1/50 England wary of chicken-farmer effect

England are 1/50 with bet365 to win the first one-day international of their controversial tour, while the Zimbabweans are 10/1 outsiders. England are expected to win easily, although against Zimbabwe punters should never discount the "chicken-farmer" effect.

England's side is also relatively inexperienced, and has not had the most settled preparation, so an upset somewhere along the line is a possibility.

Man of the Match
A downbeat England side is lacking regulars Andrew Flintoff, Marcus Trescothick and Stephen Harmison for this unpopular trip. Zimbabwe also have an unfamiliar look following the loss of Heath Streak and the majority of their best players, who have been in dispute with their Board.

Punters considering the Man of the Match betting are therefore faced with an array of unfamiliar names. England's new boy Kevin Pietersen is due to fill the Flintoff role at No. 5, and he is 9/1 to win the Man of the Match award in his first one-day international. Ian Bell did not disappoint in his first Test, and is also 9/1 in this market. James Anderson took early wickets against Namibia, and could be expected to do the same should England bowl first - he is an excellent bet at 10/1.

Tatenda Taibu at 16/1 is the shortest-priced of the Zimbabweans, and he is followed in this market by Elton Chigumbura and Dion Ebrahim - both at 18/1. Ashley Giles is an interesting prospect at 18/1. Douglas Hondo is the most experienced of Zimbabwe's bowlers, and he is as good a bet as any for them at 28/1.

Batsman Matches
In the Batsman Matches you can bet on which of two players will score the most runs. Tatenda Taibu is pitted against Brendon Taylor - both are 5/6. Andrew Strauss is matched with Michael Vaughan - again they are evenly matched at 5/6.

Highest Opening Partnership
Anything can happen at the start of a match, so any punters looking for a value bet on Zimbabwe could look at the Opening Partnership bet. While England are 1/3, Zimbabwe are 9/4.