West Indies vs Pakistan 2nd Test Betting Tips 20/08/2021

18:25, 18 Aug 2021

Senior Author

18:25, 18 Aug 2021

Zohaib Ahmed is a sports journalist whose profession is to report and edit but whose passion is to predict and bet. He’s been in the industry for more than a decade and has worked/written for various bookmakers/tipsters. His expertise is in cricket, football, MMA, boxing and basketball.

The second and final Test between West Indies and Pakistan will be played at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on August 20 (Friday). The match is scheduled to begin at 8:30pm IST.

Teams Status

West Indies

West Indies won the opening Test but they should be well aware that luck and Pakistan’s generosity in the field played their part.

They still have a number of problems to resolve, although mostly with their batting. Kieran Powell and Nkrumah Bonner failed in both their outings of the series opener. Kyle Mayers was the struggler in chief, earning a pair of noughts and wrapping himself in glory … NOT!

Thus, changes for the Windies are even more necessary/inevitable than for their guests. The problem is that the Windies have very few capable options to bring in when playing Test cricket. Had it been the T20Is, they’d have lifted any random stone and found a number of capable power hitters. In five-day format, that’s not possible for them though.

Pakistan

Pakistan will still be reeling from the heartbreak of the opening Test defeat. This is a format where they had a clear advantage over their hosts but still trail 1-0. The manner of their loss, which saw them come within a wicket of a win, stung even more, specially when their familiar jitters in fielding returned and they dropped several easy catches.

Knowing Babar Azam and company, they are likely to make changes for second Test in order to satisfy their critics back home, even if those changes do not make sense.

The two players that stuck out like sore thumbs were opener Imran Butt and legspinner Yasir Shah. Butt failed in both the innings and Shah remained wicketless on a wicket that was seam friendly and had little for spinners.

Butt has failed to set the world since making his debut for Pakistan early this year and is averaging a meagre 17.50 over five Tests. However, he had been tolerated due to his excellent fielding in slips. He again grabbed four catches in the 1st Test. But on a tour where runs are hard to come by, it’s difficult to see how the team decides to retain him just for his fielding.

If the second Test pitch is anything like the first, Shah’s inclusion, too, would make little sense, although a lack of spin, batting allrounders could see him retained too.

What do the Sportsbook Say

West Indies	Draw	Pakistan
3.42	3.76	2.016
3.25	3.80	1.95
3.40	3.74	2.008

Pakistan are the favourites despite losing the series opener. 22Bet has Pakistan priced at 2.016, West Indies at 3.42 and Draw at 3.76. MelBet has Pakistan available for 2.008, West Indies for 3.4 and Draw at 3.74. Lastly, Betway has Pakistan priced at 1.95, West Indies at 3.25 and Draw at 3.80.

Tipster’s Angle

Tip: Pakistan to win @ 1.95

The opening Test had an expected start, an understandable middle phase but an unexpected ending. Pakistan are not considered great starters so their struggle in the first half of the Test was expected. But they were also expected to bounce back later as they were the better side. They did come back and all but snatched away the win from the claws of the Windies. They faltered on just one of two plays and that ended up changing the results against them. In second Test, they’d be more familiar to the conditions and can be backed to even up the series at odds of 1.95. Expect one of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Fawad Alam to pile up a big score. The play can be found on Betway.

Tip: Azhar Ali Will Score (50) Runs – Yes @ 2.10

Azhar Ali is one of those quiet cricketers that do their job for years and years without getting noticed. The man whose highest Test score is 302* produces without much fanfare or when expected to. He is a battler who stands firm under pressure and difficult situations. The conditions in the West Indies are difficult and so we expect the most experienced member of this batting unit to silently play his part, which here, we think would be at least a half century at odds of 2.10. The play can be found on 22Bet.

Conclusion

If there are no more surprises, Pakistan, now far more comfortable, should bounce back and level up the series in what will be the final match of the tour.