Betting tips / Michael Vaughan / 27 February 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

It will be Jamie Bairstow who will steer England to a series win, with Michael Vaughan predicting a big cricketing future ahead for him.

I first came across Jamie Bairstow when I was still at Yorkshire.

He was still a very young lad at the time but already he could hit the ball a lot further than anyone else at the county. What I like about him is that he tries to hit the ball straight rather than swinging across the line, which is always a temptation, particularly amongst the more inexperienced players. But he's also dead quick running between the wickets and has taken a couple of pretty sharp catches at important times of matches. Even more promisingly, he seems to score runs when the team really needs him to rather than when everyone else is also piling them on.

He can also keep wicket of course, but I've been impressed with Craig Kieswetter during this Tour, not only in terms of his glovework but also the way he's slotted into the middle-order in the ODIs, whilst remaining his usual aggressive self at the top of the order in the T20 matches. So I think Bairstow's time as a keeper/batsman may have to be put on hold for the time being.

But he isn't just a big hitter who can carve out a career in limited-overs cricket. He'll have his heart set on a Test career too and having scored a double hundred in the County Championship already, there's no reason why he can't secure a place in England's middle-order over the next couple of years. I'm sure he'll be included in the limited-overs squad for the Sri Lanka tour but it may be a little too soon for a Test call-up just yet.

Back to the present and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Bairstow ends up having an important impact on Monday's match. He's got used to these UAE wickets now and he certainly found the middle of the bat in the last game.

I fancy England to win the decider, the last match of a long Tour. Pakistan can be brilliant when they're at the races but more often than not, when the pressure is really on, they fail to play their best cricket. In all honesty, they've probably got the slight edge when it comes to the bowling but England have the far better batting options. No-one is in any particularly good form for Pakistan with the bat whereas the aforementioned Bairstow, Kevin Pietersen, Ravi Bopara and Craig Kieswetter all look in good nick. T20 is a batsman's game and I just fancy England's top order to fire here and for that to be the difference.

Speaking of top orders, KP and Kieswetter have played the powerplays pretty well and found the boundaries early on whereas Pakistan's approach has been a little haphazard and they've struggled in the first six overs when the ball has done a little.

So I'm also backing England to get the highest six over score at [1.8].

3 pts Back England to win @ [1.8]
1 pt Back England to have the highest 6 over total @ [1.8]