 odds while Bet Fred is favoring Eoin Morgan with a 6/1 as the top English batsman. Nazir is looked upon as a favored Pakistani player to top the top scoring line-up with Coral offering a 4/1 for him.