STAR CRICKET PREVIEW Wed: England v India, 4th Test

Information
4th Men’s Test, Tendulkar – Anderson Trophy
Old Trafford, Manchester
Wednesday 23rd July – Sunday 27th July
Live on Sky Sports, Sky Go and NOW TV from 11am

Pitch Report/Pitch Talk

So far in this series the pitches have been flat and Lord’s was no exception despite Brendon McCullum asking for more life in the surface, although later on batting was much harder for both sides in the second innings and we didn’t see the runfest of the first two tests, although some of that is owed to new ball magic and exceptional bowling. Combined with the Dukes ball, it has led to big run scoring from the middle order in particular, although openers have made hay at times.

The average first innings score in the last five tests is 280 – a par line that would look short enough given conditions this summer – whilst batting in the second and third innings is most lucrative, with averages of 36 and 37 runs per wicket compared to 27 for the opening and closing innings, making in running betting of major interest here.

The three tests have been played in hot, unrelenting weather that has aided batters but this test is set to be different – there’s the expected presence of rain on the first two days and the final day according to the Met Office, with clouds on the other two – so even accounting for what is normally a flat and abrasive track since the pitches were rotated a decade ago to prevent batters being blinded by sun, bowlers certainly have more to look forward to with the new ball at least in terms of assistance.

There have been five 400+ scores in county cricket this summer here – so there are runs to be had, although conditions may not be quite as helpful this time around.

At the time of writing – 6.04pm on Monday – the pitch looked green but recent wet weather will have aided that and a similar surface at Lord’s was hard work for the bowlers once the Dukes ball reached 25 overs or more and more of the same is expected. India will be happy to see any late turn, with Washington Sundar so effective at Lord’s in the third innings.

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Team News

England make one change, with Liam Dawson returning to fill in for the injured Shoaib Bashir. It’s been a long time between caps – England have played 102 Tests since Dawson last appeared, with only six players in history having a longer absence – but on paper Dawson bolsters England’s tail with 18 first class centuries and an average of 35.29 that’s higher than Zak Crawley. Jack Leach can be entitled to feel hard done by, though.

Jofra Archer backs up, helped by a nine day gap between tests, and otherwise England are unchanged from Lord’s with Brydon Carse playing a fourth test in a row whilst Chris Woakes and Ben Stokes complete the bowling. The batting unit remains unchanged bar Dawson.

India are in trouble on paper. Jaspit Bumrah will play his final test of the series (based on pre-series comments about his workload) alongside Siraj but Nitish Kumar Reddy is out of the series and Akash Deep, who had impressed so much at Edgbaston, is a doubt. Arshdeep Singh is injured, meaning that the visitors will need to lean heavily on Siraj and Bumrah and take one of Prasidh Krishna, who played the first two Tests and averaged 55.16, or the uncapped Anshul Kamboj, who was brought in as cover and has 79 first-class wickets at an average of 22.88 since 2022, earning praise for his seam movement in this year’s IPL.

Rishabh Pant was taken out of keeping duties by an injury at Lord’s (contentious as the substitution was) but he should be well enough to play, even if as a specialist bat. He kept in practice on Monday and looked comfortable enough according to ESPN’s Siddarth Monga. Expect a return to proceedings for Sai Sudharsan at the top of the order.

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🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (captain), Jamie Smith (wicketkeeper), Liam Dawson, Chris Woakes, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer.

🇮🇳 India (possible): Rahul, Jaiswal, Nair, Gill, Sai/Jurel, Pant, Jadeja, Sundar, Bumrah, Siraj, Prasidh

🏏 Match Verdict

Five tests have been played at Old Trafford in the last five years, and the only one that didn’t end in a result was when England were denied the 2023 Ashes by a downpour. There’s rain forecast for at least three days according to the Met Office, although just how much remains to be seen, although on balance the call would be for a result still – we’ve had three in this series despite the difficulty of taking wickets – but backing the draw with starsports.bet as part of a wider strategy will appeal to plenty.

There was basically nothing between the two sides at Lord’s when the difference was arguably man of the match Ben Stokes, although India will feel they had the test in the palm of their hand at various points, and will regret the run out of Risabh Pant particularly badly, along with collapses in back-to-back sessions during the chase.

