West Indies Vs England Cricket Tips
The West Indies’ wait for a Test series success in England goes on after Ben Stokes’ men took an unassailable 2-0 lead with their victory in the second Test at Trent Bridge last week.
It was a more competitive match than at Lord’s, where England dominated from start to finish and wrapped up victory in under three days, but that will be only a crumb of comfort for the crestfallen Caribbean tourists.
Kraigg Brathwaite’s side were in a strong position after claiming a 41-run first-innings lead at a ground where teams batting last have had lots of success in recent times, but they fell apart in their chase of 385 for victory.
Only Brathwaite, with 47, and former captain Jason Holder provided any resistance on the fourth day and, once England had removed the skipper, the rest fell like a pack of cards.
England needed the victory to silence a legion of Jimmy Anderson fans that felt their hero had been forced into retirement too soon, but further changes will be expected for this dead rubber at Edgbaston now.
Fast bowlers Dillon Pennington and Matthew Potts will hope to earn their chance while the form of Gus Atkinson and Chris Woakes gives Stokes a dilemma over who to leave out in Birmingham.
As for the tourists, spinner Gudakesh Motie should return after missing the second Test.
The left-armer was the pick of the Windies' attack at Lord’s and was named in the team for Trent Bridge before his eleventh-hour withdrawal when he woke up feeling unwell.
TIP 1 - MATTHEW POTTS TOP WICKET TAKER - ENGLAND, INNINGS 1 @ 7/2
It’s over two years since Potts burst onto the Test scene with figures of 4-13 on debut against New Zealand at Lord’s.
The Durham seamer reduced the Kiwis batting line-up to rubble that day and he continued to contribute for the rest of that summer, taking 20 wickets in five Tests in total.
But Potts has played only once for England since, taking three wickets in a routine win over Ireland before last summer’s Ashes, and has slipped down the pace pecking order.
The Third Test will be a huge opportunity for him to re-establish himself in the side if he is selected and there are a couple of reasons why it would make sense.
The selectors are not going to learn anything more about Woakes, who may not be in their long-term thinking for the next tour Down Under anyway.
The Warwickshire man remains hugely popular and delivered when it counted at Trent Bridge, but his lack of pace will be exposed on Australian pitches even if there is a case for his inclusion in any pink-ball Tests on the next tour.
Potts, who is decently-sized and durable, can reach speeds in excess of 85mph and relies on hitting the seam more than extracting new-ball or reverse swing.
Unlike last year’s Ashes Test, the Edgbaston wicket should have something in it for the seamers this year and Potts, who took 4-71 and 4-29 in the first innings of back-to-back county games for Durham last month, looks poised to exploit it.
TIP 2 - ZAC CRAWLEY TOP RUN SCORER - ENGLAND, INNINGS 1 @ 19/4
Crawley’s Test average of 32.40 is now almost identical to his first-class average, but England’s selectors have stuck by him in harder times than this and will surely keep the faith now too.
The elegant opener is a feast or famine type of player, who either scores big hundreds or very few runs at all.
He has top-scored in the first innings for England in four of his last nine Test matches, however, which is more than any other batter in the line-up and looks good value to get another big score this week.
