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Cricket betting tips: England v Sri Lanka third Test preview and best bets for Lord's
The Oval hosts the final Test of the summer on Friday, when England and Sri Lanka renew hostilities – Richard Mann provides his preview and best bets.
Cricket betting tips: England v Sri Lanka
2pts Olly Stone top England first innings bowler at 18/5 (Betfred)
2pts Pathum Nissanka under 22.5 first innings runs at 5/6 (bet365)
As is tradition, the English Test summer will come to an end at the Oval in the coming days, with the third Test between England and Sri Lanka beginning on Friday.
It’s been relatively plain sailing for England thus far, the hosts having to work somewhat hard for victory in Manchester before winning by 190 runs at Lord’s.
Like West Indies before them, Sri Lanka have had their moments in this series, but just haven’t been good enough for long enough to put their opponents under significant pressure.
England can end Test summer on a high
I don’t expect things to get any easier for Sri Lanka at the Oval on a surface that should be quicker than the one at Lord’s, also offering more bounce for England’s faster and taller bowling attack.
Conversely, Sri Lanka’s own attack, generally shorter in stature and a yard or two slower, don’t promise to have the tools to thrive at the Oval, and another England victory looks on the cards.
It will certainly be interesting to see how Sri Lanka’s batting copes if, as expected, England’s bowlers have more pace and bounce to work with in South London.
The old stereotype is that subcontinent sides struggle in such conditions, though an outstanding India team did win on this ground in 2021.
Stone set for more success
One man who seems highly likely to relish conditions is OLLY STONE, and I’m sticking with the Nottinghamshire paceman in the top England first innings bowler market.
Stone ought to have bagged a full payout for readers of these pages last week, only for Joe Root to shell a late chance in the deep, and instead, we were forced to settle for dead-heat returns.
It’s worth pointing out here that the bet is again advised with firms settling this market with dead-head rules, not least number of runs conceded in the event of a tie, as some are now doing.
Stone can occasionally be expensive, so that’s not for us here, but I thought he got better as the match went on at Lord’s and in the second innings, in particular, when the pitch was dead and flat. When England needed a point of difference, Stone provided it.
Big breakthrough for England! 🏴
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) September 1, 2024
A quicker bowl at 87mph from Stone catches Karunaratne out ❌ pic.twitter.com/oL41vAnhCt
It was his wicket of the well-set Dimuth Karunaratne, a vicious, quick lifter rocketed into the batsman’s armpit, that set England on their way to victory, and I’d expect him to build on those four comeback wickets after so long out of the side.
Stone is tall, quick and gets plenty of bounce – all attributes that generally suit the Oval – and for good measure, he bowled very well here in The Hundred recently.
The 30-year-old has only managed four Tests to date due to a series of injuries, but 14 wickets at an average of 22.85 confirms we are dealing with a very good bowler, one who can prove particularly effective in these conditions.
Stone does have the irresistible Gus Atkinson to beat, no easy task, but I’m a paid-up member of the Stone fan club, and 3/1 or bigger looks worth a bet on this ground.
Sri Lanka middle order shows up well
Having tipped Dinesh Chandimal for top Sri Lanka batsman honours three times in the series before he eventually landed in the second innings at Lord’s, I’m loathe to go in again.
In fairness, Chandimal has been one of a few in that middle order to have shown up well at various stages in the series. Kamindu Mendis has so far proved the star of the show, but this suddenly looks a more competitive heat that it appeared a few weeks ago.
However, I can’t resist a sell on PATHUM NISSANKA’s first innings runs, with the line at 22.5 with bet365.
Nissanka’s highest score in his last six Test innings is just 23, the only time he has actually reached 20, and having not been selected at Old Trafford, he suffered two failures at Lord's.
The characteristics of the Oval also look set to catch him out, with his penchant for defending the ball away from his body ringing alarm bells. That was the case when he fell to that mode of dismissal at Lord’s as a thick outside edge was gratefully accepted in the slips.
England will know that, too, and I expect Nissanka to again struggle from number three – always one of the toughest spots to bat in Test cricket on these shores.
Posted at 1355 BST on 04/09/24
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