ENG vs WI Test Day match prediction 19 Jul 2020

England have collided in the second Test of the three-match series with West Indies at the Old Trafford in Manchester, which kickstarted on Thursday.

Rain played spoilsport on Day 3 and the two umpires decided to call off the day’s play without a ball being bowled. Now, two things can happen - one - West Indies are going to go for a draw, two - England will bowl their skins out to grab that win. The weather to be honest has been cruel to the hosts as they were in the driver’s seat in this Test match. Moving on, Day 4 is very much on the cards only if the rain Gods decide to look in some other direction. The weather needs to be clear for the game to happen and if it happens, West Indies will have to bat really well in order to keep that menacing English bowling attack at bay. On the other hand, England will be hoping to make those early breakthroughs in the morning session but it is not going to be easy at all. In the meantime, I have assorted three incredible markets for you to bet on; why don’t you take a closer look at all of them?

Either Stuart Broad or Sam Curran will pick up 4 wickets in the first innings

The situation that the Test match is currently in right now, it would be fair to say that the pitch will be a horror to bat on if play resumes in the first session on Day 4. The bowlers, and I feel particularly Stuart Broad or Sam Curran will do maximum damage. But this market has an upside and a downside - firstly, it is an interesting market and the risk is pretty high as it has odds of 4.00 (offered by William Hill). Secondly, you get to choose two bowlers who can be on top of their game with the ball on the penultimate day of the Test match. Lastly, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes and Dom Bess, could spoil your party tomorrow and in that case, you can only blame your luck! Let’s get down to business straight away - Stuart Broad holds a decent record against West Indies as he averages 28.82 and has 57 scalps to his tally including two five-wicket and a 10-wicket haul. He has 18 wickets to his name in seven matches at the Old Trafford in Manchester at an average of 28.88. In this ongoing year, in four matches Broad has managed to pick up nine wickets at an average of 19.11. Now let’s shift our focus to Sam Curran, who becomes extremely dangerous in these overcast conditions. Curran averages 31.07 in his career and has 38 wickets in 18 matches and that might not impress you. But I know exactly what will - Sam Curran has played eight matches at home and he has picked up 20 wickets at an average of 20.30. We have seen him bowl in such overcast conditions in Birmingham, Lord’s and at The Oval and in these three venues, he has 15 wickets in these three venues. Therefore, you might as well take a chance!

West Indies can pull of a draw here in Manchester

Two days left in this second Test match in Manchester and West Indies are trailing by 437 runs! Yes, you read that pretty perfectly alright. The conditions are definitely going to favour the hosts but I have a reason to believe that the West Indies batting lineup won’t crumble like a house of cards twice in two days. They did exceedingly well in the first game to hand England a four-wicket defeat at The Rose Bowl in Southampton and you can be rest assured, they are not going to go down without putting up a fight. England and West Indies have faced each other 15 times at this venue, England have won 6 times and to your surprise, West Indies have managed to win on 5 occasions and the rest four matches have resulted in draws. Don’t forget, West Indies have managed to win 58 Test matches against England compared to England’s 48 times. Also in the last eight head to head matches, West Indies have managed to win five of them and the rest three of the games have gone to England’s bag; which means, England have had a hard time playing against the men from the Caribbeans. The situation in this Test match won’t let West Indies register a win for sure, but they are very much capable of pulling off a draw here in Manchester. Bet 365 is offering odds of 2.20 for West Indies to manage a draw and there lies your opportunity to make it more than double your investment.

Kraigg Brathwaite to score more than Alzarri Joseph obviously

Well this is almost a no-brainer! I am stressing on this market because the odds are incredibly generous (1.83) as offered by Bet 365. Let’s make this very simple for you - Alzarri Joseph is a nightwatchman and has already played a couple of erratic shots towards the end of Day 2. He might be unbeaten on 14 at the end of the day but it is just a matter of time that one of these England bowlers send him back to the pavilion early on Day 4. The conditions are overcast and the ball is going to do the talking without an iota of doubt. Joseph’s career average is 7.25 and when he bats away from home, he picks that average upto 15.33, which means he is just about to reach his usual away score. Under the leadership of Jason Holder, his average plummets to just a little over 5.00 and that more or less sums it up. On the other hand, Kraigg Brathwaite, will have a major role to play on the penultimate day of this second Test in Manchester. For now, he is batting on 6 from 32 balls, but he definitely has a lot more to offer on Day 4. Brathwaite has scored 682 runs in 11 matches against England at an average of 35.89 including two hundreds and two half centuries. His average shoots upto 44.75 when he is playing on the English soil and has 358 runs under his belt with one century and one half-ton. Under the captaincy of Holder, Brathwaite has managed to pile up 2077 runs at an average of 36.43 including four centuries and 11 half tons. In any second game of a Test series, Brathwaite maintains an average of 40.25 and has 1449 runs under his belt. Therefore, it is very safe to say that Brathwaite is going to score more than Joseph for West indies!