West Indies v England: third Test betting update, TV channel, weather and tip

TV: Sky Sports Cricket, 2pm Sunday

West Indies v England: day two

Stumps (day one) England 231-4 (Buttler 67 not out, Stokes 62 not out, Paul 2-42).

Best prices 7-1 West Indies, 4-11 England, 4-1 draw.

England have been criticised for a lack of fight as they slipped to a series defeat in the Caribbean but a gritty unbroken stand of 124 between Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler means the tourists are 4-11 to claim a consolation win in the third Test in St Lucia.

A 3-0 series whitewash for the Windies, an 80-1 chance at the start of the tour, looked on the cards after the hosts won the toss, allowing their fast bowlers to give England's top order a real working over.

Openers Rory Burns (29 off 103 balls) and Keaton Jennings (eight off 43) found runs hard to come by; Joe Denly never looked settled before being pinned lbw for 20; and captain Joe Root's lean series continued when he was caught behind off Alzarri Joseph for 15.

Stokes joined Buttler with England in trouble at 107-4 and the pair rode their luck against some hostile bowling from Shannon Gabriel in particular.

England's good fortune was underlined by Stokes's reprieve after being caught and bowled by Joseph. The batsman had left the field but he was called back when the TV umpire spotted a no-ball.

A couple of boundaries from Buttler in the final over of the day put the gloss on a heartening fightback from England.

Star of the day
Buttler could have been caught off his first scoring shot, as an edge flew through the slip cordon, but he made the most of that slice of luck to steer England to a strong position.

He has been under pressure after a couple of failures but punters shouldn't forget his consistent performances – 882 runs at an average of 42 – since being recalled to the Test team in May 2018.

Best bet for day two
Buttler and Stokes will resume against a new ball that is only two overs old and Gabriel and Kemar Roach could cause problems early on.

Bet365 quote England's runs line at 400.5 (10-11 over/under) but much will depend on how the not-out batsmen cope in the first hour.

If they lay a foundation for wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow, back at number seven, and Moeen Ali then England can set up a victory charge but 'bowled' is a tempting price in the method of next dismissal market.

Stokes chopped on to his stumps in the second Test in Antigua and almost did the same during his innings on day one so he could be vulnerable on a pacy pitch.

Recommendation
England fifth wicket to be bowled
1pt 9-2 bet365

Weather
Sunny spells with occasional showers, 28C.

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