THE EDGE: The Edge previews the 2nd Test between ENGLAND v WEST INDIES with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
England v West Indies 2nd Test
MATCH OVERVIEW:
England begin life without Jimmy Anderson as they face the West Indies in the 2nd Test. The 1st Test was an absolutely demolition job with England becoming a 1.01 train quite quickly on Betdaq Betting Exchange. Clearly it was all about Anderson at Lord’s – he was England’s greatest ever bowler after all – however a huge positive was the performance of Gus Atkinson who took 12 wickets over the Test. Anderson was still bowling wonderfully; of course he can still offer something to England but it is time to move on – a home summer of West Indies and Sri Lanka provides an excellent platform for the young bowlers to find their feet leading the attack.
As we saw in the 1st Test, there’s a huge gulf in class between the sides. In terms of “easy” Test fixtures for England to form a new bowling attack; you can’t get much easier than West Indies and Sri Lanka. You’re going down to Ireland and Zimbabwe after those in terms of Test nations. This is a good opportunity for England to move forward; but anything bar a series sweep against those two sides will be a disappointment, bar poor weather. West Indies are of course better than they showed in the 1st Test, but all out for 121 and 136 just isn’t good enough, and you’d have to wonder how much below par do England have to be for West Indies to have a chance here.
Where West Indies can possibly be more competitive is with the ball. Their bowling attack is always more reliable than their batting. However, all the talk around this Test is going to be about England moving forward, and that probably tells you all you need to know about what most cricket fans think of the West Indies at the moment in terms of opposition! Chris Woakes is already talking about leading the attack into the Ashes; not winning this series.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
We move to Trent Bridge in Nottingham for the 2nd Test, and conditions are well known here with this being a usual Test venue for England, but they have moved away from it in recent years. Trent Bridge wanted to host the last Ashes but missed out – this summer is the end of a deal that ran to 2024 but one wonders how much money the grounds make when hosting minor Nations. Trent Bridge is usually a result venue; only two of the last 16 Tests have finished with a draw. However, those two games have come in the last six Tests – both involved India. It’s hard to see a draw here bar some major bad weather with the way these two sides play.
RECOMMENDED BET:
It’s no surprise to see England come into this Test as the red-hot favourites. It was completely one way traffic in the opening game, and the West Indies batting didn’t inspire any confidence. England are trading as short as 1.14 at the time of writing, and it’s hard to argue with that. I was happy to back them at 1.2 in the 1st Test with a confident bet, I just don’t see past an England win here, but I’m not going to tip a 1.14 shot – no prizes for that!
The Edge Says:
No Bet.
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/EngWes2
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
This Test will likely only become interesting from a betting point of view if England start badly. It would be nice to see England trade 1.2 or 1.25; at those prices I’d happily get involved especially if England batted first and lost a few wickets. You just know that the England bowling will come roaring back, especially with the West Indies batters really struggling in the English conditions. West Indies are a better side than we saw in the opening Test, but they have historically always struggled in English conditions and it’s hard to see that changing here.
