England vs West Indies 4th Test

The series may well be dead and buried but Thursday’s Test at the Oval should still have some life to it judging on the events at Old Trafford.

Brian Lara’s team were much more competitive there and could be in with a shout now that they are playing more like a West Indies side, and up against an England side who could be excused for taking their foot off the gas. What’s more, England will be without Graham Thorpe with a fractured right little finger, and they are undoubtedly a weaker side without him.

However, England’s price has drifted out to 5/6 over the last couple of days from an opening 4/6 and that is enough to warrant a bet on the home side. Thorpe’s replacement Ian Bell has been in prolific form for his county Warwickshire, and with Thorpe probably nearing the end of his career this is a great opportunity for Bell to show his class. On the best batting wicket in the country he should be able to score a few runs, along with Robert Key who looks good value at 5/1 in our ‘Top Batsman’ market. The Kent player was instrumental in England’s 3rd Test victory with a superb 93 not out on Monday, and his Test match experience just gives him the
edge over Bell in that market.