We take a look at the 2nd Ashes Test between England and Australia which will start on Wednesday 14th August at 8PM. View the odds for both teams as well as our tips and bets for the test match.
When: Wednesday 14th August, 8PM
Where: Lord’s
Bet: Bet On This Match HERE
Preview:
Things looked grim for the Australians in the first innings at Edgbaston. Australia found themselves 3/23 before Steve Smith stepped in, leaving the former captain with plenty of work to do at the crease.
The rest, of course, was history. Smith’s back-to-back centuries saved the Test for Australia, but what can we make of the rest of the Australian order?
Aside from Travis Head, who chipped in with a valuable 51-run effort in the second innings, and Matthew Wade, who also scored his first Test century in a strong partnership with Smith, most of Australia’s big-hitters failed to make an impact.
For David Warner in particular, the Second Test is a chance at redemption. The 32-year-old has manned the crease only once at Lord’s back in 2015, where he combined for 121-runs across both innings of work. But with the hostilities of the First Test behind him, it goes without saying that Warner will play a pivotal role in Australia’s top order this weekend.
If Australia’s out of form players are to make an impact on the Second Test, they’ll need to find a way to combat England’s rejuvenated bowling attack that now features Test debutant Jofra Archer in the absence of Jimmy Anderson.
England has also gotten creative and called upon Jack Leach to help combat Steve Smith. With that in mind, the 28-year-old has limited Test experience having only faced New Zealand, Sri Lanka and Ireland in the past.
Smith will be the target for England at Lord’s, but the scary part is, they may not have seen the best Australia has to offer. If the Archer plan fails, England could find themselves with the same problems that plagued them in Birmingham: bowling.
The Australian selectors deserve enormous credit for their decision-making ahead of the First Test. This time around Marcus Labuschagne and Mitchell Starc have been named in the XI, and even with the threat of rain looming, it’s worth backing Australia’s replenished order to dispose of a very young, and questionable, England bowling attack.
Odds:
Tip: England at $3.85
Value Tip: Jack Leach Top England Wicket Taker at $7.00
*Odds correct at time of posting. Subject to change
