England backed to calm the nerves

It is panic stations all round when the sixth one-day international between England and India takes place at The Oval on Wednesday. England, without Ravi Bopara and with Andrew Flintoff a major doubt, are fretting after being well beaten at Headingley while the bookmakers are doing likewise, biting their fingernails and hoping that the hosts can hold on for a series victory. Ladbrokes are more concerned than most. They have laid plenty of India to come from behind and have cut them from 6/1 to 9/4 following their victory last time out. The stats will do little to calm the nerves of England and the layers, either. England have played poorly in this format in Kennington, losing their last three (not including a win over no hopers Bangladesh). Indeed they were hammered by Sri Lanka's batsmen there last summer, conceding a whopping 319 after losing the toss. If Paul Collingwood calls incorrectly today, then there really will be some seizures. Seven of the last ten matches have been won by the side batting second at The Oval. However, what if Collingwood gets it right? England will be favourites and on that basis the 5/6 available generally that they wrap up the series has to be the value. In a contest where the pitch will be a dream to bat on, what becomes more important is discipline. Discipline of line and length and in a team's ground fielding. England are streets ahead of India in both regards. You just need to look at the scoreline for proof of that. Kevin Pietersen is also due a big score and the 7/2 available with Ladbrokes for him to be the top England runscorer looks too good to turn down. India could go into the match with just two proper seamers in Zaheer Khan and Ajit Agarkar, which could be a grave mistake. They need all the help they can get with their bowling on a flat surface so would be well-advised to find a spot for Munaf Patel. Yet India are loathe to change a winning team. If they don't bite the bullet then that might just settle some nerves in the England camp and the bookies' offices. Verdict: 2pts England @ 5/6 (Ladbrokes); 1pt Pietersen top Eng batsman @ 7/2 (Ladbrokes) (Editor's Note: Will England choke? Will they recover from the thrashing at Leeds? Follow the latest cricket betting with Ladbrokes!)