Couch Critic provides his betting tips for the second test match between New Zealand and England which gets underway in Hamilton on Friday 29th November
NEW ZEALAND vs ENGLAND Hamilton – Friday, 29 November @ 00:01
SETTING THE SCENE
England started the first test with a stock standard batting display in the first innings. Ben Stokes and Joe Denly put in decent efforts whilst Joe Root failed yet again. In the end no one was fully able to capitalise on a start and it was only after New Zealand had a bat that one realised how badly the Poms had let themselves down with the willow.
The home side made the English sweat for 200 overs as BJ Watling and Santner had a field day. The newest lethal weapon in world cricket (as we’ve been told in recent times) had to toil away for more than 40 overs for his one wicket. Apparently, Mr Archer is indeed very much human and not even his extra pace could do much on a beautiful batting track. The visitors went down by an innings as they surrendered rather meekly in their second dig.
England would certainly have left Mount Maunganui with their tails between their legs and arrive in Hamilton with plenty of questions to answer.
LET’S TALK TACTICS
It was a relatively docile Seddon Park track that we witnessed earlier in the year when the Black Caps hosted Bangladesh. On that occasion there were three centuries from the visitors as NZ chalked up a substantial total of 726, with Kane Williamson grabbing a double century. Pictures from the venue have shown a very green looking strip but considering the past record here, the fact that the home team hardly need to force a result as well as the news that Trent Boult and Colin de Grandhomme are going to be missing from the side – one should expect most of the grass to come off before the first ball is bowled on Friday. Still, I do expect there to be a touch more life than against the Bangladeshis.
New Zealand have quietly been building their test team and we should hardly have been surprised at what they were able to achieve last week. Nicholls, Watling and Latham have been superb in supporting the prolific Williamson over a sustained period of time now. Bowling wise Boult, Southee and Wagner have developed into one of the premier pace trios in world cricket and Santner is a steady holding-type spinner who also offers some very useful runs lower down.
I mentioned this before the first test – England need their batsmen to come to the party in a big way. Denly has shown glimpses of stepping up to the plate and Stokes has been in decent touch yet they need the big centuries to be delivered with regularity, which is just not the case at present. With the ball the new-ball pair of Archer and Broad will need to turn things around and pitch up at their very best or this series will have slipped away from the Englishmen.
HOW I SEE IT PLAYING OUT
Boult’s absence is a big loss for the Kiwi’s yet I expect them to fight hard as always. I find it tough picking a winner and will instead just focus on some team markets. Having backed Watling in the first test he delivered in spades. It might be a case of going to the well once too often but he is still offered at a juicy price so I will get involved. After opting for Stokes in the Man of the Match market last time out he did his part in terms of being the top Pommie on display. I will back him with the willow this time around. With the loss of their one left arm seamer I see the remaining one leading the charge with the wicket-taking.
Best Bets with BETOLIMP:
Top New Zealand 1st Inns Bat – BJ Watling @ 10.00
Top England 1st Inns Bat – B Stokes @ 7.70
Top NZ 1st Inns Bowler – N Wagner @ 4.40
Note, odds quoted are available at the time of writing but are subject to change
Couch Critic
