New Zealand v England Odds : Second Test as Alistair Cook & Nick Compton head top batsman markets
Its New Zealand v England in the Second Test as Alistair Cook & Nick Compton look to head the cricket markets with William Hill.
The second Test match between England and New Zealand comes from Wellington on Wednesday evening for those watching in the UK and with the score currently 0-0 with just two matches to play, both sides know a defeat means they cannot win the series.
The Three Lions would have been disappointed with the first encounter in Dunedin, or more specifically, their first innings. England were bowled out for an abysmal 167 on what looked to be a cracking pitch.
New Zealand then responded with 460, so from that moment on, it was all about the touring side trying to save the match as the first day of play was washed out.
New Zealand v England – William Hill £50 Bet Offer
William Hill have a host of cricket markets for punters to choose from including match winner, top batsman and top bowler markets. They are also celebrating with a new free bets offer worth £50/€50 to customers to spend! Claim here!
In the end, England did well to draw the match as they scored 421-6 in the second innings, thanks largely to centuries from the opening batsmen – Alastair Cook and Nick Compton. Also, night-watchman Steven Finn scored a half-century and batted for nearly five hours, which is some achievement for a man who is a bowler.
Cook will now demand a response from his men and nothing other than a win is expected from the England captain here.
Although the home side played well in Dunedin, you would say that England being on the back foot was largely down to their own mistakes rather than the Kiwis being too good for them.
With the ball they struggled as well and this time out, the attack need to try and get some early wickets. Cook will feel as though his side can’t play as badly as they did in the first Test and as long as they improve, then the away team should win here.
They are the 8/13 favourites to come out on top at the moment, so the bookmakers can only see this going one way.
New Zealand would have been delighted with the way they applied themselves in Dunedin and if a day one hasn’t been abandoned due to rain, they could have taken a 1-0 lead in the series.
Hamish Rutherford was the hero with the bat as he scored a stunning 171 on his Test debut and instantly became a hero with the home fans. He will hope for something similar here and is a 7/2 shot to be the top batsman yet again in Wellington.
Brendon McCullum scored 74 as well, so he kept his fine form going and is sure to be the key man once again this time out.
The Kiwis will be aware that England are likely to respond from that first Test and come out stronger in this second encounter, so they have to be on top of their game for the entire match. They are out at 7/1 to be victorious, which isn’t bad value at all.
With New Zealand full of confidence and England knowing a big performance is needed, this should be a thoroughly entertaining Test match and if the weather is good for five days, we are likely to see a result in Wellington. The action starts at 9.00PM on Wednesday evening.
