The 1st Test between England and South Africa was done and dusted in under three days, so the two sides will have had plenty of time to rest up before the 2nd Test gets underway from Old Trafford on Thursday night.
We have you covered with a full preview and betting tips for the Test below. Remember to head to our Cricket Tips page for regular updates as we gear up for a monster Summer of cricket including the T20 World Cup, the BBL12 season and the Australian International Summer.
England vs South Africa 2nd Test Betting Tips
Old Trafford, Thursday 25th August, 8.00pm (AEST)
1st Test Review
It was a great week for not on fans of South African cricket, but fans of watching the demise of the Poms last week! The BazBall phenomenon came crashing to a halt as the South Africans blew through England in the 1st of three Tests, winning by an innings and 12 runs on the back of some brilliant bowling.
Kagiso Rabada was named man of the match with a brilliant 5/52 in the first innings followed by another two wickets in the second. Opener Sarel Erwee was the pick of the batsman for the South Africans, compiling a much needed 73 off 146 balls as the rest of the order chipped in around him.
There weren't a lot of positives for England outside the seemingly solidification of Ollie Pope at No.3 in the batting line-up. The 24-year-old was the only performer with the bat for England, compiling 73 in the first innings.
2nd Test Preview
Everything about that 1st Test just makes me want to back the South Africans to roll through the English again in this Test. But I think the Poms should be much more competitve at Old Trafford. The Manchester pitch is one of the flatter pitches on the English circuit so I think BazBall could come back to the fold here.
Getting $2.00 for England to win a Test at home seems good value here. They have Ollie Robinson to come back into the side to add a element of bounce or could potentially bring Craig Overton in at the expense of one of the pacemen to add a bit of valuable lower order batting.
Let's not forget that England are only just a few months removed from demolishing both of the World Test Championship finalists by a combined 4-0 in absolutely dominant fashion. Backing them to bounce back and level the series at $2.00 seems to be the play here.
England to win
$2.00 (2 Units)
One thing that is very hard to like about England at the moment is the form of Zak Crawley. Creepy Crawley seems like he is going to get at least one more chance in the line-up, which means we get another two golden opportunities to absolutely smash his unders. Back them to the hills in the 1st innings.
Crawley Under 19.5 1st Innings Runs ($1.83 at Ladbrokes) 1 Unit
Have liked the form of Rassie van der Dussen throughout the latest South African white ball fixtures and I think it's only a matter of time before his form translates to Test cricket, especially given the fact that he's quite protected down at No.5 at the moment. Back his overs in the 1st innings.
van der Dussen Over 26.5 1st Innings Runs ($1.83 at Ladbrokes) 1 Unit
