England vs West Indies third Test prediction and cricket betting tips

Where to watch England vs West Indies

Sky Sports Cricket & Main Event, 11am Friday

Best bets

Alick Athanaze to score over 17.5 first-innings runs
3pts 5-6 Betfair, Paddy Power

Chris Woakes top England first-innings wicket-taker
2pts 3-1 bet365, BoyleSports

West Indies to hit more match sixes
1pt 100-30 bet365

England vs West Indies prediction

England's last Test match at Edgbaston was a thrilling two-wicket defeat to Australia during the 2023 Ashes but the hosts are expected to outclass the West Indies in Birmingham.

They won the first Test by an innings and 114 runs at Lord's and went 2-0 up in the three-match series with a 241-run victory at Trent Bridge.

The Windies had a 41-run lead after the first innings in Nottingham but England roared back thanks to second-innings centuries from Harry Brook and Joe Root, followed by a five-wicket haul for spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Alick Athanaze and Kavem Hodge had shared a fourth-wicket stand of 175 for the West Indies – an outstanding effort for a side who were bowled out for 121, 136 and 143 in their other three innings.

Athanaze played some glorious shots in his knock of 82 from 99 balls and a first-innings runs line of 17.5 looks too low for a player of his potential.

The Windies openers put on 53 and 61 in Nottingham and if they can see off the new ball again it will help number four Athanaze, who made 47, 28 and 37 in his first three Test innings against India last year.

The left-hander scored 74 and 66 not out in the warm-up match against a County Select XI and made starts in both innings at Lord's, where he was dismissed for 23 and 22.

Chris Woakes, England's senior paceman after the retirements of Stuart Broad and James Anderson, bowled nicely at Trent Bridge, taking 4-84 and 2-28.

Ben Stokes has named an unchanged team for the third Test and Woakes, who has taken 120 wickets in 30 home Test matches, is worth backing to be England's top first-innings wicket-taker at his home ground.

The West Indies struck nine sixes to England's four in the second Test and they look a big price to repeat the feat at Edgbaston.

The hosts have slightly tempered their aggressive batting approach and their second-innings total of 425 did not feature a single maximum.

Click for more free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

Commercial notice: This article contains affiliate links. Offers are handpicked and come from operators our experts have first-hand experience of. Opening an account via one of these links will earn revenue for the Racing Post, which will be used to continue producing our award-winning coverage of horseracing and sports betting.