Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series

[kevshat]

England take on West Indies in a two test match series to build up to the Ashes. It begins on Wednesday and is all live on Sky Sports in the UK. Series Odds:

	England	1.72	1.63	Betfred" onclick="a(0,372391414,4,6,0,6074); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">1.66	1.66	1.72	Boylesports" onclick="a(0,362844587,8,11,0,6169); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">1.72	1.7	1.66	1.61	Paddy Power" onclick="a(0,371769740,3,4,0,3); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">1.75	1.72	1.66	1.83	William Hill" onclick="a(0,362842788,4,6,1,4); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">1.66	1.65	Betfair" onclick="a(0,371240662,37,50,1,401); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">1.74
	Draw	3	NQ	Betfred" onclick="a(0,372391409,2,1,0,6074); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">3	3	3	Boylesports" onclick="a(0,362844588,85,40,0,6169); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">3.12	3	3	3	Paddy Power" onclick="a(0,371769741,7,4,0,3); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">2.75	2.87	3.25	2.87	William Hill" onclick="a(0,362842789,15,8,1,4); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">2.87	-	Betfair" onclick="a(0,371240670,43,20,1,401); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">3.15
	West Indies	365" onclick="a(0,364474100,5,1,0,15); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">6	5.7	Betfred" onclick="a(0,372391415,5,1,0,6074); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">6	5.5	5.5	Boylesports" onclick="a(0,362844589,5,1,0,6169); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">6	6.25	6	6	Paddy Power" onclick="a(0,371769742,5,1,0,3); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">6	5.5	6	5	William Hill" onclick="a(0,362842790,9,2,1,4); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">5.5	6	Betfair" onclick="a(0,371240667,31,5,1,401); return false;" onmouseout="cellExit(this);">7.2

Schedule:

May 2009
Wed 6 - Sun 10 11:00 local, 10:00 GMT	1st Test - England v West Indies Lord's, London
Thu 14 - Mon 18 11:00 local, 10:00 GMT	2nd Test - England v West Indies Riverside Ground, Chester-le-Street

