England v West Indies betting tips, prediction and odds, 1/3 Test Preview

Read our tips for the 2nd England v West Indies Test, or check out our correct prediction of the West Indies v England 1st Test below. A 7.80 winner!!!!

Welcome to our England v West Indies tips and winner prediction for the 1st Test from the Rose Bowl, Southampton, beginning on Wednesday, in the first International match following the COVID-19 shutdown.

We think there is a huge opportunity for the West Indies to cause a boilover in a match they are remarkably paying $7.80 to win, as there are plenty of unknowns with no recent exposed form.

While to some we sound crazy here, there are a few factors to consider when betting on the England v West indies clash, including regular captain Joe Root’s absence after he elected to stay with his wife for the birth of their child, rather than play in the first Test.

Secondly, just over a year ago the Windies claimed the Wisden Trophy, albeit on their home deck and against an England team that was thoroughly out of sorts.

While English conditions are notoriously hard for touring teams, especially a young West Indies batting line-up, one factor that won’t be there will be the raucous Barmy Army and home crowd, with the match set to be played under strict bio-security measures because of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

We think the West Indies are finally showing signs of life in the Test arena, with gun youngsters led by Shai Hope finally giving Caribbean cricket fans something to smile about. The Windies have emerging pace bowlers that can be scary on their day.

England are also in a Test cricket rebuilding phase and they have unearthed some exciting talent of their own, with the likes of Ollie Pope, Dom Sibley, Zak Crawley and all-rounder Sam Curran, complementing star all-rounder Ben Stokes and veterans such as Stuart Broad (who we think will play despite reports to the contrary) and Jimmy Anderson, who has overcome recent injury woes.

While we urge caution in betting on the opening Test between England and the West Indies judging by the erratic results of other sporting codes in the new normal, we do think there is some great value to be found and that the match is much closer to even money than the $1.27 you can get on an English win.

Read on for our England v West Indies betting tips for the first Test being played at the Rose Bowl from Wednesday.

England v West Indies First Test details and odds

Start:	11am Local Time, Wednesday, July 8
Venue:	The Rose Bowl, Southampton
Weather:	Some rain predicted on Wednesday and Thursday, should not impact a result.
Head-to-head odds:	England ($1.27) v West Indies ($7.80), draw: $6
Man of the match odds:	Ben Stokes $6.00, James Anderson $7.50, Jofra Archer $8.50, Stuart Broad $9.00, Jason Holder $17.00, Kemar Roach $19.00, Rahkeem Cornwall $23.00

England v West Indies betting tips

The World Gambling List’s cricket expert has examined the England v West Indies betting and found some tips we like.

England v West Indies prediction 8/6/2020

We just can’t look past the $7.80 on offer for the West Indies to win this one, especially with the experienced Root absent. While England probably deserve to be favourites, we think the match is much closer to a 50-50 prospect than the cricket bookmakers believe. The Windies have got some young talent, with Jason Holder a strong leader, it just remains to be seen if they can adapt to the English conditions. Our final England v West Indies Prediction? West Indies by eight wickets.

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