West Indies v England: Second ODI betting preview, TV channel, team news & tips

TV: Sky Sports Cricket, 3pm Friday

Second ODI

The West Indies claimed an unlikely double in the first ODI against England, hitting a record 23 sixes in a 50-over international yet still losing the match by six wickets.

The teams meet again at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, where England cemented their status as World Cup favourites by chasing down a target of 361 with eight balls to spare.

They are just 4-11 to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match series and, while there are sure to be more fireworks from the home batsmen, it is hard to quibble with the odds about Eoin Morgan's entertainers.

Best bets

Chris Gayle stole the show for the West Indies at the start of his final home ODI series, hitting 12 sixes in his innings of 135 before tons from Jason Roy and Joe Root sealed victory for England.

Gayle's innings started slowly and he paid tribute to John Campbell (30 off 28 balls) and Shai Hope (64 off 65) for shouldering the runscoring burden in the early overs.

Hope looked back to his silky best after a disappointing Test series against England and he is overpriced to top-score in the second day-night match on the Barbados leg of the series.

The number three played a couple of outstanding innings in last October's series in India, making an unbeaten 123 in the tied match in Visakhapatnam and 95 out of 283-9 in the win in Pune.

Hope followed up with unbeaten scores of 146 and 108 against Bangladesh in December and he averages just under 48 in white-ball cricket for the Windies.

Backing the home side to hit more sixes looks a decent bet too. Gayle will be a major factor in the bet's success but six of his teammates also cleared the ropes in the first ODI with Darren Bravo hitting four maximums and number nine Ashley Nurse striking three off eight balls.

England's top three of Roy, Root and Jonny Bairstow tend to shun the aerial route and they hit 30 fours between them to power Wednesday's run-chase. The Windies, who won the sixes battle 23-6 in the first game, can frank that form.

Venue
A flat deck at the Kensington Oval offered little help for the quicker bowlers on Wednesday while spinners Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid and Devendra Bishoo leaked around eight runs per over. Another high-scoring encounter looks likely on a fresh pitch.

Team news
Gayle will be assessed after his long innings on Wednesday but he should be fit to play. Fast bowler Kemar Roach has been ruled out of the series.

Chris Woakes (knee) could be rested by England with David Willey and Tom Curran pushing for recalls.

Weather
Sunny and dry, 27C.

Recommendations
S Hope top West Indies runscorer
1pt 9-2 Betfair, Paddy Power
West Indies to hit more sixes
3pts 20-21 bet365

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