[Charlie Wong]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series England have a good record in the early part of the summer, in May some of the oversea's sides like WI on their previous tour, and NZ last year do struggle to adapt. 8/11 to Win a two match series.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series No win in 7 at Lords though and the last win was only against Bangladesh in 2005. Both sides have their problems so betting on the series outright could be a bit of a lottery. I may not go with any outrights as a 2 test series is a joke really. I might look for a bit of value and have a small bet somewhere though.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series As I thought I'm not going to go with anything in the outrights but I'll go with 4 for the 1st test including my favourite bet which seems to have returned. 6pts A 6 to be hit on Day 1 5/6 Sportingbet If anyone reads my posts on test match betting then you'll know what I think of this bet. I like it even more here if anything given that Pietersen, Bopara, Gayle and Collingwood will all be coming back from the IPL straight into this game. We saw in the return series that these two can hit lots of 6's. Admittedly that was on smaller grounds but Lords is far from the biggest of hits especially down to the Mound Stand and Tavern. There's been a 6 in the last two tests here on the opening day and with the weather set perfect I'm confident we'll get one on Wednesday. 4pts M.Prior's Performance Pts 86&Over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch & 25pts per stumping. Matt Prior has begun the season in excellent form with the bat for Sussex and that is a continuation of an excellent test series with the willow in the Caribbean. He'll bat 6 in this match which I like because he's a genuine batsman and with Broad, Bresnan and Swann behind him then he'll have lots of batting to play with which should help to a big score. I'd imagine he could well knock this total off with the bat given that his average on this ground is 63.33 but if he doesn't then the slope at Lords often assists with catches behind which should yield a few more points. I'm reasonably confident the England keeper will score enough runs to cover this total with the bat though so it's the overs for me here. 3pts England Highest Opening Partnership 8/11 Stan James Not a bet I'd usually take, this one but I will here. England's openers, Cook and Strauss average all but 60 each on this ground while Chris Gayle will be straight back into this side with seemingly no rest and no time to change his mind to test cricket. Devon Smith doesn't even average 20 in England having played 6 tests so the stats are all in England's favour here and so is my money. 3pts England (-50.5 runs) 1st Inns Lead 10/11 Sportingbet England have a batting lineup which loves Lords. The pitch here suits them and only Paul Collingwood averages less than 59.93 here apart from Bopara who hasn't played a test here yet. That's a sensational record. West Indies meanwhile have a few players who have never played at Lords and will need to settle their nerves and things. Sarwan and Chanderpaul will doubtless score plenty of runs but the likes of Smith and Nash could struggle in alien conditions. England love batting here and I think they'll lead by more than 50 over the course of the 1st innings.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series Im not a fan of a two match series with regards to doing series outrights as the element of luck seems greater but nonetheless going for two and hoping I dont regret it: Sarwan top WI series run scorer 11/4 lad 10 pts I went for this in the Carribean and Sarwan walked it, he scored over 600 runs in what was a phenomenal series over there for him and it was an amount double what any over WI player got. These are different conditions over here and there is a suggestion Sarwan wont be quite as effective over here and perhaps more of an lbw candidate with the moving ball. However I still like him and he is a class act who would walk into a joint eleven between the teams imo. I like him for this market as well because at 3 he is in a decent position, I cant help but feel that Chanderpaul comes in too low and its anyone's guess what form Gayle is in, plus there was a suggestion in the IPL he was carrying a knock. The other WI players are still hit and miss and I feel Sarwan can do what he did in the WI and top score for the WI through the whole series. Edwards top WI series bowler 2/1 lad 10 pts Edwards comes from a pretty successful spell in the IPL and comes into this series in decent form. His figures perhaps dont always show that but after a poor first test in the Carribean for him personally, he raised his game and did cause some of the England batsmen problems in the WI at time. As I say his figures dont necessarily reflect that with an unreal no. of dropped catches off his bowling not helping. However for me he was the most threatening WI bolwer out there and he can be here too. Taylor a clear threat but he has had injury problems of late which didnt help him after his heriocs in Jamacia and despite a good performance against the Lions, he is still working to full fitness. Benn could be another contender if the Lords pitch is a flat as past years as he could get a lot of bowling but overall I like Edwards here to take some wickets for the WI. One for the first test too: England v West Indies 1st Test Match - Draw 6/4 lad 10 pts With 6 straight drawn games at Lords in tests I'm going for another drawn test here. These two teams have just come off 3 straight draws in the Carribean and whilst Lords has the potential to be a different kind of surface to those in the WI, quite how different the surface remains to be seen. The overhead conditions certainly could have a difference but with regards to the surface, Lords has become very flat recently. Teams have regularly struggled to take 20 wickets or even come close. 6 draws straight including the WI in 2007 and sometimes those draws have seen sides bat over two days out to get the draws (Sri Lanka, SA.) WI have two good bowlers in edwards and taylor but after that dont have a lot of wicket taking threats and similar comments could well apply to england who may play two debutants in a desperate search to find 20 wickets, something which was beyond them in the Carribean. Another factor here is that the weather isnt great for the friday and play could well be missed then as it will be if light has an affect which at Lords seems a given. A draw for me.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series Not been the best match for me so far but I'm going to go with another one. 3pts West Indies 2nd Inns Runs - 230 and over 5/6 Betfred West Indies closed day 2 on 39/2 after being made to follow on, due to one of the most inept batting performances I remember seeing. Putting it simply they can't bat that badly again here. They've lost Gayle and Sarwan which isn't helpful but Devon Smith has looked good in this match and it's rare for Chanderpaul to fail once, for him to do it twice in the same match is near as unheard of. Lendl Simmons looks a good player and Nash and Ramdin can both chip in with runs. Hopefully, Dyson will have given this lot a real rocket and with a fair bit of batting to come I fully expect them to make a much better fist of things in this innings. One partnership of any note should be enough to get them up to 230 with others chipping in and with the Windies needing 225 just to make England bat again you'd think that would be their 1st aim. Edwards and Baker showed this wicket isn't a 152 all out wicket and if the Windies players can play with some patience then I think they'll get up to 230 and beyond.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series 2nd test begins tomorrow at the Riverside. I'm going to go with 3 initially. 5pts England (-75.5 runs) 1st Inns Lead 10/11 Sportingbet England were excellent with the bat in the 1st test and won the 1st innings by 225 and the margin was only as low as that due to a decent last wicket stand from the West Indies. West Indies, bar one partnership in their 2nd innings were woeful at best with the bat. Their attitude was awful as was their technique and on a freezing cold weekend at Durham I can't see it improving much here. They have no idea against the swinging ball, their preparation for the series has been awful and their captain seems to prefer picking arguements in the media than getting ready for a test match. England's batting lineup is strong at the minute in both class and depth. Graeme Swann is going to bat at number 9 in this test match and he hit a half century in the last match, that's how strong we are. Our bowling attack is on fire too and we're playing more positive cricket than we have for a while. Windies don't really want to be here and if the weather allows it I'm certain England will win this. However the weather will allow the 1st innings to be completed and when it is I think England will lead by more than 75 runs. 3pts D.Ramdin's Performance Pts 73&Over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch & 25pts per stumping. Denesh Ramdin was one of the good things to come out of the 1st test for the Windies. He's a gutsy cricket who has shown against England both in the Caribbean and here that he can bat, hitting a century out there and a half century at Lords. The Riverside nibbles about a bit still so I expect him to get some catches but even without catches I think the Windies keeper can pick up 73 runs over 2 innings so I'll take the overs here. 3pts F.Edwards Top West Indies Bowler (1st Inns Only) 7/4 Boylesports Fidel Edwards was brilliant at Lords, picking up 6 wickets and had his team mates held their catches he could've had more. That came off the back of a good series in the Caribbean and a decent spell in the IPL. Edwards is on top of his game at the minute and he looks like the only bowler who can give England problems in this match. The Riverside doesn't spin too much and Lionel Baker hasn't really done a lot in his test career yet. Jerome Taylor still looks rusty after his injury which leaves Edwards to carry the attack again, which I think he'll do by taking the most wickets in the 1st innings.

