2017 ICC: England v Pakistan Betting Tips

Hosts and top favourites England will look to make their second successive ICC Champions Trophy final when they clash with Pakistan at Cardiff on Wednesday, June 14th. With the inconsistent Pakistan as unpredictable as ever, England would do well not to be complacent.

Who can stop England?
Eoin Morgan’s team has proved in the league phase why they are favorites for the title. At no stage of the tournament so far did the English look hurried. Bangladesh posted a big total but that did not pressurize the hosts enough – thanks to their batting.

In the final league match against Australia too, they were in a spot of bother at 35/3 chasing 277 but once again, England’s batting might came to the fore. With the exception of Jason Roy, every England batsman is in brilliant form. The strength of this side is the presence of multiple all-rounders led by the irrepressible Ben Stokes.

The injury-led absence of Chris Woakes has not weakened their bowling lineup. Mark Wood and Liam Plunkett have led their attack with aplomb while Adil Rashid and Stokes have played their part. It will take a massive effort from Pakistan to stop England’s surge.

Low on expectations but high on surprise – Pakistan
The men-in-green are the lowest ranked side in the Champions Trophy but have surprised everyone with their progress. That too, coming after the heavy loss they suffered at the hands of India. Their performance against South Africa was almost near-perfect highlighting their resurgence.

Pakistan followed it up with a win over Sri Lanka that was largely due to their bowlers and captain’s innings by Sarfraz Ahmed. The debut of Fakhar Zaman has done wonders to Pakistan who suddenly look good at the top of the order. For them to have any chance though, the likes of Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez should pull their weight with runs.

Bowling continues to be their strength with Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan and Hassan Ali as potent a trio as the English. The worry for their supporters though is their blow-hot-blow-cold performances.

Key players
Key for England would be Morgan and Stokes while Pakistan will depend a lot on Fakhar’s aggression at the top and Babar’s calmness in the middle – although he is yet to prove his worth in the tournament.

Statistics
England is the in-form team going into this match having won 11 of their last 12 matches. That loss too was against South Africa when they played a second string side. Pakistan’s ranking tells the story about their performances and so does their recent record of 10 wins out of last 20 matches.

In head-to-head matches, England have the edge with 49 wins in 81 matches. Over the last two years, these sides have played nine times with England winning seven.

Picks
England at odds of 1.36 (Ladbrokes) are favourites to win the match and it is difficult to see how Pakistan can stop them.

TIP: England to win – $1.36 at Ladbrokes

Strong starts are a constant with this England side and at odds of 1.57 (bet365), they are tipped to score more in the first 15 overs.

TIP: England to score more 1st 15 overs – $1.57 at bet365

TIPS ARE SIMPLY THE AUTHOR’s OPINION. ALWAYS GAMBLE RESPONSIBLY