ODI / Andy Morris / 28 January 2011 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

Andy Morris believes the fourth game win for England at Adelaide augurs well for the visitors and the fans as they look to savour another non-dead rubber in the seven-match series.

Going into the fifth game of the ODI series, Australia still need to win only one of the remaining three matches to clinch the series against England.

The fourth ODI saw England come up with a much improved performance with the bat, but much like in the first game, the side collapsed when it looked like they could get to more than 325. Jonathon Trott got to a century but he seemed to go out at the most inopportune moment, and the side collapsed. It was only a late surge from Michael Yardy that got them to almost the 300-run mark, a target requiring the Aussies to get off to a good start.

Shane Watson looked like he was all set to repeat his heroics of the first ODI but failed to kick on from his 64 (72) and relative failures for Brad Haddin, Shaun Marsh and Michael Clarke left too much to be done for the middle-order. Cameron White and David Hussey did get the side closer with a 65-ball 60 run stand, but Trott returned with the ball and scalped a couple to end the Australian chances.

While James Anderson conceded 57 in his ten overs, given his experience, his return augurs well for his side for the rest of the series. At Brisbane, where the fifth ODI will be played, one gets the sense that the ball could do a bit and Anderson may come into his own after the 20-day break leading up to the fourth match would have left him a tad rusty.

For the Aussies, despite the 3-1 lead, the pressure on Michael Clarke will be enormous. It is quite clear his form has undergone a heavy dip recently across all formats, leading to a gaping hole in the middle-order. The onus will be on Shaun Marsh to play a stabilising innings at the number three position if Watson decides to take on the bowling.

Australia go into the game with odds of 1.95 for their win.

For England, the middle-order has left them stranded on more than one occasion in their series. Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan have all struggled with the bat and that has led them to this position of a two-game deficit.

They go into the 5th ODI with odds of 2.02 to make it 3-2 but for that they need to take advantage of the middle overs.