With England making a sensational comeback after a loss in the first Test, the onus will be on hosts South Afšrica to pull one back and make it even stevens in the four-match series. Wanderers has been like a fortress for the Proteas and they sure have an upper hand going into the game. For us, the task is to enjoy the riveting encounter and invest money on the best odds from the market. I have already made a list, just go through my analysis and do the needful. The text is now updated with 3 players bets as well further down.
This is a tricky one. England have been handed odds of 1.80 by Bet365 for this market but we think it is a better bet to go the other way. This is not based on feeling but rather pure stats. In this series so far, it is fair to say that England have been š the better side so far. They even lead this market in two of the three matches played so far. However, when it comes to the Wanderers South Africa have a history and a proud oį£ne at that.
In the last five matches played at the Wanderers, the hosts have managed to outscore their opponents in the opening partnership three times while one of them ended as a tie. Even the last head to head between the two teams saw the South Africans take the crown as far as this market was concerned. While the South Africans scored 44 runs in their first innings, the English could muster just 10 runs in their response. Thš²is has been a happy hunting ground for the hosts in the past and the extra value of 0.20 is wą·“orth the risk in this case.
If the one above was a tricky one, this one is as simple as they come. Wanderers has been a hellhole for teams especially while batting first. South Africa have scored more than 28.5 three times (6, 53, 3, 45, 44) in the last five games here but that came aā t a time when they could actually bat. As of right now, Dean Elgar is bang out of form and Pieter Malan is new to Test cricket.
The last five games for the opposition are just horrendous because of one man - Vernon Philander. The Proteas legend, who will be playing his final game for South Africa there, will want to leave on a higš°h and not destroy his scarcely believable average of 15.69 at the venue. In the last five games, the visitors have averaged a mere 6.6 runs (6, 10, 7, 0, 10) in the first innings in Johannesburg. These are the kinds of bets that are easy to make and ones that punters live for so book this one as soon as possible.
In the last five matches played at the Wanderers, only two matches have seen South Africans score centuries in the first innings. However, none of the trio (Aiden Markram, Hashim Amla, and JP Duminy) āare now a part of the team despite quite a few of the same players being in the set up agaļ·½in. In the ongoing series, it has been worse as no batsman has managed to cross the triple figure mark in six attempts.
With the kind of spicy wicket that is expected in Johannesburg, it would be very difficult for that stat to change anytime soon. The bookmakers have been quite generous in my estimation on the 1.72 odds that have been offered on this market asš¬ it feels more like a 1.45 kind of bet. But that is what we live for. Finding and identifying the best bets in the market for punters like us so that we can have a field day, even if the South Africans donāt!
Albą± eit you are not surprised that I have summoned South Africaās most successful batsman in the past couple of years to top score in the first innings. And with odds of 4.50 on offer, this is a risk worth taking.šÆ
In the last five matches, Elgarās has scored 194 runs at an average of 38.8 and is also the second highest run scorer for the Proteas in the ongoing series. Having played a total of 11 matches against England so far, the southpaw has managed to rack and total oāf 769 runs (the most against any team) at an average of 38.45š which includes 2 centuries and three fifties.
Elgar has played 6 matches at the Wanderers, scored 315 runs with two fifties to his name. Interestingly, the batsman has been at his best when playing in the first team innings. Overall, he has played 61 times in the first innings and scored 2422 runs at an average of 41.75. Thereās no other opā¤tion but to invest in this bet.
Letās just enjoy Vernon Philanderās last Test match! What an incredible career it has been for the all-rounder! With the match being played at the Wanderers, itās needless to say he is going to haunt thše English batsmen for one last time in this series.
Vernon Philander has excellent figures against the Englishmen, having played 9 matches ašnd taken 28 wickets at an average of 24.28. Meanwhile, in 63 innings he bowled in the first innings, the fast bowler has scalped 136 wickets which is far better when compared to his figures in the first innings.
His tryst with the ābullringā has been a far glorifying tale indeed, having played 7 matches at the venue and taking 39 wickets at an averaš °ge of 15.69, which is incredible. His best bowling figures of 6 for 21 was also at this venue and not long ago. He is fresh from his exploits at the venue and is aware of the pitch in and out, so it is more than advisable to inveÜ«st money on this lucrative bet.
England is fortunate to have such a calm and coš¬mposed opener like Sibley in theirš¹ ranks and his recent form suggests that he is going to earn us some good money in the upcoming Test match.
The talented right handed batsman has been on song in the ongoing series, having scored 236 runs at an average of 44.16 with a top score of 133. Even in two other innings, he managed to score 34 and 36, which means heź¦¬ has got starts but failed short to capitalise. Having already shown his mettle at the top of the order, he is likely to pass the 50-run mark at least once in the upcoming match. With players like Joe Root finding it hard to pile up biź¦g scores, it is advantage Sibley and also for us to double up our investments.