Swinging pitch gives England big West Indies edge in 2nd Test
Published:England may be a short 1/3 to win the second Test with the West Indies, but the swinging nature of the pitch at Trent Bridge makes it virtually impossible backing against the hosts extending their series advantage to 2-0.
Andrew Strauss’ men can count the home of Nottinghamshire as one of their favoured grounds, winning their last three Test matches at the venue.
Furthermore, these successes over India, Pakistan and New Zealand were all secured by heavy margins, with England’s big advantage tending to come in the bowling department.
Undoubtedly, England have the best exponents of swinging conditions in Test cricket, with James Anderson particularly deadly, while Stuart Broad and Tim Bresnan do a fine job of backing him up.
Additional bad news for the West Indies is that the well-kept outfield will allow the ball to swing for longer and with three bowlers able to take advantage of this, the touring openers face a mighty challenge to retain their wicket.
Meanwhile, the leading West Indies bowlers are generally all about pace, which is not an attribute best suited to Trent Bridge.
Broad took 11 wickets at Lord’s and as the bowler in form, he looks the pick of the options at 5/2 to be England’s top wicket taker again.
For the West Indies, there is a selection dilemma in how to replace injury victim Shannon Gabriel, with Ravi Rampaul potentially available from injury perhaps most likely.
However, if they opt for spin then Shane Shillingford could be called upon, while there is also the option of Timo Best, who was called up to replace Gabriel.
Either way, it may be best to side with Kemar Roach at 9/4, especially as he was their most prudent wicket taker at Lord’s.
