England v West Indies Second Test preview and free betting tips

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1pt Roston Chase top West Indies first innings runscorer at 6/1

1pt Roston Chase to make a first innings half-century at 7/2

It would take a brave man to steam into England at 2/5 for the Second Test after they were beaten by an impressive West Indies outfit in Southampton but the return of captain Joe Root will certainly be a big boost to the home side.

Root was absent in Manchester in order to attend the birth of his second child and his presence at Old Trafford will ensure England have a number of big selection decisions to make before taking the field on Thursday.

As discussed in my latest talking points piece here, England will more than likely be calling time on Joe Denly's Test career if Zak Crawley gets the nod to bat at number three while Stuart Broad's expected recall will mean one of Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, or even James Anderson will miss out.

These are nice problems to have but England's impressive strength in depth wasn't enough to save them last week and they will know that their top seven needs to start converting so many promising starts if they are to put the tourists under significant pressure only a few days later.

With that in mind, there will be plenty of punters happy to take the 4/1 on offer for the West Indies to win again but Old Trafford promises to offer a different test with the surface generally good for batting but with enough pace and spin to encourage the bowlers.

Another factor is that reverse swing usually plays its part here and the likes of Anderson, Ben Stokes and Wood - should he be retained - will be hopeful they can get more lateral movement from the ball than they were able to find under clear skies in Southampton.

After a wicketless fifth day there, Dom Bess is another who will be hoping for better rewards this week while the prospect of a spin-friendly surface might mean the visitors make space in their line up for Rahkeem Cornwall, primarily an offspinner who might not look much like a cricketer but has plenty to offer with bat as well as with the ball.

I'm keen to stay clear of the outright market in the expectation that England will be much sharper for that run out at the Ageas Bowl but I do think there are a couple of bets worth striking in the sub-markets, both on Roston Chase.

In the top West Indies first innings runscorer market, a strong case can be made for Chase who looked really good in both innings in Southampton, making 47 and 37, before receiving good deliveries in each innings.

Having looked untroubled in the first dig, he was dismissed by DRS after England opted to review a big lbw shout when Anderson managed to extract some movement from an otherwise docile surface. Second time around, it took a brutal short ball from Archer to end his similarly untroubled stay at the crease as the West Indies closed in on victory.

Unlike many of his batting colleagues, Chase looks happy to take his time and pick his moments and with Shai Hope struggling to recapture the brilliance he produced in England three years ago, John Campbell a doubtful starter in Manchester having received a nasty blow on his toe from an Archer yorker on Sunday, the top order might be worth taking on.

Kraigg Brathwaite remains a reliable figure opening the batting but Anderson caused him plenty of problems with the new ball at the Ageas Bowl and Chase, who has become something of a rock for the West Indies at number five, might be the man to pick up the pieces should that West Indies top order falter again.

Chase averages 43.96 in Test matches against England - and a very respectable 38.86 on these shores - to confirm his game is well suited to whatever the hosts throw at him in Manchester.

Before last week's series opener, Chase had made a brilliant unbeaten hundred when last coming up against England in Gros Islet in February 2019 and I'm keen to take the 6/1 about him in the top West Indies first innings runscorer market and the 7/2 available for him to make a first innings half-century.

With the quick turnaround and selection conundrums for both camps, the bowler markets are hard to weigh up though the potential for reverse swing to prove such a big factor this week means Stokes could quite easily outshine England's frontline bowlers.

In the England batsman markets, I certainly haven't lost faith in series pick Ollie Pope and thought he looked in good enough touch in Southampton to suggest a big score won't be far away. The return of Root this week means he has competition, though, while Rory Burns promises to be suited by the nature of the Old Trafford surface.

This is another big week for England as they find themselves behind in the series. Just like England, I'm on the Chase in Manchester.

Posted at 1245 BST on 14/07/20

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