First blood to England, but don’t write off Pakistan

Dean EtheridgeDean Etheridge | September 21, 2022
Pakistan v England T20 Series Betting Pick

With the 2022 cricket T20 World Cup just a month away, Pakistan and England have just started a best of seven T20 series in an attempt to fine-tune their sides in preparation for the big one next month.

England took the honors in the opening match, winning it by six wickets with four balls remaining. But with six matches remaining, it would be foolish to write Pakistan off in the betting to win the series.

If anything, England’s win over Pakistan on Tuesday has made a bet on the hosts more appealing. Ahead of the opening match, Pakistan was -150 to win the series, with England at +120. The odds have now flipped over with Pakistan at +120 to win the series, and England the new favorites with the best cricket betting sites at -150.

Pakistan v England T20; To Win Series BettingBovadaBetNowEverygameBetOnlineGTBets
Pakistan+120+120+120+120+120
England-150-150-150-150-150

England’s Tour of Pakistan Itinerary

  • 1st Match – England won by 6 wickets
  • 2nd Match – Thursday, September 22nd @ Karachi
  • 3rd Match – Friday, September 23rd @ Karachi
  • 4th Match – Sunday, September 25th @ Karachi
  • 5th Match – Wednesday, September 28th @ Lahore
  • 6th Match – Friday, September 30th @ Lahore
  • 7th Match – Sunday, October 2nd @ Lahore

Going In Pakistan’s Favor

Fans and backers of Pakistan shouldn’t get too disheartened after one loss. There is still plenty going in favor of Babar Azam’s side, and they are still great value from a betting perspective to win the series.

First, Pakistan has the home advantage; No matter how used to the pitches in Pakistan England gets, there is still no substitute for home conditions. With all seven of these matches played at night, the Pakistan players are going to understand any changes in conditions that a drop in temperature will bring, such as dew, and how it affects the ball and the pitch.

Yes, England will learn that as the tour goes on, but it does give the hosts a head start. And when the tour moves to Lahore for Match 5, England will be starting from scratch again. Lahore will no doubt play differently from Karachi.

Second, England has a largely experimental side; This England side will have plenty of changes by the time it gets to the T20 World Cup in Australia.

At the moment, there is no Jos Buttler, Liam Livingstone, and Ben Stokes, and that’s just in the batting department. In the bowling department, there is no Chris Jordan, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, or Chris Woakes.

Third, England is a team in transition; As well as all of the injuries and rested players, England is also a team in transition. Not only are England having to get used to life after Eoin Morgan, their inspirational captain, but they also have a brand new batting lineup.

Jonny Bairstow and Jason Roy, along with Eoin Morgan, have been mainstays of this England side for the past three years or more. With Morgan retiring, Bairstow missing out through injury, and Roy being dropped after a horrendous summer with the bat, England has a batting lineup almost unrecognizable from just 12 months ago.

Going in England’s favor

On the flip side, let’s take a look at the things going in England’s favor.

First, Pakistan is over-reliant on their opening batters; With an opening partnership of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan has arguably the top opening batters in world cricket. But as England showed in the opening match of the series, there isn’t too much behind them. Once you break that partnership, you are in the game.

Second, England has players to come back; Of all the missing England players listed above, Jos Buttler, Mark Wood, Reece Topley, and Chris Woakes are all on the tour of Pakistan and are all expected to play at some point.

All four strengthen the side. But it remains to be seen how many of the three bowlers will play a part, as all three are recovering from injuries. Jos Buttler looks certain to be back in the team later in the series.

Third, the return of Alex Hales; One of the consequences of losing captain Eoin Morgan is that his retirement – along with various other personnel changes in English cricket – opened the door for a return to the side for exiled opener Alex Hales.

Hales was part of a successful opening partnership in T20 and 50 Over cricket before falling out of favor due to some off-field indiscretions. Eoin Morgan had had enough and ruthlessly dumped the opener before the 2019 ODI World Cup.

With Morgan now out of the way, and the team in need of reinforcements, Hales has been given a second chance. This means England has a brand new opener who has experienced different conditions all around the world due to his career as a gun for hire for various T20 franchise tournaments thanks to his England exile.

So who will win?

Expect Pakistan to bounce back strongly. They are -125 with BetOnline to win the 2nd T20 on Thursday, and I think that they will win.

PakistanTo beat England in 2nd T20
★★★★★
-125
Bet now

For my main cricket betting pick to win this series, I’m going to go with Pakistan. They do have players out themselves. But Pakistan’s backup players are going to be better in home conditions, than England’s backup players. England is capable of winning, but the hosts look the better value bet.

PakistanTo Win T20 Series against England
★★★★★
+150
Bet now

Please check out our Bovada sportbook review for more great betting offers on cricket and sports in general.

Dean Etheridge

For the past decade, Dean has honed his skills in editing and composing content for his own soccer and cricket betting platforms. His love of a bet combined with his desire to be a writer led him down the path of writing about sports wagering.

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