ODI preview 
/ Michael Vaughan / 28 January 2011 / Leave a Comment 
Steve Smith in his element in the 50 over format
"Back to the game and the history books suggest batting under lights at Brisbane is no easy task and with two such evenly matched teams going to battle here, I’d go as far as saying that whoever wins the toss and bats first should go on to win the match."
Michael Vaughan tells us about the importance of winning the toss at Brisbane and why it's not just about the cricket when the action starts on Sunday.
I said before the fourth ODI that the big area England needed to improve on was getting centuries from their top order rather than just good starts. So was it a coincidence that the first time this series an England batsman managed to do so they went on to win? Perhaps, but the stats suggest it was almost inevitable. There's a well-known statistic in ODI cricket which says that if one of your batsman gets a ton, you go on to win the match 80% of the time. Enough said!
The return of James Anderson to open the bowling made a big difference too and getting Shaun Marsh out was one of the key moments of the game but we shouldn't underestimate the role played by Matt Prior either. It was his quick-fire 50 at the top of the order which set the foundation for Jonathan Trott to enter the fore and have enough time to play himself in. That's when the Warwickshire man is at his best, when he's not rushed into playing rash shots or be too attacking, too soon. His was a superbly well-timed knock and put Australia on the back foot from early on.
This is an important match in the context of the series but let's not forget it took place in Brisbane, a city which has been left devastated by the recent floods. We love our cricket but at the end of the day it's just a game and we should save a thought for the families whose lives have been so deeply affected by this tragedy. The players on both sides have done their best to contribute as much as they can to help the cause and for that they deserve more praise than anything they've done on the field of play.
Back to the game and the history books suggest batting under lights at Brisbane is no easy task and with two such evenly matched teams going to battle here, I'd go as far as saying that whoever wins the toss and bats first should go on to win the match. The market will be aware of this but if you can get [1.7] on the side batting first, that still represents a good price.
I'm still not totally convinced by this Australian team at the moment but one guy who has impressed me has been young Steve Smith. I don't think he's quite there as far as Test cricket goes, but in the ODI format he's very much in his element. His batting technique is anything but classic which is why he's struggled somewhat in the longer format but in limited overs he can play his unorthodox shots and swing hard, just as he likes to. As for his bowling, in Test cricket you tend to get punished for bad balls because you don't normally have much protection on the boundary but in ODI cricket you have men fielding on the ropes and if batsmen decide to take him on and go big they can find themselves holing out. Smith is definitely one to persevere with in all formats and I suspect the Aussie selectors are well aware of that.
For top batsman honours, this time I'm going to go with Shaun Marsh for Australia, who batted so beautifully a couple of games ago, and Eoin Morgan for England. He's too good to be kept quiet for too long.
Recommended Bets:
Back the side batting first at [1.7] or better
Back Shaun Marsh to be top Australian batsman at [6.0]
Back Eoin Morgan to be top England batsman at [7.0]
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