Richard Mann previews the ODI series decider between West Indies and England from Bridgetown on Wednesday evening.
Having been made to look very silly by batting conditions in Antigua on Saturday, I’m cautious about just what to expect from Bridgetown, host for the ODI series finale between West Indies and England on Wednesday, 6.00pm, UK time.
When these two sides played an ODI here just under a year ago, West Indies chased down 191 in only 31.4 overs in a match affected by rain. But prior to that, in July of last year, India were bundled out for 181, and then West Indies only 114 in the match before.
I’d still be confident spin will prove a big factor, and I’m finding it hard to be fully convinced by England’s batting, poor in game one but then exceptional a few days later. At this stage, the hosts look more reliable with the bat, though part of that is surely down to England’s impotency with the ball.
One man who continues to impress is England’s stand-in captain LIAM LIVINGSTONE, and he makes plenty of appeal in the player performance market.
The current line with bet365 is 42.5 at 5/6, and backing overs at anything in the region of that line would have paid handsomely in the first couple of matches of the series.
Just a reminder that it is a point per run, 20 points per wicket, and 10 per catch in this market, so Livingstone’s 48 and 1-32 in the series opener, followed by 124 not out, 1-56 and a catch in the second match help form a solid case.
Perhaps we’re in danger of jumping on the bus a stop too late here, but there are a few factors that make Livingstone hard to ignore once more. Firstly, England’s top order batting hasn’t been good so far, meaning Livingstone has been getting plenty of time to bat even at number five, while the pitches in the Caribbean have meant he has needed to get through lots of overs with his part time spin.
England’s bowling has been so poor that I expect Livingstone’s spin to again be important on Wednesday, so with his excellent batting factored in, he’d need to have a bad day at the office not to get close to that line, or indeed surpass it.
Having deserted Shai Hope at weekend, his century was a kick in the teeth, and I’m loathe to get back together with the West Indies skipper now, for all he remains the pillar of the home batting line-up.
Hope now has 17 ODI hundreds to his name and an average close to fifty, a quite phenomenal record for a player who generally captains the side and keeps wicket.
While I’m happy to let him go, I’m certainly not trying to dissuade those who generally like to play Hope.
A good half-century for Phil Salt at the weekend saw him return to form after a very quiet spell, though I still need convincing about his credentials in this format.
Paddy Power and Betfair Sportsbook currently have his runs line at 26.5 for the match, and I’d have to be a seller at 5/6, particularly if we got some further clues about the pitch closer to Wednesday.
For now, I’ll stick with Livingston who is enjoying a golden run at present, dating back to his heroics against Australia in the summer. Fingers crossed for more of the same.
Posted at 1240 GMT on 04/11/24
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