England vs West Indies Preview & Prediction | 2nd Test
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James Anderson sailed off into the sunset at Lord’s as England completed a comprehensive innings victory in the final match of their star bowler’s illustrious international career, a game which saw West Indies comprehensively outplayed in all departments.
DATE/TIME: Thursday 18th July 2024 - UK – 11:00am / INDIA – 3:30pm / US EST – 6:00am / US PST – 3:00am
VENUE: Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England
WEATHER: Aside from potential rain on Days 3 and 5, the rest of the scheduled days are expected to stay dry with sunshine on Thursday and Friday and temperatures in the mid 20s.
HOW TO WATCH ON TV: UK – Sky Sports / INDIA – Sony Sports / US – Willow TV
HOW TO WATCH ONLINE: UK – Sky Go / INDIA – Sony LIV / US – Willow TV
ENGLAND FORM: POST-ANDERSON ERA BEGINS NOW
It was almost a passing of the torch moment in the first Test as whilst one bowler said his goodbyes, another burst onto the scene, Gus Atkinson taking 12 wickets on Test debut including a seven-wicket-haul in the first innings. England’s innings victory ended a run of four consecutive Test defeats, all of which were suffered in India earlier this year.
LAST FIVE: WLLLL
WEST INDIES FORM: WORRIES GROWING ABOUT UNDER-PAR WINDIES
As good as England were at Lord’s, fans of the West Indies have every right to be disappointed at how limply their side folded and just how far out of their depth they looked with the bat in particular. Lack of Test experience clearly showed and the questions regarding where their runs are coming from moving forward in the series continue to be asked.
LAST FIVE: LWLDL
ENGLAND BETTING ANALYSIS
You could essentially take your pick regarding which England batters are most likely to record a high volume of runs in this second Test, with five of them scoring 50+ runs at Lord’s. However, one batter who failed was Ben Duckett, the opener making just 3. This is only likely to fuel Duckett’s fire and prompt a strong response, especially on his home ground of Trent Bridge. Consider backing Duckett to record over 60.5 match runs across the contest. But be aware that Duckett could withdraw from the game at some point, with him and his wife Paige expecting their first child.
Right-arm fast bowler Mark Wood comes into the side to replace James Anderson and his searing pace represents another big challenge for the Windies. Their batters struggled badly against Gus Atkinson at Lord’s and Wood is significantly quicker. Not used to facing a bowler of his speed in red ball cricket, back Wood to profit to pick up over 4.5 match wickets.
WEST INDIES BETTING ANALYSIS
Bettors can profit on the expected struggles of West Indies, with it being likely that their batters will once again find it a tough time out in the middle against the quality of England’s bowling unit. Their opening partnership for example will be facing the duo of Chris Woakes and Gus Atkinson with the new ball, a formidable challenge. It would be no surprise to see an early wicket or two go down, so explore backing a first wicket partnership of under 17.5 runs for the Windies in their first innings.
One of those openers Kraigg Brathwaite, is suffering a lean spell with the bat. The Windies captain was dismissed for scores of 6 and 4 in the first Test and has historically struggled in England, going back to his spell at county side Warwickshire. The ‘Batter Match Runs’ market appeals on this front, with Brathwaite well worth backing to score under 40.5 match runs across his expected two innings.
ENGLAND VS WEST INDIES EXPERT PREDICTION
England will come into the second Test as heavy favourites to extend their series lead and any other outcome would be a surprise. However, there is very little value in just backing an England victory, especially with the potential of rain disruptions. The odds are simply too short to justify it.
However, England’s batting and bowling just looks so much stronger than that of West Indies and at the speed in which the hosts accumulate runs, it opens up the prospect of a second consecutive innings win. With that in mind, the ‘Either Team to Win by an Innings’ market represents the smart market in which to move on here.
ENGLAND VS WEST INDIES TIP: EITHER TEAM TO WIN BY AN INNINGS - YES
