THE EDGE: The Edge previews the 2nd ODI between WEST INDIES v ENGLAND with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
West Indies v England 2nd ODI
MATCH OVERVIEW:
England are back in action and under the pump again as they come into the 2nd ODI against West Indies after a hammering to start the tour. West Indies started as the outsiders on Thursday on BETDAQ Betting Exchange, but a very one sided game as meant we now have a very even market! England have opted to go for a very young and fresh squad coming into this series – while it’s a chance to see how the new guys get on, it is a scheduling issue as well with England’s Test side literally just finishing a tour in Pakistan as this series started.
England were hammered on Thursday though. 209 all out batting first put West Indies in full control, and although the weather shortened the game the result was never in doubt. The new captain Liam Livingstone top scored with 48 but nobody took control of the England innings. Interim coach Marcus Trescothick faced some difficult questions after, and he came out firing. This is Trescothick’s last tour before Brendon McCullum fully takes charge in all formats – England desperately need a “freshening up” after losing 12 of their last 18 ODI’s but the reality is, as Trescothick pointed out too, the ODI format has been left unloved with squad choices.
England haven’t had their best XI for quite some time given the schedule. While they do have the talent for two squads, there is clearly gaps now with young players coming in without the experienced ones to lean on. As I said at the beginning of this tour, the West Indies will see this as a superb opportunity to win a series against England – it’s been a case of so far so good for the home side!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
The wicket was quite slow and tacky on Thursday. You’d have to expect reasonably similar conditions here as we stay for the 2nd ODI. You can get quite a range of conditions in the West Indies when you move wickets though, so I wouldn’t just go into this game expecting a low score after Thursday. We had a lot of cricket here at the T20 World Cup at this ground, it’ll be interesting to see if this is played on a completely fresh wicket. I would suggest whoever wins the toss will want to bowl first though.
RECOMMENDED BET:
As I said above, West Indies have moved in a lot in the market after the 1st ODI. We backed a West Indies win at 2.25, now they are trading 2.02. Still not quite the favourites though, and I’m not sure I agree with that. The England bowling looked poor when it was their turn, and they played Jofra Archer too – one wonders will he play here given the ECB want to manage his workload. The England batting looked quite poor in tricky conditions too, and I’m happy to take the 2.02 on West Indies – I’d have them as the favourites.
The Edge Says:
Two points win West Indies to beat England at 2.02 with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/WesEng2
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
North Sound in Antigua can be quite tricky for getting a read on the wicket – we have had a range of scores in the past. As I said above, just because England were bowled out for a low score on Thursday don’t go into this game expecting another low score. I would give an edge to the side that bowls first however – it looked tricky to bat on Thursday and you’d expect the ball will come onto the bat better under lights too. The England batting looked worth taking on again, and I’m happy with that angle again – that’s where I think we’ll see the most market movement.
