2nd ODI Betting: England v India

ODI preview / Ed Hawkins / 05 September 2011 /

" class="free_bet_btn" rel="external" onclick="javascript: pageTracker._trackPageview('/G4/inline-freebet');" target="_blank">

Swann should be fit

"We get the feeling that everything needs to be just perfect for Tendulkar these days and that sore toe could hamper him. The 100th hundred may come on a better batting surface than this"

Ed Hawkins takes a look at the trends and stats ahead of game two at the Rose Bowl on Tuesday. But he still finds it hard not to rate England the bet

England
The hosts are set to welcome back Graeme Swann after he recovered from a stomach bug. Swann missed the first one-day international at the Riverside and he was clearly missed. Samit Patel, his replacement, is expected to make way with Tim Bresnan moving up the order to No 7.

India
More injury woe. Rohit Sharma will become the seventh player to fly home from India's difficult tour after he was ruled out of the series with a fractured finger. Sharma was struck on the gloves with the first ball he faced from Stuart Broad and immediately left the ground in obvious discomfort.

The eighth is more significant. Sachin Tendulkar is on his way back, too having failed to recover from a toe injury. India are hopeful that Manoj Tiwary, 25, who has made three ODI appearances and averages just 8.67, will join up with the squad in time.

Venue and conditions
The Rose Bowl is not one of India's favourite grounds. On a previous tour they complained about the state of the surface and in the 2007 ODI series they were hurried out for 184 in defeat.

Ian Bell and Alastair Cook both got centuries in that game, however, so it can't have been that bad. James Anderson took four wickets and only the reliably obdurate Rahul Dravid showed resistance.

The first innings average in the last 10 (we have not included Australia's hammering of the USA) is 242. In CB40 cricket this summer it has been pretty trustworthy. There is no discernible toss bias.

Expect a delayed start. The forecast is for rain from the early morning until lunch so the groundstaff will have plenty of mopping up to do. There is no rain forecast at the moment from the official start time onwards.

Match odds
It is sod's law that when India finally turn in a performance, they are denied by the weather. England captain Cook said the target of 275 was "gettable" but they would surely have been beaten comfortably from two down with little on the board.

It was no accident that two players who have not been scarred by what has gone before were the stars of the show. Openers Parthiv Patel and Ajinkya Rahane will keep their places with Tendulkar slotting in instead of Sharma.

Still, we rate England the bet at [1.71] for the simple reason that conditions should suit England's bowlers more. It will be damp, cold and cloudy and swing should be prevalent. India have not been able to cope with the swinging ball all summer so they won't start now.

Top England batsman
Cook and Bell, with those tons to their name don't forget, will be popular at [4.5] and [5.8] respectively. Craig Kieswetter has an average of 59 on the ground in domestic one-day cricket. He is [6.00]. More reliable options are Eoin Morgan and Jonathan Trott. If the ball does bend we would rather be on a couple of grafters and fighters. Both fit the bill at around [4.6].

Top India batsman
If Trott and Morgan are fancied for their truculence then we have to make a case for Dravid, too. He has a modicum of ground form and at around [5.50] could rate the value.

Recommended Bet
Back England @ [1.71]

'.$sign_up['title'].'

'; } } ?>