ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Thursday’s 3rd Test between ENGLAND v NEW ZEALAND with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

MATCH OVERVIEW:

Brandon McCullum’s England have arrived. We saw England blast their way to a 2nd Test victory in impressive fashion – their odds shot down on Betdaq Betting Exchange as it rained fours and sixes – play which we don’t usually see in Test cricket! Ben Foakes came out afterwards and said that he has “changed the way he looks at Test cricket” this is obviously the McCullum plan, and in Ben Stokes he has a willing captain too. Stokes was always an attacking cricketer, so it makes sense for him to lead this team.

We must not forget however that Joe Root, the last England captain, scored 176 runs in the first innings and basically fired England back into the Test after they conceded a score of 553 in the 1st Innings. McCullum, Stokes and Bairstow took all the headlines for the way the Test was won – the 136 from Bairstow chasing on the final day was immense – however let’s not forget what an important part of this side Root is. He has been on fire in this series, and in the past when Root has fired England have won. Although this England side looks very confident at the moment, the big test lies ahead when Root fails, where do the hard runs come from? It’s OK attacking when the wicket is reasonably good, but who is going to grind a 100 from 300 balls. That has been England’s problem over the last few years.

This should be another excellent Test match. We usually get fantastic Test cricket at Headingley where there’s plenty of wickets available and scoring is usually fast. We should have two very attacking sides here with a draw unlikely – I’m sure the odds will be bouncing around a lot again!

WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:

We move to Headingley and we usually get a result here so there’s bound to be drama. However, we could see the draw trade short here. It’s trading 3.7 at the moment but there is rain forecast on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Given the high temperatures it’s really hard to know how much damage the showers will do – this is definitely a Test to watch the radar, and it’s actually hard to know whether to bat or bowl first. I’d probably bat first given it looks nice on Thursday and then we can expect better bowling conditions in the clouds over the weekend. If the forecast doesn’t change and we see a strong start from the team batting first, the draw trade could be a nice play here.

RECOMMENDED BET:

At the time of writing there is definitely a bit of uncertainty over the weather, so I will be keeping stakes small before the off. As I said above, the draw trade is definitely an angle here and when I saw the forecast I felt the draw would be trading shorter than its current 3.7. I know this ground is a massive result venue, but both sides have been solid with the bat and we will obviously lose some overs over Friday. Saturday and Sunday unless things change. As I said above too, given the high temperatures it’s really hard to judge what amount of rain we’ll get and with the humidity the ball should swing too. England’s attacking style with the bat might not actually suit conditions so I feel they are a little short, but for a small investment I’m happy to back the draw at 3.7 here. Overall I think it’s the best position before the Test at the odds, and it will set up the book for some nice trading.

The Edge Says:
One point win Draw at 3.7 with BETDAQ Exchange.

View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/EngNZ3

IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:

The first two Tests have been superb for trading, and I don’t expect this one to be different. This is definitely a Test that will revolve around the weather forecast, so keeping an eye on the radar is an absolute must. As the clouds roll in we will see a lot of swing too which will bring wickets, so be careful not to lump on the draw just because of the dark clouds. Also with high temperatures the rain might not be that bad too and they won’t lose much time – on the other hand we might get a thunderstorm. It really is all about the radar here, and if you just focus on the overhead conditions you can do very well trading the draw price. I feel we’ll see it possibly trade odds on here, this isn’t a usual draw venue so beware of that however from a long-term point of view.