Cricket Odds: Australia vs. Pakistan ODI Series Betting Preview, Analysis

Having rediscovered their winning mojo after a disastrous start to the summer of cricket, Australia head into the five-match, one-day international series against Pakistan with plenty of confidence after whitewashing the tourists in their recently completed Test series.

Australia are almost unbackable at $1.10 to win the home series, according to AustralianGambling.com.au, having not lost a one-day match against Pakistan on Australian soil in 12 years.

The World Cup champions have been totally dominant over Pakistan in recent years in this format, winning 12 of the past 14 matches between the two, including the past five.

It all points to a comfortable couple of weeks for Australia, but with an important tour of India looming next month, this is no time to flirt with form.

David Warner, who is $3.40 to top-score for the Aussies in the opening match in Brisbane on Friday, put on two brutal knocks in the recent Test in Sydney and will be hoping to continue that form, while skipper Steve Smith, who is $3.75 to top-score in Game 1, will be crucial in the Indian series and will want a strong finish to his Aussie summer.

But much of the interest will be in big-hitting Queenslander Chris Lynn, who has earned a national call-up off his extraordinary Big Bash campaign for the Brisbane Heat.

Lynn looks an even cleaner hitter of the ball than Warner, having smashed 26 sixes in five Big Bash games, and the home fans will be particularly keen to see him perform well at the Gabba. He is $6 to top-score on his ODI debut.

The selection of Lynn and another Queenslander in 204-centimetre-tall, fast-bowler Billy Stanlake is a nod to Australia's preparations for its World Cup defense in 2019.

Stanlake is also likely to play in the opening match, with the Aussies resting Josh Hazlewood, who has had a  busy summer to date. Mitchell Starc, $3.14 favorite to get most wickets for the Aussies, is likely to be rested later in the series.

Australia are $1.27 to win the opening match at the Brisbane Cricket Ground, with Pakistan at $3.82. The Gabba was of course the venue where Pakistan got close to scoring one of the great Test wins last month, with a mammoth fourth-innings run chase falling just short against Australia.

Whether that gives Pakistan any confidence is questionable. Azhar Ali leads a team that has a few new faces, but two of their important players, wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed and 216-centimetre paceman Mohammad Irfan, have returned home because of family reasons.

It leaves them a little light in experience, with Ali ($4 to be Pakistan's top scorer at the Gabba) and Shoaib Malik ($5) likely to carry the load with the bat, while Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz, who are both $4 to lead the wicket takers in the first ODI, will again be the front line with the ball.

Recent history tells us Pakistan are a better Test side than one-day side, and having come up short in the Test series, it's hard to see them putting up much of a fight in the ODI matches. With India looming, Australia will be focused on strong, professional performances, and that spells trouble for the tourists.