Cricket Betting Tips: In-play angles after day four of England v New Zealand

England are seeking the seventh highest chase in the fourth innings in England. Pressure? Panic? No sweat when the team waltzed the sixth highest only a week ago.

The home team ended day four as 1.071/14 favourites with New Zealand 32.031/1 and the draw irrelevant at 23.022/1. They really should dance their way to another target. That is largely down to the positive, attacking intent. But also due to New Zealand competence. Well, lack of it.

The Kiwis are just not at 'it'. Ordinarily in this situation, and by that we mean any England batting effort in the last three years, we'd be falling over ourselves to get with the opposition. We'd be screaming about value. And phrases like 'bet of the year'. But the foibles and the flaws are all with the visitors.

For a start, New Zealand have only three threatening bowlers. Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Neil Wagner have guts in abundance and they will bust them to keep the Kiwis keen. It's a tremendous workload, however, when their solitary spinner just isn't up to the job.

Michael Bracewell has admirable qualities but he's no Jack Leach (ten wickets in the match) and that is to damn the latter with faint praise. When Bracewell did get it right, he didn't have the fielders in the right position. A rare false shot from Joe Root was not snaffled because slip wasn't straight enough. It was a basic error.

If New Zealand are to succumb again, it will be the fourth time on tour that they have failed to secure victory with a more than sizeable positive in the bank (they faltered pre-series versus a county representative XI). That was a sign of things to come.

It was perhaps sod's law for the Kiwis that just as they got the ball to reverse late on Sunday, time was called. Had we seen some of that bend maybe an hour or two earlier we'd have considered a gamble.

Such is the situation that we're considering a cheeky trade on the draw with a few showers forecast early on day five. A few points here could be pinched although, in truth, it feels like we're looking for heat where there is none. Bet the match odds here.

Earlier Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell had once again kept their team in it with another super rearguard. Such concentration and ability throughout the series was surely deserving of at least one win.

In that regard, New Zealand have at least found two positives. Mitchell and Blundell were not guaranteed starters before the series began. They will be now for a couple of years.

As for England, they have the enticing prospect of a third straight win. And with India to take on at Edgbaston Friday, they could well snaffle a fourth relying once again on a touring team being underprepared. It is quite the turnaround for Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum. bet the odds here.