West Indies vs England – First ODI Betting Tips

England and the West Indies will face off for the first time since the latter’s dramatic victory in the final over of the ICC WorldT20 final last year.

The Windies secured the victory as Carlos Brathwaite blasted four sixes on the bounce off the bowling of Ben Stokes, allowing his side to win the competition for the second time in their history.

Eoin Morgan’s men have the opportunity to gain revenge for their crushing defeat in Kolkata in their three-match one-day international series, starting in the opener on Friday.

We’ll now break down the betting options for the contest in North Sound, beginning with the home team’s batting card.

West Indies’ Top Batsman

Jason Holder’s side will head into the contest with an inexperienced line-up due to the absences of a number of senior players, including superstar opener Chris Gayle.

Gayle and Keiron Pollard have been in action in the Pakistan Super League and were not considered for selection, leaving the Windies with potential frailties in their squad, which the Three Lions will be desperate to expose.

Kieran Powell has been called into the side to replace Gayle at the top of the order following his excellent performances in the domestic game. The 26-year-old notched three centuries and two fifties in the Regional Super50, ending the tournament as the highest run-scorer.

Powell made 28 appearances for the Windies in ODI cricket before he was dropped three years ago following an underwhelming series against England, making just one in his final game.

He will have an excellent chance to respond by maintaining his excellent form at the top of the innings, especially given the Three Lions’ issues with their bowling attack due to Jake Ball’s injury.

Therefore backing Powell at 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500  with Bet365 to rack up the most runs for the Windies in Antigua is a sensible option to take, with the batsman using the match to re-launch his international career.

England’s Top Batsman

The Three Lions endured a disappointing tour of India, losing their Test, ODI and T20 series on the sub-continent, leaving them desperate to respond in the Caribbean.

England’s batsman were able to have success in India, with Jason Roy among those notching high scores against Virat Kohli’s men – scoring three successive fifties. Morgan was also in impressive form, with his side’s only century of the series, albeit in a losing effort in Cuttack.

The skipper could be in line for another collection of impressive performances in the middle order, capitalising on the youthful nature of the Windies’ bowling line-up.

Morgan has the vast array of strokes along with the power to take their attack apart, especially their replacement for Sunil Narine – Devandra Bishoo, who will be called upon to expose England’s weakness against spin bowling.

The England skipper did not shy away from taking the assault to India’s spinners, despite the conditions in the sub-continent and will not fear being overly aggressive against the Windies.

Surprisingly the 30-year-old has a poor average against the Windies of only 23, considerably lower than his career mark of 35. The opener will present him with an excellent chance to move that figure in the right direction with odds of 5.50Bet €100 to win €5509/2Bet £100 to win £550+450Bet $100 to win $5504.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$5504.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp550-0.2222Bet RM100 to win RM550  for him to top score for the Three Lions in Antigua.

Top Team Bowler

England will be without two of their top bowlers for the contest as David Willey has been rule out of the tour due to injury, while Ball has joined him on the sidelines.

Surrey seamer Tom Curran has been elevated to the senior squad for the first time in his career and he could come into the side for the opener in Antigua.

The lack of a veteran presence has not halted England’s progress in the one-day format since Trevor Bayliss arrived in 2015, but he will want to see one of the bowlers to emerge as the leader of the team, with Chris Woakes and Steven Finn boasting enough experience to do so.

Woakes had a breakout season in 2016, especially in home conditions. His performances in India did not match his production in England, although he was still solid enough. However, the Three Lions will need him to fire on all cylinders against the West Indies and given the inexperience of their batting unit – the Warwickshire man could have a profitable outing in Antigua.

At 4.33Bet €100 to win €433333/100Bet £100 to win £433+333Bet $100 to win $4333.33Bet HK$100 to win HK$4333.33Bet Rp100 to win Rp433-0.3003Bet RM100 to win RM433  he is an intriguing price to lead the Three Lions in the wicket column, with the propensity for wickets to fall at both ends of the innings where he will be in the action.

For the Windies, Bishoo could be the man to fire to take advantage of England’s struggles with leg-spin. Should the pitch provide advantageous conditions then he would well rack up the wickets due to the Three Lions’ preference of facing pace bowling.

Therefore backing him at 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450  would be a decent punt as he attempted to begin a revival of his international career.

Match Result

England were simply outplayed by a quality India outfit in their series defeat on the sub-continent along with playing in unfavourable conditions.

Their players will be desperate to respond to their defeat and get back to winning ways ahead of an important year, with the ICC Champions Trophy on the horizon in the summer.

The West Indies are vulnerable without the majority of their star players and the new men thrust into the line-up may struggle to match the intensity of the Three Lions’ play.

Morgan’s men have a point to prove following their defeat to India and will be keen to rack up the runs against the Windies following their defeat to them in the World T20 final last year, with the majority of the same players in the England side.

Therefore backing the Three Lions to triumph in North Sound is the bet to take with a price of 1.30Bet €100 to win €1303/10Bet £100 to win £130-333Bet $100 to win $1300.30Bet HK$100 to win HK$130-3.33Bet Rp100 to win Rp1300.3000Bet RM100 to win RM130 .

Tips Summary

Keiran Powell To Top Score For West Indies
Friday 3^rd March 2017 9:30AM Local (13:30 GMT)
Odds: 5.00Bet €100 to win €5004/1Bet £100 to win £500+400Bet $100 to win $5004.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$5004.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp500-0.2500Bet RM100 to win RM500

Eoin Morgan To Top Score For England
Friday 3^rd March 2017 9:30AM Local (13:30 GMT)
Odds: 5.50Bet €100 to win €5509/2Bet £100 to win £550+450Bet $100 to win $5504.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$5504.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp550-0.2222Bet RM100 to win RM550

Chris Woakes To Be England’s Top Bowler
Friday 3^rd March 2017 9:30AM Local (13:30 GMT)
Odds: 4.33Bet €100 to win €433333/100Bet £100 to win £433+333Bet $100 to win $4333.33Bet HK$100 to win HK$4333.33Bet Rp100 to win Rp433-0.3003Bet RM100 to win RM433

Devandra Bishoo To Be West Indies’ Top Bowler
Friday 3^rd March 2017 9:30AM Local (13:30 GMT)
Odds: 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450

England To Beat West Indies
Friday 3^rd March 2017 9:30AM Local (13:30 GMT)
Odds: 1.30Bet €100 to win €1303/10Bet £100 to win £130-333Bet $100 to win $1300.30Bet HK$100 to win HK$130-3.33Bet Rp100 to win Rp1300.3000Bet RM100 to win RM130

About the author

Eric Roberts

Sports Journalist

Eric has been a sports journalist for over 20 years and has travelled the world covering top sporting events for a number of publications. He also has a passion for betting and uses his in-depth knowledge of the sports world to pinpoint outstanding odds and value betting opportunities.