England To End ODI Series With Victory

England secured the one-day series against the West Indies with their victory at The Oval via the Duckworth/Lewis method.

The contest was overshadowed by the arrest of Ben Stokes during the build-up to the match for an incident in Bristol on Monday morning. Alex Hales also missed out having been with Stokes at the time and was assisting the police with their inquiries.

The Three Lions appeared to be affected as Evin Lewis powered their bowling attack around the ground on his way to a blistering 176. Only the batsman himself ended his innings as he smashed the ball onto his heel, forcing him to retire from the match.

Jason Holder’s men put 356 runs on the board in their 50 overs, setting England their highest chase to win the series.

The home side were able to respond through Jason Roy and his lightning start to the innings. He blasted 84 at a rapid rate, putting over 100 runs for the first wicket with Jonny Bairstow. However, once the opener was removed England lost their way and looked to be heading towards defeat.

Jos Buttler and Moeen Ali combined to accelerate the run rate to pull the Three Lions above the required Duckworth/Lewis score. The rains then came tumbling down at The Oval, allowing Eoin Morgan’s men to claim a six-run victory.

England will now aim to end the series unbeaten in their final competitive match before the Ashes begin in November. We’ll now break down the odds for the final contest of the summer.

Top England Batsman

Buttler has been quiet this summer, but due to the Stokes’ issue he was promoted up the order to number five.

He provided reassurance to the unit after Roy, Bairstow, Morgan and Joe Root all lost their wickets within a short period of time. The 27-year-old started his knock calmly alongside Ali and gradually elevated the level of his scoring to keep England up with then beyond the required rate.

Buttler was his usual self at the crease, knocking the ball around the wicket with ease before applying power to find the boundary. His innings was filled with his trademark strokes, including the scoop that helped propel England over the line to secure the win.

He has not been at his best with the bat over the summer. There were murmurings that he could force his way into the Ashes squad, but his lack of runs have prevented him from travelling Down Under.

The 27-year-old has made only two fifties this season, and although he does get a lot of opportunities to rack up the runs down the order, that total is still too low for a player of his pedigree.

His striking ability is arguably the best in the world, but at times at The Oval he was playing second fiddle to Ali in their partnership. However, Buttler would have benefitted from his time in the middle and it would not be a surprise for him to find his form once again if given the opportunity.

The Lancashire man does not have a great average at the Rose Bowl, with a par score of 31.50 in his six innings.

Although at odds of 8.00Bet €100 to win €8007/1Bet £100 to win £800+700Bet $100 to win $8007.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$8007.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp800-0.1429Bet RM100 to win RM800  with Bet365 to top score he represents good value.

Top West Indies Batsman

Lewis was magnificent at The Oval, blasting his 176 off just 130 deliveries. The opener played his innings perfectly after the Windies had a rough start to the match, losing three wickets cheaply.

The 25-year-old manoeuvred the ball around the pitch before kicking into gear later in the innings, striking 17 fours and seven sixes. He looked primed to score a double century before his freak injury when he edged the ball on to his heel, causing him to be stretchered from the field.

Lewis is unlikely to be available for the contest at the Rose Bowl. As a result, another man will have to rise to the occasion to top score for the Windies. After his blistering knock in the third match of the series Gayle fell cheaply to Chris Woakes.

The 38-year-old is too potent to be held in check cheaply for two games on the bounce. He made 99 on his last appearance at the ground in 2004 and he will be determined to go on further this time around.

This could be his final innings on English soil and he will be determined to go out with a fine knock.

Holder will be looking for his star man to kickstart the innings without the presence of Lewis. Therefore back Gayle at odds of 3.50Bet €100 to win €3505/2Bet £100 to win £350+250Bet $100 to win $3502.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$3502.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp350-0.4000Bet RM100 to win RM350  with SkyBet to lead the way for the Windies at the Rose Bowl.

Top England Bowler

Plunkett pushed forward his case to end the year as the highest wicket taker in ODIs with a five-wicket haul in Bristol. However, he along with several of his team-mates were on the receiving end of Lewis’ onslaught at The Oval.

The 32-year-old did claim the wicket of Holder late in the innings, notching his sixth scalp of the series. However, Plunkett still trials Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan by two strikes at the top of the standings for 2017 and will be determined to surpass the spinner.

He will be hopeful that the wicket is conducive for pace and reverse swing late in the contest. The Oval pitch was flat and easy to bat on unlike the challenges thrown up by Bristol.

Plunkett had taken four wickets at the Rose Bowl in his two matches with a best of 3-64 against South Africa in May.

The 32-year-old has the ability to run through the Windies’ line-up so back him at odds of 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450  with William Hill to lead the wicket column.

Winner

The West Indies played an excellent game at The Oval and will have been devastated to lose. Their bowling was costly at times, but Alzarri Joseph ripped through England’s top order. Joseph and Lewis did not deserve to be on the losing side, although the captaincy of Holder again came into question.

He failed to bring up the field to put pressure on Ali and Buttler, allowing England to sneak past the D/L target. The cold weather and their lack of success may have taken its toll on the tourists now, with eyes on their return to the Caribbean.

England will be desperate to end their summer on a high note in preparation for the Ashes. Back the Three Lions to claim the victory at the Rose Bowl at odds of 1.22Bet €100 to win €12211/50Bet £100 to win £122-455Bet $100 to win $1220.22Bet HK$100 to win HK$122-4.55Bet Rp100 to win Rp1220.2200Bet RM100 to win RM122 with BetFred.

Tips Summary

England To Beat West Indies In 4^th ODI
Friday 29^th September 2017 12:30 BST
Odds: 1.22Bet €100 to win €12211/50Bet £100 to win £122-455Bet $100 to win $1220.22Bet HK$100 to win HK$122-4.55Bet Rp100 to win Rp1220.2200Bet RM100 to win RM122

Jos Buttler To Be Top England Batsman
Friday 29^th September 2017 12:30 BST
Odds: 8.00Bet €100 to win €8007/1Bet £100 to win £800+700Bet $100 to win $8007.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$8007.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp800-0.1429Bet RM100 to win RM800

Chris Gayle To Be Top West Indies Batsman
Friday 29^th September 2017 12:30 BST
Odds: 3.50Bet €100 to win €3505/2Bet £100 to win £350+250Bet $100 to win $3502.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$3502.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp350-0.4000Bet RM100 to win RM350

Liam Plunkett To Be Top England Bowler
Friday 29^th September 2017 12:30 BST
Odds: 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450