Sports Blog 15/07/15: Cricket Preview - The Ashes 2015 2nd Test, Thursday 16th to Monday 20th July 2015

Well, what a difference a week makes.

This time last week Australia were strong favourites to retain the Ashes, with a settled side high on confidence. England were significant underdogs, with several inexperienced players and a new coach taking charge of his first game. England’s convincing victory at Cardiff has transformed the series, with England now 10/11 to win back the Ashes. This week it’s on to the home of cricket for the Lord’s Test match. Can England produce another all-round performance to take a 2-0 lead, or will the spirited Australians fight back to level the series 1-1? Let’s have a look at some of the key players and key markets ahead of this potentially crucial test match.



The Australians have been rattled. Michael Clarke’s team are not used to being outplayed and outfought, and changes will be made in their side. After a dismal performance at Cardiff, most notably dropping centurion Joe Root on 0, Brad Haddin will be replaced by Peter Nevill behind the stumps. It appears patience has also run out with Shane Watson, with Mitchell Marsh set to replace the aging all-rounder. “Dad’s Army”, as the press had labelled the Aussies, is beginning to creak, with the fired up younger English side in the ascendancy. The Aussies are still marginal favourites for the Second Test at 11/8, with their 25:10 pitched at 11.7-13.2. England are priced at 13/8 (10.5-12), with the draw on offer at 5/2.

Australia will certainly be looking for David Warner to have more of an impact at Lord’s. The aggressive left-hander made 52 in the second innings at Cardiff, and Clarke will be hoping he has played his way into some form. On his day Warner is unstoppable, with his scoring rate taking tests away from opponents. Our traders clearly have faith in Warner, pitching his runs at 84-91 and his ton ups at 13-16. He is 7/2 to be Australia’s top batsman in the first innings. His player performance quote is 94-102, based on 1pt per run, 10 pts per catch, 20 pts per wicket (worth considering after his surprise bowl at Cardiff) and 25 pts per stumping.



Warner’s opening partner Chris Rogers came desperately close to a century at Cardiff, grinding out 95 before nicking one behind off Mark Wood. Roger’s experience, particularly of English conditions, is invaluable for Australia, but our traders quote his runs at just 69-76, and after a nervous dismissal in the 90s last week his ton ups are quoted at 6-9. Rogers is priced at 5/1 to be Australia’s top batsman in the first innings, an accolade he achieved one week ago in Wales.

Another Aussie with plenty of experience of English conditions is Adam Voges. Having had spells at Hampshire, Middlesex and Nottinghamshire, Voges should be more familiar than most with the English venues. Certainly Lord’s should come as no surprise given his Middlesex stint. Voges managed just 32 runs at Cardiff batting at 5; his quote for Lord’s is 64-71. Voges ton ups are on offer at 4-7, with his player performance quote pitched at 74-82. Voges is available at 13/2 to top score in Australia’s first innings, which may well be of interest given his Lord’s experience.



For England several players are under a bit of pressure with the bat. Gary Ballance stuttered to an unconvincing fifty in the first innings at Cardiff, but a duck in the second innings means he is still under the cosh, with several former players suggesting Joe Root should replace Ballance at 3 in the order. Ballance runs are quoted at 62-69, with his ton ups pitched at a lowly 5-8. For those who think Ballance will regain his touch at Lords 6/1 is available about him top scoring for England in the first innings.

Adam Lyth is also fighting for his spot, despite only breaking into the side this year. The selectors will hope Lyth can establish himself as a regular opener for England, but he will need to be more convincing than he was at Cardiff, scoring just 43 runs in the Welsh capital. Our traders offer 7/1 for him to be England’s top scorer in the first innings, a damning reflection on Lyth’s form. As an opening batsman, his runs quote of 58-65 and ton ups quote of 4-7 indicate the lack of expectation surrounding the Yorkshire left-hander.



Another Yorkie, Joe Root, was once again the lynchpin of the English batting line up at Cardiff. Now up to number 4 in the ICC test match batsman rankings, we are offering several markets involving Root and Australia’s Steve Smith, himself now ranked number 2. Root and Smith runs are available in a matchbet, priced at choice (-4 – 4) with their ton ups also matched at choice (-1.5 – 1.5). ‘Uprooted’, the number of balls in the England innings until Root is dismissed, is on offer at 390-420, whilst ‘Rooted to the Spot’ (Number of dot balls faced by Root in the Test) is chalked up at 90-98. These two batsmen will once again be key in this Test, with Root 3/1 favourite to top score in England’s first innings, and Smith the 10/3 favourite for the Aussies.

England’s all-rounders had a big impact on the first test, with Moeen Ali and Ben Stokes both scoring valuable runs and Ali posing a significant threat with the ball. A new market ‘Hero or Villain’ has been introduced for this test match with players awarded 1pt per run, 30 pts per wicket taken and -1pt per run conceded off their bowling. Ben Stokes is priced at 30-45 on this market, with Moeen Ali on offer at 10-25. Mitchell Marsh, almost certain to replace Shane Watson, is priced at 25-40, with Mitchell Johnson (after an excellent knock in the second innings at Cardiff) pitched at 15-30. It will certainly be interesting to see how these new markets make up throughout this Ashes series.



England’s bowling attack was excellent in Cardiff, very rarely offering the Australians any loose deliveries. Jimmy Anderson (Bowler performance quote 42-47), Stuart Broad (40-45) and Mark Wood (33-38) are forming a strong pace attack, ably complimented by the spin of Moeen Ali (31-36). The Australians will be concerned by the form of Mitchell Johnson (44-49), as it appeared the slow pitch had neutralised his lethal pace and bounce. Mitchell Starc (46-51) struggled with injury at Cardiff but still managed 7 wickets in the test including 5/114 in the first innings, earning his buyers a 25pt bonus.

It is all set up perfectly for one of the highlights of the sporting summer. England v Australia at Lord’s, with the series in the balance; this is Test cricket at its best. Join us on Thursday morning for the best in-running service and range of markets across both spread markets and fixed odds. The all-important toss is at 10:30am, and the rollercoaster of Ashes cricket starts up again with the first ball scheduled for 11am.