ENGLAND v PAKISTAN: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Thursday’s 1st ODI between ENGLAND v PAKISTAN with a recommended BETDAQ bet.

MATCH OVERVIEW:

Could we have a more dramatic build-up to this series? On Tuesday morning the news broke that four England players tested positive for Covid19 along with three backroom staff. This put the whole squad into isolation and they had to pick a completely new squad. Talk about drama. They were trading around 1.4 and then jumped out to odds against, with Pakistan trading around 1.9.

After an unsatisfactory series against Sri Lanka, England host Pakistan and we were expecting have a much more competitive series anyway, but this squad news takes it to the next level! How will England cope with all the changes? They breezed through the last two weeks, it’s not England’s fault Sri Lanka were so bad, however ODI cricket can feel very long when the game is so one sided. England started every game at 1.1 on BETDAQ Betting Exchange, and every game was a 1.01 train. Even in the rained off game on Sunday, England had already bowled Sri Lanka out for 166. Pakistan can have their crazy batting moments, but this will be a much more competitive series.

You could say Pakistan come into the series a little undercooked in English conditions. Most of the squad are coming from the Pakistan Super League in the UAE. They arrived into the UK for isolation on the 25th of June, plenty of time to train but you can’t beat match conditions. Before Covid19, they might have played a game against the likes of Ireland or Scotland before playing England. That’s what a lot of touring sides would do, but times have changed.

Pakistan have an excellent bowling line-up, and while they could need a game to get into the groove, they will give England problems on this tour. One player not here is Mohammad Amir – once the most talented young bowler in Pakistan, he has now retired from International cricket – likely because he doesn’t like the current management. There has been a bit of drama in the press about the PCB chief executive going to see him before this series, but there’s always a bit of drama with Pakistan cricket! We should have a great series. Surely Pakistan have the edge with the England changes.

WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:

We start the series in Cardiff. We didn’t have an ODI here on the Sri Lanka tour, but we had back-to-back T20’s. We didn’t learn much with Sri Lanka batting first. They scored 129/7 and 111/7. The way England chased it down suggested the pitch was fine, and it was just a case of Sri Lanka being very poor with the bat. We had rain and Duckworth Lewis in the 2nd T20, but thankfully the forecast looks great for this game. It’s actually been a while since England played here, with the last ODI action coming in the World Cup. South Africa bowled Afghanistan out for 125 in the last game here, but in the day a few days before that in 2019 England scored 386/6. I would be keen to bowl first looking at the stats, as we have seen a good few low scores chased down easily.

RECOMMENDED BET:

While I do feel the Pakistan side come into this fixture a little undercooked. You have to like them here at 1.9 given all the dramatic changes to the England squad. I know England have a lot of strength in depth these days, but they were trying to blood the younger players by having them in the squad and they are all in isolation too. Given how good the Pakistan bowling is, England might not be able to handle them. Small stakes for this first game is a ust given all the drama, and we should have a better idea of what to expect from England after seeing this game.

The Edge Says:
Two points win Pakistan to beat England at 1.9 with BETDAQ Betting Exchange

View the market here -> https://bit.ly/BDQEngPak1

IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:

Having looked at the stats at this ground, I really want to be on the team bowling first. Pakistan have a very impressive bowling line-up, so they could easily be worth a trade if the bowl first. I would definitely lower stakes however, as they aren’t used to English conditions yet. I’d have to see what XI England actually name before committing to a trade on the England bowlers, but the stats do support an early trade on the bowlers. They would have to be very poor to put me off.

I’d be keen to take on the Pakistan batting unit at times, but of course this all depends on how the England second XI handle the situation. Pakistan are coming from T20 action in the UAE, and conditions will be very different here. The one thing the stats scream here is the trade on the side bowling first, so that will be my focus – a fascinating game ahead with all the changes!