England To Ease Past West Indies At Trent Bridge

England began their one-day series against the West Indies with an emphatic seven-wicket victory at Old Trafford.

Jason Holder won the toss and elected to bat and Chris Gayle got his team off to a blistering start after being dropped third ball by Joe Root.

However, Root earned redemption for his drop by producing a great catch to dismiss the opener for 37, while Moeen Ali struck to remove Evin Lewis.

Marlon Samuels and Shai Hope struggled to score on the damp outfield that forced an eight-over reduction in the match. Both were dismissed with poor strike rates as Ben Stokes and Adil Rashid helped England take control in the middle overs.

Holder offered impetus towards the end of the innings. He struck 41 off 33 balls to guide his side over the 200-run market, setting a below-par total for the Three Lions to chase.

Through Alex Hales and Jonny Bairstow, the home side got off to a raid start. Hales was soon out for 19 off the bowling of Jerome Taylor. Bairstow kept the chase going along at rapid rate along with Root in the middle.

The Yorkshiremen put on a match-winning partnership of 125 for the second wicket, with both players passing 50. Root fell for 54, but Bairstow was there at the end to notch his maiden ODI century.

Stokes knocked off the winning runs by smashing a huge six into the stand, driving England over the line with 11 overs to spare.

The West Indies will be desperate to fightback at Trent Bridge, but the Three Lions look in imperious form. We’ll now break down the betting odds for the contest on Thursday.

England’s Top Batsman

Bairstow’s knock at the top of the innings had been coming. The 27-year-old has been in outstanding form this season in white ball cricket. He notched 43 in England’s semi-final defeat in the Champions Trophy, but has solidified his place at the top of the order with his maiden century.

His form will give confidence to the rest of the batting line-up. None more so than captain Morgan, who needs a score to get back into a rhythm. The 31-year-old does not play in the longer formats of the game and has been plying his trade in the Caribbean Premier League.

The skipper has not been able to pick up where he left off in an England shirt before he departed. Morgan had been in outstanding touch in 2017, scoring three centuries along with good knocks of 87 and 75 against Australia and Bangladesh in the Champions Trophy. However, in his two innings for the Three Lions since returning from the CPL, have been poor.

He scored two in England’s T20 defeat at the Emirates Riverside and 10 before he was caught behind at Old Trafford. Morgan will have been frustrated to not guide his team over the line with Bairstow. The 31-year-old will be desperate to prove a point at Trent Bridge to get back into touch before another break in the winter.

Backing the Three Lions’ captain at odds of 6.50Bet €100 to win €65011/2Bet £100 to win £650+550Bet $100 to win $6505.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$6505.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp650-0.1818Bet RM100 to win RM650  with Ladbrokes to lead the way in Nottingham could be a valuable punt.

West Indies’ Top Batsman

Hope had a frustrating time in the opening match of the series. The 25-year-old missed the T20 to allow Keiron Pollard into the line-up, but made his return at Trent Bridge. He would have been hopeful of producing the form that put England to the sword at Headingley in the Test series.

The batsman scored a century in each of his two innings to guide his side to a famous victory. In the process, Hope became the first man to score a hundred in each innings of a first-class match at the ground. He would have been hopeful of taking that form into the ODI series, but struggled to time the ball at Old Trafford.

The 25-year-old has a strong record in the 50-over format, averaging in the 40s. In his 19 matches he has notched a century and three fifties. He scored a century in his second ODI contest, making 101 against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo at the end of last year.

Hope displayed his quality against India, scoring two impressive half-centuries in their clashes on home soil during the summer. Given the power of the rest of the batting unit, Hope plays a vital role in the middle order.

He has the quality to rotate the strike to take the pressure off the big hitters. Although, the 25-year-old struggled to find his feet at Old Trafford, expect him to bounce back at Trent Bridge by leading the run column. 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 for value.

England’s Top Bowler

The Three Lions were dealt a blow when Chris Woakes was ruled out for the Champions Trophy. He suffered a side strain in the opening match of the tournament against Bangladesh. The 28-year-old also missed the Test series against South Africa and the majority of the Windies’ Tests.

He returned to action for the third Test and struggled to find his best form. However, in the opening ODI he looked like the bowler that has become a quality option for England in all formats of the game. Woakes should have had Gayle out third ball of the contest, only for Root to drop the catch at second slip.

England will be keen for him to find his peak form before the Ashes.  A series of strong performances in the remaining ODIs will be a perfect opportunity for the 28-year-old to find his rhythm.

He moved the ball with regularity against the Windies’ opener – therefore back him at odds of 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500  with Bet365 to lead the wicket column at Trent Bridge.

Winner

England were dominant in the opening match of the series and expect Morgan’s men to continue that theme.

There are not many sides better than the Three Lions in the 50-over format. England whitewashed the Windies in the Caribbean earlier this year and their performance in the opener suggests that could be on the cards again.

The Three Lions broke the world record for the highest ODI score last year at Trent Bridge in their clash with Pakistan.

Should the pitch suit, England’s powerful batting unit could be on course for another massive total. Back Morgan’s men to secure the win at odds of 1.33Bet €100 to win €13333/100Bet £100 to win £133-303Bet $100 to win $1330.33Bet HK$100 to win HK$133-3.03Bet Rp100 to win Rp1330.3300Bet RM100 to win RM133  with SportingBet.

Tips Summary

England To Beat West Indies
Thursday 21st September 2017 12:30 BST
Odds: 1.33Bet €100 to win €13333/100Bet £100 to win £133-303Bet $100 to win $1330.33Bet HK$100 to win HK$133-3.03Bet Rp100 to win Rp1330.3300Bet RM100 to win RM133

Eoin Morgan To Be England’s Top Batsman
Thursday 21st September 2017 12:30 BST
Odds: 6.50Bet €100 to win €65011/2Bet £100 to win £650+550Bet $100 to win $6505.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$6505.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp650-0.1818Bet RM100 to win RM650

Shai Hope To Be West Indies’ Top Batsman
Thursday 21st 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

Chris Woakes To Be England’s Top Batsman
Thursday 21st September 2017 12:30 BST
Odds: 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500