Patriotic punters to be foiled in first New Zealand v England Test
Published:On the back of their 2-1 ODI series win in New Zealand, England are heavy favourites to kick off the Test series with another victory at 4/7.
But considering their recent record in overseas Test openers, that price looks far too skinny.
Indeed, the visitors have won only one first Test match since 2004, and that triumph in Bangladesh was now three years ago.
Defeat in their sole first-class warm-up game opposite a New Zealand XI may also serve as a deterrent to patriotic punters here too.
Into 6/1 from 8/1, the hosts have in turn proved a popular bet to win the first Test with Ladbrokes.
The return of ex-captain Ross Taylor will bolster their chances immeasurably, and he could prove a shrewd top runscorer punt at 7/2 in this match.
Ladbrokes will refund losing bets as a free bet on this market should your selection be given out following a successful DRS review by the bowling side too, providing an added incentive.
As such, those wishing to cheer England on may find better value exploring their options in runs markets, with that safety net in place on both top runscorer and player runs markets prior to the game, and in-play too.
Kevin Pietersen is joint-favourite with Alistair Cook to top-score for the tourists at 7/2, but Ian Bell tempts at 9/2 given his 196-run haul across the two innings in their final warm-up game.
Meanwhile, although New Zealand have proved well-backed to succeed in this first Test, England have seen some support to dominate the series.
The 5/2 that a Three Lions whitewash occurs has seen money, whilst Ladbrokes have been forced to trim England to go the entire year without suffering defeat in Test cricket.
It is 20/1 from 25/1 they are unbeaten in 2013, with the upcoming Ashes series thought to be the most serious threat to the chances of that occurrence.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
