Friday at the Oval was a another tough one for England, who now require a huge fightback in the second Test against New Zealand, writes Richard Mann.
Cricket tips: Day four betting update
No recommended bet
When New Zealand were reduced to 28-2 in a pulsating start to their second innings on Friday afternoon, it felt very much like game on following Matthew Fisher's brave rearguard and maiden Test fifty which had hauled England to within 100 runs of the visitors.
But this remains a very flat pitch, much better for batting than the respective top orders of either side would have had us believe in the first innings, and the Kiwis didn't miss out second time around, ending day three on 252-2 with a their lead having already swelled to 352.
Irrespective of how well this wicket holds up on the final two days, and I think it will continue to play well, England are clearly going to be faced with a mammoth run chase.
Considering they have two debutants in their batting ranks, and a rookie opener, current odds of 15.5 on the Betfair Exchange are entirely justifiable, and perhaps those wanting a trade might find more juice in the 8.4 available about the draw.
A fantastic counter-punch from Matt Fisher! 👊
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 19, 2026
Here's every boundary from his maiden Test match half century! 💥
🤝 @IGcom pic.twitter.com/SQ5rlDLEb4
New Zealand, currently 1-0 down in the series, won't want to dither too long on Saturday, but equally, I'd still expect them to bat a good chunk of day four and look to secure a lead in the region of 500.
If England were to bat well at the start of their fourth innings, that draw price would have to contract.
The other potential plays are to get with Joe Root and Harry Brook again in the second innings.
I haven't lost faith in either, for all it must be noted that Root has been dismissed LBW twice in his three innings in the series so far.
There is no doubt that Tom Blundell coming up to the stumps for the seamers has made it harder for Root to carry out his usual trigger movement which usually starts from outside of the batting crease.
That is an angle to explore with those firms that bet on next individual method of dismissal in-play.
Still, a second innings average of 44.95 and 12 hundreds represent compelling numbers, while Brook's own record against the Kiwis is very strong.
This pitch should last the distance, even if England don't.
Posted at 19:10 BST on 19/06/26
Cricket tips: Day three betting update
No recommended bet
Brendon McCullum has endured some tough days as England head coach in the last 12 months, and day two at the Oval is another that can be added to the list.
Having began the second morning chasing three remaining New Zealand first-innings wickets, England turned in a horror show in the field, featuring a Ben Duckett dropped catch, a missed run out chance, along with some wayward bowling and strange tactics which allowed the tourists to add another 100 runs to their overnight score as Glenn Phillips registered his maiden Test hundred.
It got worse for England, and Duckett, who was later run out having looked in regal touch for his 36. Emilio Gay was the guilty party there, but his second half-century in as many innings is up until now the top score in England's underwhelming 222-6. Stand-in captain Joe Root was again dismissed LBW.
Ben Duckett is run out! 😬 pic.twitter.com/3fgbpRLgah
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 18, 2026
England now find themselves 169-runs behind, with debutant Jordan Cox (22 not out) the only recognised batsmen remaining and a very long tail.
It's not looking good, then, and the sight of the usually unflappable McCullum talking frantically into his walkie talkie as England lost their way in the field in the morning session hardly inspired a great deal of confidence.
However, I remain of the view that this is a good pitch for batting, as Phillips demonstrated, and if Cox can haul England past the current par line of 306.5 (Sky Bet), the hosts won't quite be dead and buried.
A first-innings deficit of 70-80 runs would not be insurmountable on this ground, given the pitch tends to get better and better for batting on days three, four and even five.
We've seen big second-innings scores here in the County Championship this season, and England very nearly chased down 374 against India on this ground last summer.
Root opted to bowl first at the toss because he wanted to chase, and New Zealand's shaky top order could yet offer England a way back into the game when the Kiwis come to bat again.
There's still life in this match yet anyway, and New Zealand will have dark memories of their 2022 tour of England when Bazball was born and the home side pulled off three impressive fourth-innings run chases.
Much has changed since, with McCullum enduring plenty of bad days like the one he experienced on Thursday, but things can turn quickly in this game, especially with this team.
The current 3.3 on the Betfair Exchange about England winning the match isn't yet big enough for a bet, but they could well drift further, at which point I will likely see value in a trade at the very least.
Posted at 21:30 BST on 18/06/26
Cricket tips: Day two betting update
1pt Joe Root and Harry Brook to both make fifties in the first innings at 5/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair)
In claiming seven New Zealand wickets on day one of the second Test at the Oval, England have given themselves an excellent chance of wrapping up the three-match series in South London.
Opting to bowl to first at the Toss wasn’t a case of interim captain Joe Root banking on his new-look bowling attack rolling over the visitors like England did on a poor pitch at Lord’s – he was banking on the fact recent history suggests this is an excellent surface for batting which generally gets better and better as the game goes on.
The best chance to take 10 wickets, be it in the County Championship or in recent Test matches, has been on the first day when a visible covering of green grass is most helpful before the surface dries out and that live grass is burnt away to reveal a beautiful batting wicket.
We’ve seen some mammoth scores on this ground in four-day cricket this summer, Sri Lanka turned an apparently tricky run chase into a stroll in the park here in 2024, while England traded very short before only narrowly failing to chase down 374 against India last summer. The weather was unsettled that week, too, meaning England were forced to finish that chase batting under lights in gloomy conditions.
With the weather set fair for the next few days, I’m expecting batting conditions to be very good, even better than on Wednesday when truth be told, New Zealand missed a trick in failing to hammer home a position of strength, closing on 291-7.
There were some awful dismissals in there, with Daryl Mitchell (44) and Tom Blundell (51) both guilty of throwing their wickets away just as the pair threatened to take the game away from the hosts.
In the first two sessions, it must be said that England’s inexperienced bowling group toiled away manfully, displaying impressive discipline and no lack of energy. Restricting New Zealand to anything under 350 would be reward for those efforts, and a very fine result.
The New Zealand innings runs par line started in the region of 350, but even then, I suspect odds compilers and Exchange layers expected this green surface to offer more assistance than it actually did, and things could get even better for England with the second new ball only three overs away.
The 5/6 available with bet365 for England to claim a first-innings lead makes some appeal, then, for all it must be noted that England’s top seven features two debutants and an opener in Emilio Gay playing only his second Test match.
How England fare with the bat will to a large extent depend on how Joe Root and Harry Brook go, but both men average 40-plus on this ground, with the Yorkshire pair each making hundreds in that aforementioned run chase against India last summer.
Brook’s record against New Zealand is remarkable – three centuries and four fifties from seven matches – while Root just altogether is remarkable.
Captaincy didn’t harm Root’s batting in his first stint leading his country. In fact, it was one of the few parts of his cricket and personal life that wasn’t negatively impacted by captaincy. As always, when his country needed him, Root delivered with runs, and I see no reason why that will change.
I’ll be backing both men to make hundreds in-play, assuming conditions are still good for batting come the time, but for now I’m happy to have a small wager on ROOT AND BROOK TO BOTH MAKE FIFTIES IN THE FIRST INNINGS. That bet is available with Sky Bet, Paddy Power and Betfair in their Boosts sections.
Posted at 21:50 BST on 17/06/26
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