Australia v New Zealand

Australia continue to display their dominance over world cricket, and having just beaten New Zealand convincingly by 2-0 in the recent test series, they now have the opportunity to further deflate the same opponents in a one day series. There will be three games contested, with the first being in Melbourne on Sunday.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /> Kiwi optimists will point to the fact that the Black Caps have actually been doing well in the shortened version of the game. Sixteen of the last eighteen games have ended in victory, and along the way they have taken the Natwest Series against England and the West Indies during the summer. However, beating most nations is one thing, but taking on the Australians is quite another. The last seven times the two have met, Australia have won and having witnessed the authority of the test match successes, it is hard to see how New Zealand are going to arrest this record. At the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), the Aussies have lost only three of eighteen games, and the only semblance of encouragement for the visitors is that they did account for one of these losses, in 2002. It will be a day/night match which tends to give the advantage to the team batting first, although Australia have won here when both batting and fielding first, a further sign of their talents. 4/11 is not an attractive price however. Glen McGrath has been rested and this will be of particular relief to Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming who was dismissed three times in four innings in the test matches. His place taken by Brett Lee, a bowler of genuine pace with a point to prove after being twelfth man for the test series. He has claimed 156 wickets so far in 89 ODI's, and in his last game against NZ snared 5-42. Looking for bets, we are largely restricted to the top batsman markets and we are going for Andrew Symonds to lead the way for Australia. The One Day specialist will be playing in his 103rd game and has a fine average of 38.12, coming in at no higher than number five. Against New Zealand this figure goes up to 42 and when the two teams met in the Champions Trophy, he scored a crucial 71 not out. 8/1 is the best price to be found and this looks like fine value when put against the other Australian batsmen and when considering the 29 year old is no better than 11/2 to be the top batsman from either side in the match.