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No prizes for guessing the winner of Wednesday (today)’s match between Australia and Scotland but just because it is about as one-sided as you can get, on paper, that doesn’t mean there are not a few decent prices to be had when the champions begin the defence of their title.

You don’t need me to tell you that you are not going to get rich by backing Australia at 1/100 (1.01) to win this match but there is absolutely no point in backing Scotland at 33/1 either as they will not win.

Instead, we have to look at some of the other markets to discover some value.

Australia’s batsmen will be licking their lips at the prospect of facing a Scotland attack that is average, to be polite. If they bat first, I’d be surprised if more than five of them get to the crease, which means those at the top of the order have to be looked at.

And to be honest, there is little point in looking too far beyond the openers, Adam Gilchrist and Matt Hayden.

Hayden is just returning from injury while Gilchrist has had some time off, but the left-hander is favourite at 15/8 and I would not dissuade anyone from backing him. If he gets going, he is among the most destructive batsmen in the world and could carve apart the Scotland attack.

Ricky Ponting looks a good price at 11/4 but it all depends how many runs Gilchrist has plundered by the time he gets in.

Gilchrist is also a decent bet at 4/5 to outscore Hayden. While Gilly was missing to be with his wife at the birth of their child, Hayden was recovering from a toe injury and will need some time in the middle to find his feet, if you’ll excuse the pun.

For Scotland, it’s anyone’s guess as to who will come out on top, and we probably will know much more about them after this match. For the record, veteran Gavin Hamilton is favourite at 4/1.

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change. —Simon Cambers on Cricinfo
Source:The News