Jaspit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj have been brilliant with the ball and could be lethal under cloudy conditions but the loss of Reddy and potentially Deep is a major blow and is likely to leave India short when the conditions are batter-friendly. England are taking a chance with an unchanged bowling lineup but a good break between tests will help Stokes, Carse and Archer immensely and the return of Dawson to the fold also improves England in both areas.

England have suffered top order struggles and have arguably lost more sessions than they’ve won, but they look well placed with regards to personnel in a way India aren’t quite, and it’s also possible overhead conditions suit them more here. The toss will play a big part here – three of the last five tests have been won by the team batting second – but England would make most appeal.

Batters – England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 

Once again the middle order made hay at Lord’s, with a double success for Joe Root in the top runscorer markets. At Old Trafford, where he’s racked up 978 runs at an incredible average of 65.20 in 11 tests, he’ll be of major interest again and his position as favourite is absolutely fair here.

However, there is the minor risk that he may have to face the new ball in less batter-friendly conditions than ideal if India are able to break through the top three and it’s impossible to resist another go at Jamie Smith. Smith made a third successive half century in the first innings at Lord’s and could very much find himself in the most favourable conditions, a trend for the middle and lower order in England over the past two years that could be exacerbated by cloudy overhead skies. 11/4 for a first 50 starsports.bet is too good to pass up again and the 7/1 on him topping the first innings runscoring charts could easily be value if the new ball is problematic for the top order.

Batters – India 🇮🇳 

Shubman Gill had a disappointing outing at Lord’s after some sublime batting, with KL Rahul impressing at the top of the order and landing another century overseas for India in the first innings. Gill is more than capable of bouncing back, and if Rahul can dig in early he’ll be crucial for India’s innings. India’s middle order have been excellent and there’s value in supporting Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja once again. Pant’s swashbuckling style and middle order position has helped him to 425 runs at 70.83, a total that should be higher in all truth. 2/1 with starsports.bet for a first innings 50 make appeal given that he’s scored four half centuries so far, and 13/5 on Jadeja, who’s last four scores read 89, 69, 72, and 61, makes even more appeal. With the prospect of more movement early on, the 13/2 on him top scoring in the first innings has to be taken.

Bowlers – England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Competitive fare here with Jofra Archer having a great return under his belt, Chris Woakes likely to have the conditions he relishes, Ben Stokes in very strong bowling form (joint most wickets for England this tour), and Brydon Carse not far away and likely to be given the newish ball too.

Bowlers – India 🇮🇳

Hard to oppose Jasprit Bumrah here, who may only have Mohammed Siraj for real opposition. Nine days between tests should have kept him fresh and he may get assistance from above, too which would only make him more of a threat in the crucial new ball exchanges.

Star Boosts/Specials

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🏏 Joe Root 100+ Runs 1st Innings: 5/1 (Was 4/1):

Tempting at least given Root’s Old Trafford record – the worry is that he won’t get as much new ball protection as hoped but value at the prices.

🏏 Jofra Archer Top England 1st Innings Wicket Taker: 16/5 (Was 11/4)

Tempting for those who fancy Archer. He seemed to have a real spark in the second innings at Lord’s and goes well here from a limited sample – eight wickets from three matches, with 11 maidens. Likely to get the ball early which can only help his cause.

🏏 Ben Stokes 100+ Match Runs & 5+ Match Wickets: 8/1

Tempting, although for all his Lord’s heroics Stokes scored 77 runs there. Should get protection from new ball but hasn’t been in the best of touch this series.

🏏 Ben Duckett & Harry Brook Both to Score 100+ Match Runs Each: 6/1

This should be of some interest if Duckett can make starts – so one for those who are happy to be onside with Ben. Trends suggest second innings batting may be more fruitful qnd that could see Brook make hay.

🏏 Jofra Archer 5+ Match Wickets & Jasprit Bumrah 5+ Match Wickets: 6/4

Fairly priced and will have it’s takers especially if conditions are as expected, although juicier prices around.

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PROFIT/LOSS (JUL 2025): -23.80 points

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