THE EDGE: The Edge previews the first ODI between England v New Zealand with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The ODI World Cup prep begins for England on Friday as they take on New Zealand in a four game ODI series on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. We had a cracking T20 series between the sides with England taking a 2-0 lead before New Zealand came roaring back to square the series 2-2. Although the T20 series was great to watch, with the World Cup looming you’d expect this series to be a lot more intense. Ireland will tour England after this, but the gulf in class between the sides will be huge there – everyone will feel like they’re playing for their place here; especially with the form of Harry Brook after he was left out of the squad.
The big news is that Ben Stokes returns to ODI cricket after his retirement; it didn’t last long! Ironically if you look at Joe Root for example, he hasn’t played ODI cricket since July 2022 which was the same week Ben Stokes “retired!” Trent Boult is back for New Zealand, and all eyes are on Kane Williamson as he races to get fit for the World Cup. He won’t feature here, but one wonders how quickly they can get him back – surely he would like to play before the World Cup.
A man under immense pressure must be Jason Roy. With the form of Harry Brook, he’s likely the one that can miss out. Dawid Malan and Laim Livingstone played well in the T20 series, but Malan could miss some cricket this series due to paternity. It will also be interesting to see how Gus Atkinson performs in 50 over cricket for England, if he starts! This series should be excellent viewing.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
We start the ODI series at Cardiff, and the weather forecast looks exceptional. Sun cream at the ready! We’ve had an interesting summer at Cardiff – scores were higher than usual in the T20 Blast but then you wouldn’t have called the wicket good for batting during the Hundred. This should be a fresh wicket though with some grass on it. I’d bat first, aim to get through the first ten overs and then things should get a lot easier from there. Bowlers pretty much know how to bowl here – you want the batsmen pulling out to the massive boundary rather than hitting the short straight one.
RECOMMENDED BET:
It’s interesting to see we more-or-less have the same prices here as we did towards the end of the T20 series. New Zealand finished that series off very well, and they bring some excellent momentum into this series now. I feel they are worth having a small bet on at 2.74 or bigger. Roy is in poor form at the top of the order, and England will be changing their batting order up a little with Stokes returning too. I just expect a closer game than the odds suggest here; and New Zealand look the value option.
The Edge Says:
One point win New Zealand to beat England at 2.74 with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/EngNew1
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Based on what we’ve saw from conditions at Cardiff this summer, I wouldn’t be going into this game with an in-running strategy set in stone. The reality is we could get any type of wicket here, with a par score ranging from 250 to 350 – it really is that wide. International standard is way better than the English domestic standard though, so don’t be surprised to see a high scoring game even though scores have been average here at times. Whatever the wicket, I feel it will be the best option to bat first – if it’s good you make best use of conditions, and if it’s slow and low it’s only going to get worse as the game goes on. Player wise, I’d be keen to take on Jason Roy; he’s in poor form and under big pressure to score runs now.
