England v West Indies First T20 Betting

England take on West Indies this Friday evening at The Oval in the first of two Twenty20 internationals that mark the end of the summer for English cricket.

Injuries and squad rotation mean that this is a largely second string England side, although the senior Graeme Swann will captain it. Contractual disputes and the Twenty20 Champions League mean that it will also be a weakened West Indies side.

There’s no Chris Gayle and no Kieron Pollard for the tourists and their absence is a big blow to their chances of claiming a victory here. Dwayne Smith could open the batting and is keen to impress following a 18-month hiatus from the international stage.

“I am going to bring intensity and energy to the team,” Smith said. “I see this as a chance to re-start my international career. As I was training and working on my game [after being dropped], I kept telling myself 'I just need one sniff and I'll take it'. This is my big chance, I have to make sure I take it.”

The former Sussex all-rounder is priced at 11/2 to top score for the West Indies by Betfred (Go to Betfred ») .

England, however, are the strong favourites to sign off the summer in style by winning this two-match series. Ladbrokes (Go to Ladbrokes ») make Swann’s side odds of 1/3 to win the first T20 match and 8/11 to win the series.

Written By:- Simon (About our Authors)
Posted on:- 23/09/2011 - 12:59 PM
Filed in:- Cricket Betting News