England play their second game of the weekend following Friday’s clash with Ireland in Dublin. The team travel to Cardiff where they will continue their preparations for the upcoming World Cup when facing-off against Pakistan in the 1st of the nation’s Twenty20 series. Here are our top England v Pakistan 1st T20 betting tips.
Sophia Gardens Cardiff plays host, and this is expected to be a competitive contest between two talented teams over the short and snappy format. Excitement and drama are guaranteed, and you can follow the play live from 2.30pm GMT.
An interesting match, bookmakers also give us the chance to boost our enjoyment of the contest, while getting our Sunday betting up-and-running by offering a host of interesting markets.
Play the Specials for a Bigger Price
Have your say on the winner of the 1st T20 or aim for a bigger price by picking through the specials, such as top England batsman, top English bowler, the man to score most runs for Pakistan and who will claim more host wickets than any of his teammates.
There are dozens of competitively priced markets to choose from before the coin goes up – you can even bet on the winner of the toss – and we’re delighted to say many of the better betting opportunities are kept live throughout the course of play, thanks to in-play betting. With prices and lines updated to keep pace with the play, a bet is as exciting at the final few balls as it was before the start.
In-play betting works fantastically well with live sport as it allows you to watch the game unfold, with one eye on the patterns and trends of the contest. Spot a player in a menacing mood early – back him in-running to be top batsman. If one side look out of sorts, get your cash down on the opponent to with the afternoon. Many of the top mobile betting apps – including bet365 – allow you to follow live sport on your phone or desktop, get stats and in-play betting odds, all on one page.
Squad Will Bounce Back from Hales Knock
England will set-up without Alex Hales after it was announced he would miss out on selection and had been dropped from the provisional World Cup squad to allow the player to concentrate on sorting out undisclosed personal problems, including an off-field incident that kept followers of the sport guessing.
Hales was slapped with a 21-day suspension but will be back in the colours of Nottinghamshire this weekend and he’ll be eager to force his way back into contention, his management releasing a statement saying he was devastated by recent events.
There’s no doubt Hales will be a loss to the England squad, especially if he doesn’t return in time of this month’s World Cup, as the team are better with him in it. The time between now and the start of the tournament allows the Cricket Board and its coaching staff to find a replacement and get the squad in good shape before what will be a vitally important summer. England are 9/4 favourites at bet365 to win the World Cup, with the same bookmaker giving 11/4 on India and 4/1 Australia.
England Showing Great Form
England were last seen in Twenty20 cricket beating West Indies in the final game of what was a successful tour for the team. They won the last match by eight wickets, the scoreboard reading 72-2 (10.3) against Windies’ 71 all out (13.0) with the victors doing enough to waltz across the line, almost unchallenged. That was a low-scoring contest, but it was the result of England having nothing to play for as they had already made a mockery of what was expected to be a competitive series.
The home dressing room is one filled with confidence following the WI tour and they will be desperate to keep their run going, adding more wins before things get serious as we approach June and the summer months. Fans of English cricket were thoroughly impressed and are excited by what the future holds for their team, while neutrals are enjoying watching a talented team in full-flight, playing some of the best T20 cricket we have seen from them.
Bookmakers have also been won over by England’s form and wasted no time pricing them as hot favourites to beat Pakistan in the 1st T20 match. That will come as no surprise to punters with a keen eye on the sport of cricket, but they will be thrilled to see there’s still plenty of value to be had in the market. An England win is a bet we’re keen to have but we were expecting something around the 1/3 mark, so it was encouraging to find Ladbrokes offering up a market best price of 4/7. A bet that’s sure to be extremely popular in Sunday accumulators.
Pakistan Pack a Punch
Pakistan also haven’t had their problems to seek and will make this trip without spinner Shadab Khan who will miss the entire Twenty20 series. He will be forced to watch from the treatment table after to contracting a virus that hampered his preparations and some news outlets suggest it’s so bad, he could also be a spectator at the World Cup – something that would hamper his side’s chances of lifting the trophy.
The 20-year-old is well-respected in the game and is thought to have a big future ahead of him, with shrewd followers picking Khan out as one to watch in the summer. His team will be weaker without his involvement and England will aim to take full advantage on Sunday, piling pressure on their opponents by claiming the 1st T20 in convincing fashion.
Traders have Pakistan as second favourites but there hasn’t been the mad rush to write off the away win that you might expect. Backers will notice the tourists marked up on the betting board at 11/8 by Ladbrokes, some firms going shorter. There are a number of specials designed to catch your eye and the best of them is Joe Root to top score for his team at 10/3 (Ladbrokes).