The West Indies and England renew hostilities in Barbados on Wednesday, and Richard Mann has bets at 25/1 and 12/1 in his second Test preview.
Cricket tips: West Indies v England second Test
1pt Zak Crawley to be Man of the Match at 12/1 (Sky Bet, bet365)
1pt Jack Leach to be Man of the Match at 25/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair)
England huffed and they puffed but they could not blow the West Indies house down in Antigua, Joe Root’s surprisingly brave declaration on day five and Jack Leach’s brilliant spell not enough to bowl the hosts out on a desperately docile pitch.
So on we go to Barbados for the second Test which starts on Wednesday, with the grapevine suggesting the surface at the Kensington Oval will at least offer more pace and bounce to encourage the seamers who, Kemar Roach apart, were largely ineffective last week.
An elbow issue means Mark Wood is almost certain to miss out, but Ollie Robinson is expected to be fit again and it will be interesting to see how he goes following a few recent niggles and plenty of criticism about his fitness levels.
Expect Chris Woakes and Craig Overton to be retained, though Saqib Mahmood would offer some pace in the absence of Wood, for all England’s trump card will once again come in the shape of an unlikely source – the aforementioned Leach.
Leach repays Root's faith
Leach endured a tough tour of Australia, but there can be little doubt that he has been poorly managed in the past, and as such, I thought it was significant just how much faith captain Joe Root placed in him in Antigua.
He was rewarded for that faith, too, as Leach controlled the run rate in the first innings and chipped in with a couple of wickets, before playing a more attacking role in the second innings and claiming three more scalps. With a little more luck, he could have picked up a few more, too.
If the pitches remain slow and take spin, Leach will continue to have a huge role to play in this series as England look to fill the huge holes left by the absences of James Anderson and Stuart Broad. Anderson took five wickets here in 2019, but Roston Chase’s off spin claimed 8-60 in the last innings on that Test match to suggest we might just be presented with a pitch that has something for everyone.
With that in mind, be wary of taking short prices about Leach for top England bowler honours in the first innings, with the second innings the time to strike that bet if any bookmakers are willing to price up the market.
Given England overcame a poor start with the bat to finish the first Test well, it’s no surprise to see them harden into 6/5 this week, but if they are to win, they will need a big performance from that man JACK LEACH who might be worth getting on side in the Man of the Match market.
After receiving a thumping in the Ashes, I think England shaped up pretty well last week, with big runs for Zak Crawley, Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow finally showing the top six in a better light, and while the current pace attack remains a concern away from home, I think they are the right favourites for Barbados with Robinson returning.
Crawley fancied to maintain strong form
And so, I’m happy to take two England players in the Man of the Match market, Leach being joined by ZAK CRAWLEY who just edges out Root because of price as much as anything, and the fact the 24-year-old has so much scope to maintain his strong start to 2022 which began in Sydney and was backed up by a brilliant 121 in Antigua.
With Crawley, England fans must be prepared to take the rough with the smooth, given the aggressive way he approaches batting at the top of the order means he will make his fair share of mistakes early on. But this is a terrific talent who knows how to go big once set.
I particularly like his match-up with Roach, whose generally excellent inswing was nullified by Crawley’s strong leg-side game last week, and another sizeable score might well shape an England victory that has been a long time coming.
Opening the batting is no easy task, but it does provide the opportunity to make a significant impact on the game. Like Leach with the ball, I think Crawley is batting with the confidence and skill to do just that.
The West Indies batsman and bowler markets don’t make too much appeal, with Jason Holder’s understated skills with the bat no longer the secret of old, while Roach remains a solid option for top home bowler given he will continue to trouble left-handed duo Alex Lees and Ben Stokes.
Still, I’m not desperate for a bet in either market looking at how they shape up currently, and will instead focus on two of England’s star performers from Antigua, two men who were out of the team as recently as last summer but who are now two of Root’s biggest assets.
Published at 1900 GMT on 13/03/22
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