Matt Ireland's selections for the second Test at Edgbaston include Joe Root to star and another strong performance from an England opener.
The potential return of Jofra Archer has been the only talking point ahead of England’s second Test against India, which begins at Edgbaston on Wednesday, with the 2019 World Cup hero on the cusp of a first Test appearance in over four years.
Archer’s inclusion is the only change to England’s squad from the one who won a gripping first Test at Headingley, where Ben Stokes’s side again showed they were up to the thrill of the chase.
Set 371 for victory, opener Ben Duckett led the way with a magnificent century on day five in Leeds as England chased down their second-highest total in Test history.
Here are our cricket betting tips for the second Test.
Selections
Joe Root player of the match @ 7/1
Ben Duckett to score a first-innings 50 @ 2/1
Ben Stokes to take 3+ first-innings wickets @ 7/4
Root can show why he’s the best in the business
Seven centuries were scored in a pulsating series opener in Leeds, and the only slight surprise was that Joe Root was not among the six centurions at Headingley.
England’s leading Test runscorer in history nibbled at a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah in the first innings and was caught at slip for 28 but he showed all his class to steer his side home on day five with an unbeaten 53.
It continued a strong start to the summer for Root, whose majestic 166 not out in an ODI win over the West Indies in Cardiff last month was a knock featuring all of the Yorkshireman’s greatest hits.
The always passionate Edgbaston crowd have seen their fair share of Root magic down the years. The 34-year-old averaged over 70 in nine Tests in Birmingham and compiled a match-winning 142 not out in the fourth innings the last time England played India at Edgaston in 2022.
Root may not be typical of the ‘Bazball’ era but the top-ranked batter in Test cricket could treat the Edgbaston crowd to another masterclass.
Tip 1: Joe Root player of the match @ 7/1
Golden Duckett to deliver the goods again
England’s victory at Headingley owed much to a magnificent final-day century from opener Ben Duckett, whose 149 is undoubtedly the best innings of his Test career.
The diminutive left-hander has really asserted himself in the openers slot and now averages 43.68 at the top of the order, no mean feat in the current era.
Four of Duckett’s six Test tons and half of his 14 fifties have come in the last 18 months and he is no stranger to Edgbaston, having played for the Birmingham Phoenix in the last two editions of The Hundred.
At 2/1, the 30-year-old looks a decent price to pass 50 again in England’s first innings.
Tip 2: Ben Duckett to score a first-innings 50 @ 2/1
Stokes to lead from the front
If the prospect of Archer steaming in is enough to whet the appetite of England fans, the sight of Stokes in full flow with the ball last week was just as pleasing.
Stokes bowled with pace and skill at Headingley and was the pick of England’s bowlers across India’s two innings.
Four for 66 in India’s first innings was followed by figures of 1-47 in their second as the England skipper looked a real threat with the ball.
We could see more of the same at Edgaston, where Stokes is a nice price to dismiss at least three India batters in the first innings.
Tip 3: Ben Stokes to take 3+ first-innings wickets @ 7/4
