Betting Tips England v West Indies

Preview England v West Indies

Just as we were getting into this World Cup, what looks likely to be the wettest June since records began seems set to scupper the excitement this tournament promised to bring. However, with arguably the 2 most explosive batting line-ups on show, this game promises to figuratively and literally lift the storm clouds that have been circling over the UK of late.

The Venue - The Rose Bowl

We are back at Southampton for what would be the 3rd match if the game here between Pakistan and West Indies wasn't called off. Despite, not having had that 2nd match, I believe we have seen enough here both in the warm-up games and the initial fixture between South Africa and India to show that this pitch is a little 2 paced with something in it for bowlers who are willing to bend their back.

Rabada and Bumrah, arguably the 2 best fast bowlers in world cricket right now, were on show during that match and both found success from the Pavillion End pitching on a length and just short of a length with the batsmen unable to get forward to balls that lifted a little. Both sides in this matchup have the kind of bowlers to exploit those conditions as well with the possibility of some dampness in the surface and cloud cover also assisting the lateral movement on offer.

Plenty of fast bowlers in this match will be looking to have a similar impact

Indeed, it will be interesting to see how the West Indies line up for this match and what approach they take to bowling at England. While, England have been attacked with spin upfront in all 3 of there games so far this tournament, it seems unlikely that the West Indies will do the same and I wonder if they may decide to play a bowler like Kemar Roach instead of the Ashley Nurse if they feel that he will be surplus to requirements in these conditions.

England, of course, have a similar conundrum to solve. Moeen Ali returns as an option following the birth of his child but all 4 front line seamers bowled well in helpful conditions in Cardiff and assuming that Mark Wood is fit to play, the England hierarchy may opt for a similar balance to their attack this time around.

The very good news is that it looks as though we'll get a full match here today which is a major relief following the events of the last week.

Form Guide

These 2 teams haven't been strangers to one another in recent times and by in large it is the West Indies who have had the upper hand beating England 2-1 in a Test series earlier this year and drawing 2-2 in the ODIs that followed. Those results alongside the belief that the team seems to have in their captain Jason Holder mean that the West Indies must fancy their chances in this game despite the underdog tag that they'll carry.

The logic for a powerful batting unit like the West Indies and indeed many teams coming into this tournament would be to bowl first and then chase down a score. However, in recent times WI has only completed 4 successful run chases in their last 19 matches. In their opening game against Pakistan and their final game of the bilateral series against England that involved chasing scores of only just over a hundred while the other 2 wins have been against Ireland & Bangladesh. The temptation on a cloudy morning might be to have a bowl first but when we break down the stats of some of their players it seems they would favour setting a target rather than pursuing one.

Evan Lewis and Shemron Hetmyer both have significantly better records when WI bat first

As noted above, while the Rose Bowl is generally a decent wicket, it can be a little two paced and that invariably favours bowlers who bang it into the surface. England's Liam Plunkett has been doing that to good effect for some time now, particularly in the middle overs and his recent record at this ground is pretty impressive. Another England player who has enjoyed himself at this ground is Jason Roy. The Surrey opener comes into this game off the back a great knock against Bangladesh knowing that he is unlikely to be facing much spin in first 10 overs this time around. Indeed, with the Ashes still to come this year, another performance in this match particularly against the West Indies quicks will only add to the calls for Roy to be given a chance in the Test team.

England have won their last 4 ODIs at the Rose Bowl with Plunkett and Roy the standout performers during those matches

Predictions

Given the West Indies recent success against England and the momentum that they have picked up thus far at the World Cup I think they represent pretty decent value as the outsider. As noted above the toss and decision at the toss could also be crucial so I may well add to this bet or cover it depending on events in the first 10 overs of the game.

Based on the stats above I am going to back both Plunkett and Roy to have a good day here at the Rose Bowl. There is the real possibility that Plunkett won't play as Moeen Ali is once again available but you feel that with his recent record and the weather conditions that could be a mistake. If he does play, I think he can be potent wicket-taker in those middle overs once more.

Current World Cup Betting Record

Bets 40

Wins 25

ROI +10.16%