England vs West Indies | Predictions for Day 5 at The Ageas Bowl
After surrendering to the Windies on both Day 2 and Day 3, the home side, England, fought back with determination on the fourth day to ensure that the game was set up for a riveting finish on Day 5. England’s charge with the bat was led by young Zak Crawley, who struck a fine 76.
Weather report
For the second day running, the city of Southampton provided the England and Windies cricketers with ‘THE’ perfect weather conditions for playing cricket. On Day 4, just like Day 3, there was no rain or bad light interruption and luckily for both the players and the fans, this is expected to continue on Day 5. Accuweather reports that there is a 0% chance of rain on Sunday, and what that would mean is that the game will, most probably, go right down to the wire - maybe even to the very last ball of the day.
Pitch report
England took a rather cautious approach for a vast majority of the day, meaning only 269 runs were scored, and the pitch staying flat for the first half of the day meant that fewer wickets (8 wickets) fell than what many predicted. However, as evident from England’s late collapse - where they lost 5 wickets for 30 runs - the pitch started behaving weirdly as the day progressed - be it variable bounce or the bowling rearing off the wicket - and batting became hell in the final session; that England lost 5 wickets in the final session is a testament to the same. Despite the target for the Windies expected to be under 200, given England have four world-class pacers and one spinner who looked really good in the first innings, and given the pitch is expected to deteriorate further, it might be a bowler’s day tomorrow.
Key Batsman
West Indies - Kraigg Brathwaite: With a fine 65, Kraigg Brathwaite was the top-scorer for the Windies in the first innings and if the Caribbean side are to pull off a mighty upset, then they would need the lean and mean right-hander from Barbados to once again bat out of his skin. The good news for both Brathwaite and Windies is that the 65 in the first innings was his highest score in Test cricket in almost TWO YEARS, so he clearly did a lot of things right. Hence, he must be confident. His presence might be why the Windies are being favoured, just marginally, to win the Test on the final day.
Key Bowler
England - James Anderson: James Anderson finds himself in one of our previews as the ‘key bowler’ for the second time in this Test and, honestly, why not? He does, after all, have 587 Test wickets to his name. In the 151 Tests he has played thus far in his career, the veteran pacer has won England many a match from similar situations so come Day 5, Stokes will undoubtedly be banking on the 37-year-old to bowl the home side to victory. The odds might instantly tilt in England’s favour should Anderson pick a couple of early wickets up top.
Sportsbet.io Prediction
Jofra Archer is currently batting on 5*, but it is hard to see him add many more runs to his tally. The so-called all-rounder, in his entire career, has scored 13 runs or more in a single inning JUST THRICE and in his last 10 innings, he has posted NINE single-digit scores. Thus, we, here at Sportsbet.io, predict Archer to score under 12.5 runs in the 2nd innings.
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