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West Indies vs England predictions
- England to win 3rd ODI - 4/9 with William Hill
- Shai Hope West Indies top run scorer - 13/5 with bet365
- Sam Curran & Rehan Ahmed to take 2+ wickets each - 11/4 with Betway
England bounced back in impressive fashion to force their ODI series with the West Indies to a decider in Bridgetown on Saturday (5:30pm, TNT Sports 2).
Sam Curran put his shaky performance in the first game behind him to claim 3-33 in just seven overs, while Liam Livingstone and Rehan Ahmed found plenty of turn to take five wickets between them as West Indies collapsed from 152-4 to 202 all out.
Shai Hope again showed his class, top scoring for the Windies with a run-a-ball 68 and sharing a 129-run partnership with Sherfane Rutherford as they looked to rebuild from 23-4, Curran and Gus Atkinson having made the early breakthroughs.
Livingstone and Ahmed were then introduced into the attack and arrested any potential momentum the hosts had, Livingstone removing Hope and Rutherford to repay Jos Buttler’s faith in him after criticism over his selection in the side.
Once Hope and Rutherford were dismissed, England made light work of the rest of the lineup and bowled their hosts out in just 39.4 overs.
In reply, Will Jacks showcased his talents as he recorded his second ODI fifty, before skipper Buttler and Harry Brook saw the visitors home in an unbroken partnership of 90 to seal victory inside 33 overs.
England’s strong showing sets up a series decider on Saturday, with betting sites heavily favouring the tourists for the win.
After studying the cricket betting odds, we’ve come up with three West Indies vs England predictions for the clash in Barbados.
England may snatch series
After a tumultuous World Cup campaign and a disappointing collapse in the first ODI, Buttler and England needed to respond with impetus in order to silence some of the critics, at least temporarily.
They did just that on Wednesday, reducing West Indies to 23-4 inside the opening powerplay and bar one big partnership, didn’t allow them a sniff with the ball before showing glimpses of returning to their dominant selves with the bat.
Buttler, in particular, seemed to turn back time as he powered his way to a 26th ODI half-century striking at just under 130 as the shackles seemed to be released.
He’ll be greatly relieved by his knock, as he went past 50 for the first time in 15 innings and simultaneously passed 5,000 runs in men’s ODI’s, only the fifth Englishman to manage it.
While the form of Shai Hope still offers some optimism the hosts can win the series, the way the rest of the batting lineup collapsed was reminiscent of past performances, ones that meant they didn't qualify for the recent World Cup.
The Windies’ wobbly battling line-up is why we’re ultimately backing England to win the series.
Anything close to a repeat of their performance on Wednesday should be good enough for them to justify their status as short-priced favourites on betting apps.
West Indies vs England tip 1: England to win – 4/9 with William Hill
Hope continues to shine
Over the first two games, Hope has proven why he’s the most feared West Indies batter and why he’s the captain of the team.
A match-winning century in the first game, where he showed his ability to go through the gears, was followed by him finishing as the top run scorer for his side in the second ODI.
England have yet to find a way to keep him quiet and he will be looking to lead his team to victory at the Kensington Oval.
He currently sits atop of the run scorers list going into Saturday with 177 runs, more than 100 runs clear of the next West Indies batter, Alick Athanaze.
He also has a decent record at Bridgetown, with three half centuries to his name and a high score of 64 at what has been traditionally a low scoring ground, with only one game since 2019 seeing a score of 290.
With Hope’s recent spell of good form and the added occasion of a series decider, we’re backing Hope to once again top score for the West Indies at odds of 13/5 with bet365.
West Indies vs England tip 2: Shai Hope to top score for West Indies - 13/5 with bet365
Curran and Ahmed continue to take wickets
Two of England’s standout bowlers from Wednesday’s game will be looking to carry their performances into Saturday’s match in Barbados.
Curran bounced back brilliantly from his drubbing in the first game to earn Player of the Match honours for his 3-33, ably assisted by Rehan Ahmed, who continues to impress in his ongoing audition for Adil Rashid’s replacement in England’s white ball teams.
Curran found early swing that helped him break the top order wide open in Antigua; a much-needed positive display from the 25-year-old as he looks to take on a more senior role in the ODI side.
While he did go for some early boundaries, he quickly regained his rhythm and his performance will surely be a big confidence booster ahead of Saturday.
Ahmed enhanced his growing reputation in midweek with a strong performance to back up his spell in the opener.
He posted figures of 2-40 from 10 overs with one maiden, demonstrating an ability to mix up his deliveries. He appears to be taking his golden opportunity to stake a claim for a place in the England team with both hands.
No doubt sterner tests will come for the 19-year-old Leicestershire bowler - Australia tour England for a five-match ODI series next September - but you can only play who’s in front of you, and he’s making a great impression on Buttler and Matthew Mott.
He’s the joint leading wicket-taker with four at an average of just 20, and with Saturday’s game looking to be a low-scoring affair potentially, he should be in line for more wickets.
With this in mind, for our final West Indies vs England prediction, we’re backing both Curran and Ahmed to take two or more wickets at odds of 11/4 with Betway.
West Indies v England tip 3: Sam Curran & Rehan Ahmed to take 2+ wickets each - 11/4 Betway
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
