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Cricket in-play betting tips: England v West Indies second Test latest odds and advice
Richard Mann previews day four of the second Test between England and West Indies at Trent Bridge.
Day four betting update
1pt West Indies to win the second Test at 10/1 (Sky Bet)
What is turning out to be a brilliant Test match swung one way, then the other, before swinging back into England's favour late on the third day at Trent Bridge.
Thanks to half-centuries from Ben Duckett and Harry Brook, England now find themselves 207 runs ahead with seven second innings wickets remaining, Brook and Root ending the day with their unbroken partnership having swelled to 108.
England will be hoping to bat West Indies out of the game on Sunday when the forecast is again clear, if not a little cooler than the first three days, but they were on course to do the same in the first innings before surrendering their final five wickets for only 74 runs.
That could quite easily happen again. It would certainly follow the trend of this England Test team, and the mantra for punters since the inception of Bazball has been to expect the unexpected.
I don't think the tourists are completely out of this, not to the extent the bookmakers do, anyway, with Sky Bet now 10/1 about a WEST INDIES VICTORY.
It's clear they have work to do, but only a matter of hours ago this batting line-up was being hailed for its discipline, resilience and depth, having posted 457 against an England bowling attack that lacked control without James Anderson.
It's worth remembering that this is Mark Wood's first First Class match since India in the winter, so he is entitled to feel the pinch come the second innings, and expecting him to be able to reach top speed backing up so quickly might be a stretch.
Gus Atkinson, playing his second Test in just over week, has little First Class cricket under his belt full stop, and with an inexperienced spinner in their ranks, England might need plenty of runs to play with should that West Indies top seven fire like it did in the first innings.
The other factor is the Trent Bridge pitch which over the last few years has held together brilliantly. England chased down to 299 in only 50 overs against New Zealand here just two years ago, when the pitch was excellent for batting across all five days.
As long as we don't get too much cloud cover, I see no reason why that won't be the case again on Sunday and Monday, and this match is far from over on such a fast-scoring ground.
As such, I can't resist a small play on West Indies at double-figure odds (10/1). I'll likely play on the exchanges with the view to trading out should West Indies bat well enough to trade at half those odds at some stage.
If trading isn't your bag, 10/1 should at least give us a fair run for our money.
Posted at 2020 BST on 20/07/24
Day three betting update
1pt Joe Root to make a second-innings fifty at 7/4 (Sky Bet)
Whisper it quietly, but we have a Test match on our hands at Trent Bridge.
Following another fascinating day in Nottingham, one which West Indies clearly won, the tourists are now only 65 runs shy of England's first innings score, with five wickets still remaining and two batsmen having made promising starts.
It was a far cry from the abject batting display West Indies turned in at Lord's, Kavem Hodge crafting a fabulous maiden Test century (120) as he and Alick Athanaze put together a fourth-wicket partnership of 175 in some style.
It was a reality check for England's new look attack, minus the control and guile of recently-retired James Anderson, and captain Ben Stokes will hope the new ball, only an over old, does the trick in the morning.
Nevertheless, West Indies find themselves in a very good position, so much so they are currently trading at 10/3 with Sky Bet having been a double-figure price on Friday morning.
England are still 1/2 favourites and even if the match turns into a one-innings shootout, it's one the hosts will be expected to win, though the stigma around batting last in Test cricket isn't what it was, with so many successful run chases in recent years.
West Indies were clearly happy to chase at the toss and their strong contingent of right-handers will feel they are well-equipped to counter England off-spinner Shoaib Bashir even if the dry surface at Trent Bridge starts to spin big.
I'm happy to let the match play out from here, rather than take a view on the match market, and will instead be backing JOE ROOT TO MAKE A SECOND-INNINGS FIFTY at 7/4.
Root has a remarkably strong record in the second innings, his average in the second dig a very healthy 43.92 compared to 54.18 in the first innings.
That's a perfectly acceptable drop when you consider someone like Virat Kohli averages 56.24 in the first innings of Tests, and only 38.26 in the second innings. Steve Smith averages 69.69 in the first innings, but dips to 39.22 second time around.
Root has eight centuries and 32 half-centuries in the second innings of Test matches, so clearly has the game to prosper as pitches begin to wear, and the prospect of spin becoming more of a factor when England come to bat again should suit the Yorkshireman ideally.
Root is England's best player of spin, and one of the best in the world, and with the game very much on the line, I'm backing the 33-year-old to accumulate his way to another meaningful second-innings contribution.
Posted at 2225 BST on 19/07/24
It's hard to know exactly what to make of day one of the second Test, England clearly in the ascendancy having been bowled out in the final throws of the day for 416, but leaving the suspicion their position should be better still.
From what we saw of the West Indies batting line-up at Lord's, when twice knocked over cheaply, England have more than enough runs on the board to think they will have this match, and the series, sewn up by the weekend.
The fact visiting captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and decided to bowl first on a hot day and under clear blue skies – in every sense a batting day – feels like another nail in the West Indies coffin, and four dropped catches and a missed stumping summed a sloppy Thursday at the office for the tourists.
Nevertheless, bowling out the opposition would have been the main priority at 11am and although England at various stages scored at breakneck speed, West Indies pulled things back really well and in taking 10 wickets, they have theoretically kept themselves in the hunt.
Brathwaite would be right to remind his players that in essence, this is a very good pitch for batting with decent pace and good value for the shotmakers West Indies do house in their top seven. A rapid outfield and short square boundaries at Trent Bridge make things even more appealing for batsmen.
On the face of it, then, 416 doesn't look like a mammoth score on this ground and this pitch, and given England did appear well on course to reach 500 at different points in their innings, centurion Ollie Pope was right to admit afterwards that they left a few runs out in the middle.
The issue for West Indies is that batting line-up which inspires little confidence, and an innings runs line around the 227 mark confirms layers don't expect much better than we saw at Lord's.
I tend to concur, but don't be surprised if that line alters dramatically if somewhere from the top order we see a decent partnership form when conditions and the bowling, minus James Anderson, looks flat.
It's worth remembering that England suffered a fair collapse of their own on Thursday, losing their last five wickets for 74 runs, and the visitors could be capable of much worse in terms of losing wickets in a cluster.
For all this appears a very good pitch, West Indies created enough chances throughout the day to suggest there is ample assistance for the seamers. Crucially, the good pace on offer meant the slip cordon was always in the game.
I won't recommend a bet at this stage, but as is so often a valuable strategy when playing the innings runs lines in Test cricket, don't be afraid to get the collapse on side should a big partnership form and the market overreact to what will likely appear very favourable batting conditions.
Posted at 2140 BST on 18/07/24
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