ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Friday’s 2nd Test with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

MATCH OVERVIEW:

After an epic 1st Test of the summer at Lords’s, England and New Zealand move to Trent Bridge in Nottingham as the 2nd Test gets underway on Friday. The 1st Test saw a huge amount of swings in-running on BETDAQ Betting Exchange, and we have another two Tests to look forward to. Although there are a lot of talking points, basically when all is said and done there isn’t much between these two sides and that makes for some excellent cricket. Not many would have given England a chance when they had to chase down 277 to win in the final innings, but Joe Root guided them home with a magnificent 115 not out. What a way to bounce back after losing the captaincy.

England couldn’t have asked for a better start to their “new era” with McCollum and Stokes in charge – they had New Zealand 45/7 on the opening morning, and New Zealand actually did well to get up to 132. It looked like it was going to be a very one sided Test then, but England’s batting problems were highlighted again as they opened the door to a close Test with a score of 141. Their soft middle order crumbled again, and although they were able to chase down a very high score in the final innings – really and truly nothing has changed. England always need Root to score big, and when he fails it’s not often someone else stands up and wins the game.

For New Zealand, although they head into this Test 1-0 down they won’t have to change much. They faced some very difficult conditions on the opening morning, and given the collapse of England in the second innings I would suggest New Zealand will be confident of a result. Their main issue is the form of Kane Williamson – he has carried his poor form from the IPL to England, and he must be short on confidence. Once again though, this should be an excellent Test match.

WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:

The draw is trading over 5.0 here, and Trent Bridge is known as a result venue. We did see a draw here when India toured last summer, but the weather played a big part in that. There “would have” been a result only for the whole final day was washed out. Even with that game, there has still only been two draws in the last 15 Tests here. We might see the draw come in a little from a trading point of view, but I can’t see a draw here given the ground history. Usually this is an excellent ground for some movement and also scoring is usually quick given the size of the ground. Basically, everything happens quickly. A good score batting first would be around 300 in my opinion.

RECOMMENDED BET:

I’m happy to rule out the draw here for the above reasons – this just isn’t a draw ground and I’m happy with the weather forecast. That leaves a straight shootout between England and New Zealand, and I feel the value is with New Zealand at 2.96. There really wasn’t much between the sides in the 1st Test, and I would have the sides closer together in the betting. England did exceptionally well to win the 1st Test and I wasn’t expecting them to chase that total in the final innings but you can’t knock Joe Root. New Zealand faced a very difficult opening spell from Anderson and Broad, but they bounced back very well. They are a top class Test side, and it’s no wonder they are World Test Champions. A small bet on New Zealand looks the value call.

The Edge Says:
One point win New Zealand to beat England at 2.96 with BETDAQ Exchange.

View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/EngNZ

IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:

There’s going to be a lot of swings in-running here again, and there’s going to be a lot of opportunity. The main advice would be to pick your moments and there’s no need to rush into things – you have a lot of time in Test cricket. After seeing the opening Test and thinking about what conditions are like at this ground, I would definitely favour looking for trades on the bowling side rather than the batting side. I feel that is the safer play – especially given the weaknesses in both batting line-ups. I’m keen to take on England when Root gets out – but I definitely wouldn’t want to be against Root. It also makes sense to take on Kane Williamson as he looks out of form and low on confidence – he will be worth plenty of ticks too.