Pakistan and West Indies meet for the last time from Sunday in the third Test on a tour which began in the last week of September. Eight matches and eight defeats later for the Windies it is perhaps understandable that the hosts will welcome them back with open arms whenever they like.
As soon as it became clear that West Indies could not even compete in Twenty20 – their best format – and the ODI series, the betting heat in terms of a match- and series odds were somewhere between cold and ice-cold.
The same can be said of Test three in Sharjah. Pakistan are 1.3 among Green Listed Bookmaker BetVictor, Coral and Marathon, with West Indies 13 (Ladbrokes, Marathon) and the draw 5.5 (William Hill).
All that can stop Pakistan winning a whitewash would be to rest key men like Yasir Shah, who took ten wickets in game two and had a heavy workload of 67.4 overs. The argument that they will somehow not to be trying as hard because the series is won is not an advisable strategy.
Twice on tour already Pakistan have had a series won with a game to go and they have shown no mercy. Indeed, West Indies will probably feel they want to get out of there as quickly as possible so it is arguably their fight could be diminished.
As ever, however, we will analyze some markets where money can be made…
Market Watch I
We have made a tidy packet from Yasir this series. He landed good odds to be top Pakistan bowler in the first innings and he has also given us a winner with the Pakistan series title, too. With a game to play he has a lead of 12 wickets.
So it is slightly surprising to see the layers being generous again with odds about him finishing as top Pakistan bowler in the first innings. Ladbrokes should be punished for offering 2.68. Betfred and Stan James go as short as 2.38 but that is probably not skinny enough.
Before betting, make sure he is playing because there is a chance Pakistan could ask him to put his feet up. But there will still be a bet for us. Spinners Mohammad Nawaz and Zulfiqar Babar will come into the reckoning.
They are currently 7 at Ladbrokes and 5.5 (NetBet and 10Bet) respectively. They will of course, shorten up if Yasir is ruled out but with Ladbrokes taking such a chance on Nawaz, who is second to Yasir on those wicket lists, you might still get 5.
It should spin in Sharjah. Yasir is the top wicket-taker there of all time with 112 in 18 games and Babar is next best with 47 in 12.
Market Watch II
This is quite a fun bet. Coral have stuck their necks out with a highest individual score market. They are offering over or under on a knock of 145.5. And they rate that at 1.85 either way. What’s the gut instinct?
Mine was that under is the wager. But having crunched the numbers it might be the other way. There have been nine Tests in Sharjah and there have been eight scores of 145.5 or more. That breaks down to six matches. So six out of nine.
Calculators
