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West Indies vs England Fifth T20 predictions
- Phil Salt top England run scorer - 11/4 with Unibet
- Over 18.5 match sixes - 5/6 with Betway
- Will Jacks under 21.5 runs - 5/6 with bet365
Phil Salt put his “confusing” IPL auction snub behind him as he smashed England to victory in the fourth T20I to force a series-decider in Trinidad on Thursday evening (8pm, TNT Sports 1).
After losing the toss and being asked to bat, Salt and Jos Buttler got England off to a flyer with a 117-run opening stand, before Salt blitzed his way to a record-high individual score for an England men’s player, surpassing Alex Hales on his way to a fabulous 119.
Supported by quick hitting from Buttler, Liam Livingstone and Will Jacks, Salt’s onslaught helped England to 267-3 from their 20 overs. The hosts came out swinging as they had to, but the chase proved too much and they were all out for 192 inside 16 overs.
England’s 75-run win sets up Thursday’s decider brilliantly, with cricket betting sites unsure who to back after Tuesday’s barrage.
We’ve taken a close look at what UK bookmakers are offering for the fifth and final T20 and selected our three top tips for Thursday’s winner-takes-all match at Brian Lara Stadium.
Salt strikes gold again
Given the form he’s in, it's tough to ignore Salt when assessing the top England run scorer market on betting sites for Thursday's game.
Salt has set the West Indies bowling attack alight in the last two games with a combined 228 runs from 113 deliveries, smashing 11 fours and 19 maximums.
He showed no fear of the bigger boundaries at Trinidad with an astounding strike rate of 208.77 while also donning the gloves for the first time this tour.
He now sits top of the run scorers list for the series with 293, miles clear of the next highest batter (Buttler with 150) and is averaging 97.66. No doubt the IPL auction rejection has served as an extra bit of motivation for him.
With the final T20 coming at the same ground as Tuesday’s clash and Salt’s ability to remove bowlers from the attack single handedly, we are backing him to top score once again for England, with Unibet offering odds of 11/4.
West Indies vs England Tip 1: Phil Salt to be top run scorer for England - 11/4 with Unibet
Super six hitting to repeat itself
In our preview of the fourth T20I, it was mentioned that there hadn’t been an awful lot of international cricket played in Trinidad, which makes the masterclass in six hitting witnessed on Tuesday even more impressive.
England motored along at a staggering 13.35 runs per over, with the West Indies not far behind in their chase at 12.38 runs per over. England managed to strike a whopping 19 maximums from their innings, with the hosts providing 14 of their own.
It was certainly not a day to be a bowler, with Sherfane Rutherford seeing his solitary over disappear for 23 runs while Moeen Ali went for 20 after picking up a wicket first ball.
The last T20 played in Trinidad before Tuesday’s game produced a combined score of 312, compared to 459 on Tuesday. With the over/under for total sixes set at 18.5 for Thursday’s encounter, we’re taking the over at odds of 5/6 from Betway based on the power hitting we’ve seen from both sides.
West Indies vs England Tip 2: Over 18.5 match sixes - 5/6 with Betway
Jacks struggles to maximise opportunity
With scores of 17 (9), 24 (21), 1 (6) and 24 (9), it’s fair to say that Will Jacks hasn’t been able to capitalise on the situations he’s found himself in during these T20Is.
There is no doubting his talent; on his day he is up there with the most destructive batters in the world and can be a very handy bowling option with his offspin.
His domestic T20 record with the bat is very impressive: 29.5 average at a strike rate of over 157 with one century and 29 scores of 50+. However, he hasn’t quite nailed the transition to the international stage yet, averaging just 17 in T20Is with a high score of 40.
Granted, he's only played 10 T20Is compared to 142 domestic T20s so it’s still early days in his international career, but the 25-year-old has been given a great opportunity with the likes of Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan not picked for this tour, and he’s not maximised it.
With this in mind, we’re taking the under on his run total of 21.5 at odds of 5/6 with bet365.
West Indies vs England Tip 3: Will Jacks under 21.5 runs - 5/6 with bet365
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
