England v Pakistan 3rd Test Preview – Betting Tips, Latest Odds, Team News and Predictions – 21/08/2020
England and Pakistan head into this clash with plenty still to play for after the second Test at Southampton was washed out earlier in the week.
A victory or draw will be enough to hand the home side an overall series success, while Pakistan need the win to level matters.
Make sure you discover our free expert cricket tips ahead of the third Test.
Best Bets:
Mohammad Abbas to be Pakistan’s top first innings bowler at 3.75 with bet365
Joe Root to top score in the first innings for England at 3.75 with LeoVegas
Babar Azam to be Pakistan’s top first innings batsman at 3.75 with LeoVegas
England v Pakistan 3rd Test – Match Preview
Rain affected the action of the second Test to the frustration of both teams.
England had been in a strong position at one stage before a spirited Pakistan tail and then the weather halted their progress.
Pakistan were hit the most by the draw as it took away their series win hopes and leaves them needing victory here to avoid a series defeat.
Where: Ageas Bowl, Southampton, England
When: Friday, 21 August 2020
Start Time: 16:30 (IST), 11:00 (GMT)
Pitch conditions: The pitch at Southampton has tended to be lively early before settling down into a decent batting surface. However, there was plenty of movement in the pitch in the second Test that will interest both bowling attacks. Added bounce and grip from the worn track means spin could again come into play earlier than usual.
Weather conditions: Rain showers are again expected in Southampton during the first day before dry and sunny conditions heading into the weekend. There is likely to be some cloud cover with temperatures holding around 20 degrees celsius.
England v Pakistan 3rd Test – Latest Odds
England are once again made favourites to take the win in the third Test. They are priced at 1.91 (10/11) with bet365.
Pakistan can be backed at 4.0 (3/1) with the same bookmaker and the draw is at 3.5 (5/2).
England v Pakistan 3rd Test – Team News
England will again be without all-rounder Ben Stokes after he had to return to New Zealand for family reasons.
Zak Crawley came in at number three in Stokes’ absence for the second Test and is likely to keep his place for this one.
Again, the big decisions for England come in the pace attack department. Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson were among the wickets in the second Test and Sam Curran was chosen ahead of Jofra Archer.
Chris Woakes was brilliant in the first Test, too, so there is a chance England may stick with the same side.
Archer looks the most likely to return with the series still on the line, should the hosts decide on a change. Mark Wood is still pushing for inclusion and Sussex seamer Ollie Robinson is also in the squad to give Joe Root even more to think about.
Pakistan chose to hand a return to 34-year-old Fawad Alam in the second Test despite not playing Test cricket in 11 years. He fell for a duck to leave more questions to be answered.
Leg-spinning all-rounder Shadab Khan made way for Alam, but is waiting in the wings for a return of his own.
England v Pakistan – Squads
| England |
Pakistan |
| Joe Root (captain) |
Azhar Ali (captain) |
| Mark Wood |
Babar Azam |
| James Anderson |
Abid Ali |
| Jofra Archer |
Asad Shafiq |
| Dom Bess |
Faheem Ashraf |
| Stuart Broad |
Fawad Alam |
| Rory Burns |
Imam-ul-Haq |
| Jos Buttler |
Imran Khan |
| Zak Crawley |
Kashif Bhatti |
| Sam Curran |
Mohammad Abbas |
| Ollie Pope |
Mohammad Rizwan |
| Dom Sibley |
Naseem Shah |
| Chris Woakes |
Sarfaraz Ahmed |
| Jack Leach |
Shadab Khan |
| Ben Foakes |
Shaheen Afridi |
| James Bracey |
Shan Masood |
| Ollie Robinson |
Sohail Khan |
|
Usman Shinwari |
|
Wahab Riaz |
|
Yasir Shah |
England v Pakistan 3rd Test – Betting Tips and Prediction
Both batting line-ups continued to look a little vulnerable in the drawn second Test, so we could be in for another close contest here.
That was in contrast to both bowling attacks that again looked threatening throughout. Given how close the first Test was, the value bet could be to side with Pakistan at around 4.0.
As ever, such an intriguing international Test match also has many other markets to look at.
Abbas to Continue to Cause Problems
Mohammad Abbas was devilishly accurate in the second Test and can maintain that when the teams meet again.
He took two of the four England wickets as they played out the draw in the previous contest and looked to have really found his rhythm.
He can be backed at 3.75 (11/4) with bet365 to be Pakistan’s top first innings bowler.
Root Ready to Fire
Captain Joe Root has looked in good nick at times this series without having a big score to show for it, most notably his well-constructed 42 in the second innings of the first Test.
However, with England’s openers continuing to look uncomfortable against the Pakistan attack, now could be the time for the skipper to step up.
He can be backed at 3.75 (11/4) with LeoVegas to be England’s top first innings batsman.
Back Babar to Shine Again
It has been a frustrating series for the brilliant Babar Azam. He showed flashes of his talent and his fine array of shots before being dismissed for 69 in the first innings of the first Test.
He then fell short of his half-century in the first innings of the second Test and will feel he could have punished England more at crucial times.
It looks like a big score could be on the horizon for Pakistan’s star batsman and his price of 3.75 (11/4) with LeoVegas to be Pakistan’s top first innings run-scorer looks a solid bet.
Don’t forget to have a look at our round-up of the best bets ahead of the third and final Test of the series.
August 21, 2020 
11:00 
