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Thursday 9 July, 17:30
TV: Sky Sports
England v India fourth T20 team news
England have successfuly banished the bad vibes hanging around following the Test team's multiple disasters. They are up by two with two to play and have their heal on the throat of their opponents. The 125-run shellacking in Trent Bridge was as close to perfection as it gets to a T20 performance.
They worked hard to bust more than 200 on a wicket which would not be described as a road. And then they quickly ended the match as a contest with wickets up front. The result was not in doubt as early as the the end of the sixth over with India 52 for five.
Jofra Archer and Josh Tongue look to be as potent a new-ball pairing as one could wish for. On an expected flatter track, though, in Bristol, they could be tested. It is harsh on Saqib Mahmood but there's little chance that England make changes now.
Probable XI: Salt, Buttler, Brook, Bethell, Banton, Jacks, S Curran, Archer, Dawson, Rashid, Tongue
India have lost four in a row for only the third time in their T20 history. They have never lost five in a row. The manner of their defeat in Nottingham, coupled with twin collapses against such weak opponents as Ireland, should mean that alarm bells are ringing loud and clear.
They made the TB surface look like a terror track. No-one is saying they should have got up to win but the chase was on. Being razed for just 76 immediately makes one wonder whether this is an unhappy camp.
It would be no surprise. Coach Gautam Gambhir is abrasive. And the treatment of Sanju Samson, who won them a World Cup months ago, is shabby. Then there's the axing of Suryakumar Yadav. We don't expect Samson back but Axar Patel missing out for Washington Sundar is one possible switch.
Possible XI: Abhishek, Sooryavanshi, Ishan, Shreyas, Tilak, Sundar, Dube, Sunar, Harshit, Arshdeep, Prince, Chakravarthy
England v India fourth T20 pitch report
The gamble for the Bristol wicket is whether we ignore domestic form. This season in the Blast batting has been tricky. Of the five matches played there were three scores of under 150. However, the odd ones out are the most recent with, perhaps, the heatwave making a difference to allow the ball to come on to the bat in a more true way. Internationally, this has been for the batters.
There have been only four T20i in the last five years but the run rates are high. The average is a whopping 9.8 and it was only 2022 when England smashed 234 against South Africa.
Three of the four have seen both teams score 190. Sportsbook offer that up at 13/82.63. That night be the safest play. There is 10/34.33 available for both teams to score 200.
The weather forecast is set to be scorchio and on a small ground there really should be no excuse for batsmen not holding sway. There is a suspicion that a track is held back and prepared specifically for the big game in Bristol. It is such an important source of revenue that a letdown cannot be risked.
England v India fourth T20 match prediction
If we're right about India being an unhappy camp, the immediate fear about them failing to prevent a record-breaking sequence is if they lose the toss. A disrupted dressing room trying to contain England on a flat one in searing temperatures? They might not fancy putting in the hard yards for this regime.
As one would expect, England are favourites. But the Exchange's 1.845/6 isn't a massive shift in odds. Sportsbook offered that for game three. The hosts at odds-on isn't a must bet, however, by any imagination.
To take that price they would have to be batting first. It is not inconceivable that a trading strategy can be built around the probability (belief) that the side batting first is going to be significantly shorter at the break.
But if you are convinced England win again, then the price that must be snaffled is Sportsbook's 13/82.63 that they win the match and both teams score 170.
England v India fourth T20 player bets
At just 15, Vaibhav Sooryvanshi is an ingenue. He knows nothing of conditions outside India. He may blink his eyes in disbelief, though, when he rocks up to Bristol. 'This is an international ground?!'. The boundaries are short, particularly straight, and he will rightly come to the conclusion that it's just not big enough to contain him.
So we want to bet the kid to do something after a couple of sighters. Take others out of the equation by betting milestones. He is 3/14.00 for a 50.
The 5/42.25 that he makes at least 30 looks like child's play. He may only need to bat for 15 minutes.
Back Sooryavanshi to score 30