Richard Mann has tips ranging from 125/1 to 11/4 in his preview of the second Test between England and Pakistan, which begins at Lord's on Thursday.
Cricket tips: England v Pakistan
2pts Mohammad Abbas top Pakistan first innings bowler at 11/4 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)
2pts Abdullah Shafique top Pakistan first innings batsman at 5/1 (General)
1.75pts No century in the match at 4/1 (bet365)
0.25pt No fifty in the match at 100/1 (Paddy Power, Betfair)
1.75pts The match to finish on day three and England win at 7/1 (Sky Bet)
0.25pt The match to finish on day one or day two at 125/1 (bet365)
Joe Root’s second stint as national Test captain got off to the perfect start at Headingley last week, and his England side can wrap up a series victory over Pakistan in the second Test at Lord’s this week.
As good as England were in Leeds, razing their opponents for 171 and 135 and themselves batting with a much better tempo than in the last 18 months, Pakistan were bitterly disappointing.
It was a far cry from the Pakistan of old. There was no flair or skill from the batting, a distinct lack of pace and control from the three seamers, and the fielding was at times appalling, both the catching and some outfielding which lacked for commitment as much as anything.
This is a poor side, and as the betting suggests, England should have no problem finishing the job in London.
The potential fly in the ointment is the Lord’s pitch which came in for stinging criticism back in June when England beat New Zealand in the first Test match of the English summer.
It’s worth pointing out that fixture was played in poor weather but, nevertheless, the pitch was sub-standard and England's score of 226 in the third innings was the highest on either side, with 140 the next best.
The highest individual score in the match was 57, just one of two half-centuries, as less than 170 overs were needed in the whole game. There was lateral movement for the seamers throughout, but even more of a challenge for batting was the inconsistent bounce, with 13 of the 40 dismissals bowled.
That’s something to keep in mind for in-play purposes, because even if the weather comes good again at the end of what has been a scorching summer, low bounce could still prove a big factor.
There is the very real possibility that a poor pitch at Lord’s – and, of course, there are no guarantees – acts as a leveller, whereas an excellent cricket wicket like the one we got in Leeds allowed England to highlight the huge gulf in class between the sides.
Lord's pitch points to unders
However, if Pakistan’s brittle batting line-up struggled on one of the best batting pitches in the country in Headingley, I don’t hold out much hope for them at Lord’s, even with captain Babar Azam expected to return from injury.
Were it not for Pakistan’s underwhelming display in the field in Leeds, the 100/1 about NO FIFTY IN THE MATCH would make even greater appeal, but I’m keen to have a swing at the current odds regardless.
As already stated, there were only two fifties registered in this summer’s Test with New Zealand on this ground, and it’s worth remembering that England themselves are still bedding in a new-look batting line-up.
At 4/1, NO CENTURY IN THE MATCH looks a solid play, and I'll be having the majority of my stake here.
We didn’t get anywhere close to a ton in that New Zealand Test, while 104 was the highest score in last summer’s fixture with India, that coming a few weeks after the World Test Championship final on this ground when Aiden Markram’s fourth-innings hundred was the single three-figure score in the match.
There was no century in the series opener in Leeds and, given doubts to different degrees about both batting units, I’m happy enough with the current odds.
What we have seen at Lord’s in recent years is a tendency for the groundsman to leave plenty of live grass on the pitch in an effort to inject some pace into what has generally been a slow surface, but with that comes the likelihood that there is plenty of assistance for the seamers on the first few days.
Looking at the weather forecast as it stands, there is the very real possibility that Pakistan bat first in testing conditions and are again bowled out cheaply, presenting England with the chance to bat once before finishing the job in the third innings.
As such, don’t be surprised if this match doesn’t go into days four and five. In fact, I’ll be surprised if that is the case, meaning a third day finish could be on the cards.
Early finish on the agenda?
Sky Bet offer 7/1 for THE MATCH TO FINISH ON DAY THREE AND ENGLAND TO WIN in their RequestABet Specials section, and that makes sense to me.
Bet365 do offer individual session betting for those able to bet with that firm but, at huge odds, I’d rather a saver on THE MATCH TO FINISH ON DAY ONE OR DAY TWO, in the hope England can finish the job in rapid time.
We are essentially betting on a Day Two finish here, but the Leeds Test was done and dusted by the third afternoon, and we know that the June Test with New Zealand was completed in under 170 overs, despite all four innings being required to get a result.
Though unrelated, I will point out that Australia have just beaten Bangladesh inside two days on what actually looked a decent pitch in Mackay, a growing trend in Test cricket, it would seem.
The standout 125/1 with bet365, or even the 100/1 Paddy Power and Betfair, has to be worth a swing.
Moving back from the Mad House, I want to be with MOHAMMAD ABBAS to be top Pakistan first innings bowler at 11/4.
While Headingley highlighted a lack of pace within Pakistan's attack, a far cry from yesteryear, Lord’s has been a ground that has tended to more suit medium-fast, seam and swing bowlers such as James Anderson.
Ireland’s Tim Murtagh rolled England out cheaply here back in 2019, nipping and swinging the new ball to figures of 5-13 in the first innings of that Test, while Nathan Smith claimed nine wickets in the match for New Zealand on this ground a few months ago.
Both bowlers are similar in style to the skilful Abbas who returned overall figures of 8-64 on his sole previous Lord’s Test. He ought to bowl well again.
Abbas and Shafique the picks for Pakistan
With Babar back, he takes a good chunk of the TOP PAKISTAN FIRST INNINGS BATSMAN market, while it could allow ABDULLAH SHAFIQUE to slide down to number five.
As players like Harry Brook and Daryl Mitchell have shown in recent years, five is a nice fit in England, shielded from the new Dukes ball, but with just enough protection from the tail.
Shafique was the only away batsmen to take any credit from Leeds, stroking 61 in the first innings where he looked good from ball one, displaying crisp footwork and finding the middle of the bat with ease.
He was twice undone by fine bowling from Ollie Robinson there, but is clearly a good player, hot from a big hundred on the recent tour of the Caribbean, and I’ll take him at decent odds to upset the returning Babar.
Preview posted at 15:25 BST on 24/08/2026
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