In-form cricket expert Richard Mann has three bets for the second Test between Sri Lanka and England which begins on Friday in Galle - read his full preview here.
Cricket betting tips: Sri Lanka v England second Test
2pts Jos Buttler to make a first innings half-century at 9/4
1pt Roshen Silva top Sri Lanka batsman at 13/2
2pts Roshen Silva to make a first innings half-century at 5/2
One suspects that when Joe Root retires, Sri Lanka will hold a special place in his heart. It was in Sri Lanka where his captaincy enjoyed one of its finest moments: a 3-0 series victory in 2018 a notable achievement for any visiting captain, more so for Root who was still finding his way as a leader at that point.
Two years on and England are a very different side now, having abandoned the ultra-attacking brand of cricket that Root made the mantra of his early captaincy in favour of a more traditional approach to Test cricket, particularly in terms of batting.
Whatever the formula, it seems to be working and following Root’s brilliant 228 that paved the way for England’s seven-wicket victory in the first Test, his side will take to the field for the second Test on Friday with understandably high hopes of completing another series clean-sweep.
Still, following a calamitous offering in their first innings, Sri Lanka gave sign second time around with the bat that they have the ammunition to push England close, with old heads Lahiru Thirimanne and Angelo Matthews both looking the part in that second innings.
Throw into the mix a handy home spin attack that is led by the excellent Lasith Embuldeniya, and this series promises to have more life in it than we might have predicted when Sri Lanka limped to 135 all out last week.
With the hosts needing to roll the dice now and look for a result, there is a strong chance that the curator at Galle will be instructed to produce a result wicket, but that comes with risk. Though they didn’t make it count, Sri Lanka were fortunate to win the toss and bat first last week and should they demand a pitch that deteriorates quickly this week, they could find themselves in big trouble if Root calls correctly at the toss and gratefully accepts the opportunity to make first use of conditions.
With that in mind, neither Sri Lanka (7/4) nor England (23/20) make much appeal at the best available prices and I’m happy to look elsewhere for a bet.
The obvious starting point is the top England first innings batsman market which is rightly dominated by Root. The Yorkshireman played wonderfully well last week; finding a nice rhythm to his batting and looking determined to make his start count.
If England are to compete hard on their forthcoming tour of India, they need their captain scoring runs, and big runs. They’ll need a productive opening partnership, too, so a pair of failures for Dom Sibley and Zak Crawley last week will worry Root and coach Chris Silverwood slightly, though a couple of scores for Jonny Bairstow and an assured debut from Dan Lawrence were big positives.
I’m in no rush to oppose Root on the back of such a fine masterclass in playing spin bowling, but I do want JOS BUTTLER on side in some way.
Buttler was my series pick at 12/1 and though Root has quickly put paid to that cunning plan, I thought the Lancashire star played really well for his first-innings 30 to suggest he can continue where he left off last summer.
The problem with going in again on Buttler is that not only did Root look at the top of his game in the series opener, both Bairstow and Lawrence have displayed the aptitude to succeed in these conditions, and as such, I'm inclined to duck a bet in this particular market.
Instead, I’ll keep Buttler on side by taking the safer option and back him to make a first-innings half-century at 9/4 (Sky Bet).
Buttler has enjoyed a really productive 12 months to resurrect his Test career and as he demonstrated when he prospered in Sri Lanka back in 2018, he has all the tools needed to combat and thrive against spin.
The top Sri Lanka first innings batsman market is more appealing from a betting perspective and should ROSHEN SILVA get the nod on Friday, he needs to be backed at anything close to 13/2.
Silva has been recalled to the Sri Lanka squad following the axing for Kusal Mendis, and this vastly experienced operator, one who has scored 8740 first-class runs in a long and successful career, is the perfect fit for a battling line-up crying out for another cool head.
The 32-year-old has played 12 Tests already and was building a respectable record until losing his place in the team following a couple of low scores when struggling with the pace of bounce in Australia two years ago.
The calls for Silva to return to the Sri Lankan line-up have been loud and clear of late, and getting a second crack at international cricket on home soil would afford him every chance of fulfilling his potential on the biggest stage.
Silva’s story is a familiar one for so many Asian batsmen: thrive in home conditions but struggle against the pace, bounce and lateral movement you are likely to come up against on your travels. It's the same for those visiting the subcontinent, too, which make Root’s efforts last week and India’s recent series win in Australia even more commendable.
More frequent tours of the subcontinent and improved practice facilities have made it easier to prepare for foreign conditions, but that only goes so far, and I’m not judging Silva too harshly on his failures away from home.
In fact, Silva’s numbers are really impressive when looking at his seven Tests played in Asia, with a century and five fifties helping him average 56.60. With the likes of Jimmy Anderson and Olly Stone unlikely to find much in the way of assistance from the surface in Galle, Silva’s game will be tailor-made to the challenges likely to face him over the next few days.
Furthermore, Silva topped Sri Lanka averages when England toured Sri Lanka in that aforementioned 2018 series - making 190 runs at 47.50 in two matches - and should, as expected, he make his return on Friday, I’ll be backing him.
As already stated, the 13/2 (Betfred) on offer for Silva to be Sri Lanka’s leading runscorer in the first innings makes appeal, though not quite as much as the 5/2 Sky Bet offer for him to make a first innings fifty. I’m happy to back both, and just about resist the 14/1 for him to make a century.
A word, too, on England’s spin duo that Silva and his batting colleagues will need to nullify better than last week, particularly in the first innings. Despite claiming 14 wickets in the match between them, Dom Bess and Jack Leach still came in for plenty of criticism, which on the face of it, seems a trifle unfair. We must remember that Bess is still a young spinner, learning his craft, while Leach has played very little cricket in the last 12 months and was entitled to be rusty.
While tougher tests in India clearly lay ahead, bowling your team to a Test victory away from home is no mean feat and I think both deserve plenty of credit for their efforts.
Of course, both will need to be more consistent as this and the subsequent tour of India evolves, but they were entitled to need the run last week, especially in the case of Leach, and I’d be staying positive right now.
For Bess, bowling in these conditions against subcontinent batsmen is a whole new experience, one that is sure to make a better bowler of him.
Published at 1345 GMT on 20/01/21
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