[Matt]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series Jesus, watching this you would not one think Chris Gayle doesnt like test cricket, but intending to kill it with his tactics. Playing a containing match for a draw when hes 1-0 down in a 2 match series. :unsure

[RussP]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series

2nd test begins tomorrow at the Riverside. I'm going to go with 3 initially. 5pts England (-75.5 runs) 1st Inns Lead 10/11 Sportingbet England were excellent with the bat in the 1st test and won the 1st innings by 225 and the margin was only as low as that due to a decent last wicket stand from the West Indies. West Indies, bar one partnership in their 2nd innings were woeful at best with the bat. Their attitude was awful as was their technique and on a freezing cold weekend at Durham I can't see it improving much here. They have no idea against the swinging ball, their preparation for the series has been awful and their captain seems to prefer picking arguements in the media than getting ready for a test match. England's batting lineup is strong at the minute in both class and depth. Graeme Swann is going to bat at number 9 in this test match and he hit a half century in the last match, that's how strong we are. Our bowling attack is on fire too and we're playing more positive cricket than we have for a while. Windies don't really want to be here and if the weather allows it I'm certain England will win this. However the weather will allow the 1st innings to be completed and when it is I think England will lead by more than 75 runs. 3pts D.Ramdin's Performance Pts 73&Over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch & 25pts per stumping. Denesh Ramdin was one of the good things to come out of the 1st test for the Windies. He's a gutsy cricket who has shown against England both in the Caribbean and here that he can bat, hitting a century out there and a half century at Lords. The Riverside nibbles about a bit still so I expect him to get some catches but even without catches I think the Windies keeper can pick up 73 runs over 2 innings so I'll take the overs here. 3pts F.Edwards Top West Indies Bowler (1st Inns Only) 7/4 Boylesports Fidel Edwards was brilliant at Lords, picking up 6 wickets and had his team mates held their catches he could've had more. That came off the back of a good series in the Caribbean and a decent spell in the IPL. Edwards is on top of his game at the minute and he looks like the only bowler who can give England problems in this match. The Riverside doesn't spin too much and Lionel Baker hasn't really done a lot in his test career yet. Jerome Taylor still looks rusty after his injury which leaves Edwards to carry the attack again, which I think he'll do by taking the most wickets in the 1st innings.

Good stuff again Kev. Looking like the first 2 will be winners, Ramdin needs another 12 runs, whilst England need 2 more wickets for no more than 190-odd runs...highly improbable. :clap:clap:clap

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series Yeah looking ok mate. England covered the handicap which was useful with it being a big bet. Ramdin needs just 8 runs to bring his performance bet in but the forecast for tomorrow is fcuking awful :(. :hope the rain holds off long enough to get enough play in for England to get 2 wickets to get Ramdin in, and for him to get the 8 runs.

[kevshat]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series Ramdin never got his 8 runs, being dismissed for a duck so a really poor series of -9.22 for me having probably overestimated the Windies.

[WoodyTHFC]

Re: Cricket: England vs West Indies - Test Series Good finish for me yesterday. Sarwan ended top WI runscorer and Edwards top WI wicket taker so +37.5 for the series.