Tag: England

England v Pakistan Betting Preview

England (1/4) will be full of confidence after their opening win over South Africa, which should have removed plenty of pressure off the hosts’ shoulders. Their opponents Pakistan (3/1) will be licking their wounds following their dreadful batting display against West Indies in their first match. Pakistan are routinely, and lazily, referred to as ‘mercurial’; the truth is that this particular Pakistan team just isn’t very good.


Conditions

Trent Bridge has been a happy hunting ground for England since their Eoin Morgan-inspired revolution, and the groundstaff pride themselves on producing high-scoring wickets for both international and domestic cricket. The news that this game will be played on the very pitch that saw England rack up their record score means a run-fest is even more likely.

However, the 10:30am start has to be in the minds of punters. Early wickets have been the norm in the early games so far in the tournament, and if England win the toss, Pakistan’s top order could still be in for a torrid time in the first 15 overs, even on the batting paradise we all expect.


Bowling Bets

Having seen Pakistan’s timid effort against the West Indies’ short-pitched barrage, England may choose to unleash Mark Wood to add extra pace alongside Joffra Archer. Chris Woakes has a good record at Trent Bridge, with six wickets in his last two England games there, so should play. The Top England Bowler market looks a minefield, however, with little way of predicting who will take the wickets in advance on a such a flat track.

Pakistan will hope that Mohammed Amir backs up his promising and successful spell against the West Indies at the same venue. But HASAN ALI has been by far the most consistent performer for his team prior to the World Cup starting, and one wicketless innings has seen his quality overlooked. He takes 1.67 wickets per innings on average (against World Cup qualified teams), and that’s significantly better than Amir (1.07) and the other Pakistani bowlers. Of course, there’s a risk in delving into this market at all at Trent Bridge, but Ali is good enough value to merit a small interest nonetheless.


Batting Bets

England love batting at Trent Bridge. Strangely, Joe Root has the weakest record there since it became a batting paradise, racking up ‘only’ 39 runs per innings on average, compared to Roy (48), Bairstow (47), Buttler (49) and Morgan (60).

The Three Lions will look to savage the Pakistan bowling, confident in their teammates lower down the order, whether they bat first or second. Pakistan simply don’t have the firepower to compete in a shootout, as the recent ODI series between the two sides showed. There’s little point in guessing which of England’s batsmen will fire the biggest score; instead the value looks to lie in some special bets, below.

Pakistan’s batting is unpredictable, and betting on it has to be avoided after their capitulation at the same venue only days ago.


Special/Other Bets

England have by far the quickest average scoring rate in the first 10 overs, and they don’t slow down after that either. Pakistan, on the other hand, struggle to hit the big shots early on that are necessary in the first powerplay. Whichever way the game goes, including the outcome of the toss, it’s very hard to see England being outscored early on. The odds on the Three Lions scoring more than Pakistan in the first 15 overs are particularly generous, but the chances of England hitting the most 4s and 6s also look to have been underestimated. These are almost dead certs, and the decent odds-on prices available have to be devoured.


Recommended Bet Summary

Hasan Ali – Top Pakistan Bowler – 0.5pts at 7/2 (B365) or 11/4 (generally) 

England – Most Runs First 15 Overs – 3pts at 8/15 (Hills and generally)

England – Most Team 4s – 2pts at 4/6 (Betfair/Paddy Power)

England – Most Team 6s – 2pts at 1/2 (General)

England v South Africa Betting Preview

After the seemingly interminable build-up, it’s a relief that the World Cup is finally due to get underway with the hosts England (1/2) taking on South Africa (7/4). Given England’s win ratio over the last 2-3 years, those odds are about right, so let’s get stuck into some of the more interesting markets available.

Conditions

There’s minimal chance of rain, but it will be overcast. Those conditions may help fast bowlers, especially with a 10:30am start, and with captains wary of that early movement the winner of the toss is likeliest to chase. Indeed, teams fielding first have won six of the last eight completed ODIs at The Oval.

Having said that, the square in Kennington has slowed down over the last few years – gone is the fast bowlers’ paradise of old – and with the ground’s relatively sizeable boundaries, spinners will still play a key role, especially in the second innings.


Bowlers

There isn’t often much movement in the air or off the pitch at The Oval, even with overcast conditions, and “hit the deck” fast bowlers tend to fare best, followed by genuine spinners. Liam Plunkett’s record at the South London ground is outstanding, with ten wickets in his last six matches there at a strike rate of just 29.4, and given Mark Wood’s fitness scare he is likely to play. Odds of 4/1 to be England’s top bowler are fair, but not good enough to rate a recommended bet. If England bowl first, Chris Woakes would fancy his chances of taking early scalps; if England bowl second, Adil Rashid can create havoc on a slowing pitch with South Africa certain to be chasing a hefty total.

With Kagiso Rabada and Imran Tahir both trading generally at around 11/4, there looks little value in picking the top South African bowler, as those two are consistently the Proteas’ main wicket-takers.

Batsmen

South Africa’s bowling strength is up front, with Rabada and the rapid Lungi Ngidi set to unleash a barrage with the new ball. Neither Jason Roy nor Jonny Bairstow will be shy in taking them on, and there could be fireworks in the first ten overs. If the Proteas’ pacemen are successful, England’s middle order could face a fair number of overs, and that brings skipper EOIN MORGAN and test captain JOE ROOT into considerations for top batsman.

Both Morgan and Root love the Oval, topping England’s averages at the venue. Root has the class to see off the new ball, if indeed he is exposed to it, and quite simply the Yorkshireman is a run-machine. In ODIs in England in the last three years he has made 1,624 runs in 34 innings (47.8 per innings), figures that compare well with openers Bairstow (49.7) and Roy (46.2). Morgan’s runs per innings figure is lower (40.1), but the steely Dubliner will be totally determined to stamp his authority on the tournament, and his average strike rate of 101 compares favourably with the slightly more reserved 93 for Root.

Markets are expecting Roy and Bairstow to dominate, but with Rabada and Ngidi to see off – as well as the chance of having to bat at 10:30am – there is value in backing both England’s numbers three and four, particularly at the best available prices.

For South Africa, QUINTON DE KOCK is the 100/30 favourite to be top scorer, but rightly so. The keeper has scored 46.6 runs per innings in the last three years. Skipper Faf Du Plessis can boast 49.45 in comparison, but he has a very mediocre record in England, with just 138 runs scored in four ODI innings plus a string of test failures to his name. Hashim Amla is a true legend of the game, and has to be respected, but his recent form is patchier than his beard, and De Kock’s chances look even better than his odds imply.

Specials

The combination of an early start (after an evening of rain in London) and first-day nerves means there is an element of uncertainty to proceedings that doesn’t help with more exotic bets, or predictions at longer odds. There can be great bets in these markets, but it may be better to keep the powder dry for this game.

 

Recommended Bet Summary

Eoin Morgan – Top England Batsman – 0.5pts (11/2 Skybet, 5/1 General)

Joe Root – Top England Batsman – 0.5pts (7/2 Skybet, 3/1 General)

Quinton De Kock – Top SA Batsman – 1pt (100/30 General)