First Test Match Betting: England v West Indies

Test previews / Ed Hawkins / 05 May 2009 / Leave a Comment

As the cricketing world is gripped with the IPL, the likes of Andrew Strauss, James Anderson and Shivnarine Chanderrpaul will be in their favourite habitat that is Test cricket as the first Test at Lord's kicks off on Wednesday, reports Ed Hawkins.

From one extreme to the other. Players and punters alike will switch attention from the Indian Premier League to five-day Test match cricket on Wednesday when England and West Indies meet in the first Test at Lord's.

No 20-over slugfest, strategy breaks or dancing girls. Just a clip off the legs for two, a lunch and tea break and MCC members dozing in the afternoon. It sounds pretty good to me, particularly when you factor in the potential for value; England are [2.20], West Indies [7.20] and the draw [2.40].

Despite Twenty20 being at the other end of the spectrum to Test matches, it is hard to see how it will not have an affect on the outcome of this first Test of two. Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, arrived just two days before the start of the match after his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL in South Africa while Ravi Bopara, Kevin Pietersen and Paul Collingwood used the competition to 'warm-up' for the series.

Neither coach is happy. West Indies' John Dyson has criticised Gayle's late arrival while new England supreme Andy Flower reckons that his trio are "underprepared", particularly Collingwood who proved to be so good at carrying the drinks for the Delhi Daredevils that they made him do it permanently.

It would be no bad thing if the IPL stars on show - Windies paceman Fidel Edwards was also involved but arrived here on May 1 - did play as if they have left their brains back in South Africa because Lord's desperately needs a result to restore its credibility as a venue.
Six straight stalemates at the home of the game does little for the image of the five-day game when it is most under threat. Thankfully, we should get one, though and it is down to another shift in culture.

Just as the IPL and Tests matches are different beasts, so is batting with the Caribbean sun blazing on your back as opposed to a chilly southwesterly jabbing you in the kidneys on a chilly May morning in north London.

West Indies' players have struggled on tour so far having been introduced to something called the swinging ball. They crashed to a 10-wicket defeat against the England Lions, which followed on from being bowled out for 146 against Essex.

It is all a far cry from when the sides met in the West Indies in the spring. Then the ball steadfastly refused to swing for England's bowlers, who have not taken 20 wickets in a Test since August.

But rather like sailors denied shore leave, they will surely (this is not a tongue twister) take advantage at Headquarters when the ball starts to dip for the earliest Test staged there.
Admittedly, the omens do not look good for an England side who are again without the injured Andrew Flintoff (wonder where he picked up his latest niggle?) and since 2000 have won four of the nine first Tests of the summer with three coming against no-hopers Bangladesh, Zimbabwe and New Zealand.

Still, when they wander through the Lord's gates they should get a good vibe. Although the draw has been king, England have absolutely dominated and can claim to have been denied crucial match-winning time by the weather in five of those stalemates.

Crucially, there is no rain forecast for any of the first four days so there is ample time to forge a winning position before darker clouds arrive on the final day.

If backing England is too much of a stretch, you will not go far wrong by expecting plenty of runs from the England batsmen. In the last seven Tests at this venue that they have batted first, England have five times score 500 or more. There is profit to be made on the innings runs markets. In an immature market they are [1.61] for 425 runs or more.

Other value lies, as ever, in the top first-innings runscorer markets. To take our lead from Flower we should forget Bopara, Pietersen and the drinks waiter and instead plump for Andrew Strauss. In sterling form for Middlesex - he whacked a magnificent ton against Leicestershire in double quick time - Strauss is [4.00] for honours and averages 60 at Lord's.

For West Indies, and to ram home the point that the IPL and Tests are worlds apart, Shiv Chanderpaul - top-scored on his last two visits - and Brendan Nash have the techniques to flourish. The next five days will all be about blocking, rather than Bollywood blockbusters.