Gayle and co to blow rest away?

Australia have not taken their five Twenty20 matches very seriously if you believe Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist. The pair have bemoaned the fact that they will now have to do so and that is bad news for the rest of the world on two counts. Firstly that they won three of their five matches when they weren't trying. And secondly that a motivated Australia should stroll to the final on September 24. At 15/8 with Bet365 they represent a decent bet. They have the best players, best plans and most desire, especially with so many teams adopting an attitude in direct contrast to Australia's. India, New Zealand and South Africa have decided to leave out key men. Indeed such is the apparent lack of interest that England, who will avoid Australia in the all-important next stage, could be a spot of value at 9/1. The first two from four groups are split in to two groups of four. The sides that finish in the top two of those sections then go through to a semi-final. The fitness of Andrew Flintoff is key to England's chances. If he stays fit then his bowling will be difficult to get away. England's resurgent one-day form has not altered their price but perhaps it should have. The emergence of Luke Wright in the India series means England have unearthed a player to give them the much-needed fast starts at the top of the order. However, at a slightly bigger price, West Indies (10/1) are the attractive each-way bet. With the calibre of batsmen - Chris Gayle, Shiv Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan - they posses, the Windies look capable of setting and chasing big totals. Importantly they have all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, Gayle and Deonarine to flummox batsmen with their subtle changes of pace with the ball. And, the World Cup aside, they have a good record in big tournaments, having produced classy efforts in the last two ICC Trophies. Verdict: 2pts E/W West Indies @ 10/1 (Blue Sq, Ladbrokes, Coral) (Editor's Note: West Indies disappointed in the recent World Cup - can they make amends in South Africa? Follow the latest prices on Coral!)