Cricket betting tips: West Indies v England ODI preview and best bets

Cricket betting tips: West Indies v England

1.5pts Zak Crawley top England batsman at 4/1 (General)

0.5pt Zak Crawley Man of the Match 14/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)

2pts Shai Hope top West Indies batsman at 10/3 (General)

Following their disastrous Cricket World Cup defence just a matter of weeks ago, England are quickly back on the horse when beginning a three-match ODI series with West Indies in Antigua on Sunday, 1.30pm UK time.

England have made a raft of changes from the squad they took to India, perhaps most significantly in the batting department as the likes of Ben Duckett, Phil Salt and Zak Crawley return to the fold and get the chance to push their case for more long-term recognition.

Crawley to state long-term case

That trio might well form the new-look top three, for now at least, and I’m expecting good things from ZAK CRAWLEY whose stock has risen markedly in the last 12 months having ended last summer’s Ashes series as England’s leading runscorer, with 480 runs at an average of 53.33.

One of the main reasons for Crawley’s improved returns in Test cricket has been England’s insistence that the Kent man continues to back his attacking instincts, his strong leg-side game complemented by some excellent driving through the off-side last summer, and it makes sense that he could become a good fit for 50-over cricket.

Crawley’s main area of weakness has been when the red Dukes ball moves sideways, exposing his technique outside off stump, but the white ball rarely swings for long in the shorter formats and his batting tempo should prove ideal.

Don’t be surprised if Crawley eventually becomes the permanent England captain in ODI cricket, having stepped into the role against Ireland in September, and he finished that series by striking a good 51 from 42 balls.

Given Crawley’s tendency to score big once set, I’ll be spitting stakes in the top England batsman market at 4/1 and also to be Man of the Match. The 14/1 currently available is good value, but I wouldn't go lower than 10s.

I’ll take a watching brief on the top England bowler market for now, with Gus Atkinson my initial preference, and nothing stands out in the top West Indies bowler market.

Keep on eye on wrist spinner Yannic Cariah, who also bats very well and is the sort of player who could surprise in the top West Indies batsman market in a low-scoring match. I’m not expecting conditions to be particularly bad for batting in the series opener, but Cariah is still a name to note throughout the series.

Class act the big Hope for West Indies

For now, I’ll finish by backing SHAI HOPE to be top West Indies batsman.

The theme of this series is the rebuilding phase both of these teams are now in. The West Indies, like England, have opted to blood some young batsmen with an eye on the future. That is highlighted by the omission of the experienced Darren Bravo, the leading runscorer in the recent 50-over domestic competition.

Hope is the one experienced, quality operator who remains and he could well prove a class apart, given that he will start the series with close to 5,000 runs in this format at 50.40.

It remains a surprise that Hope hasn’t been able to force his way back into the West Indies Test team, but he is a gun player in this format and even when slipping down to number four for the most recent series against India in the summer, he made scores of 43 and 63 not out from three innings.

Hope looks a big price at 10/3, and anything in that region ought to pay in the long term.

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