Richard Mann has been firing in the winners of late, and has three bets in his staking plan for Thursday's Test match between England and Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge.
Cricket betting tips: England v Zimbabwe
2pts Blessing Muzarabani top Zimbabwe first innings bowler at 5/2 (Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
2pts Ben Duckett to make a first-innings century at 7/2 (Sky Bet)
1pt Tafadzwa Tsiga top Zimbabwe first innings batsman at 20/1 (Sky Bet)
The English Test summer gets under way at Trent Bridge on Thursday morning, when England welcome Zimbabwe for a one-off Test match.
Bigger challenges lay ahead for England, and we also have the small matter of the ICC World Test Championship final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's to come.
With India due on these shores next month for a five-Test series, and then the Ashes Down Under in the winter, this fixture has all the hallmarks of a tune-up exercise for Ben Stokes’ England side – and they will be expected to win, and win well.
Stokes himself is back having recovered from another hamstring injury, there is a recall for the fit-again Josh Tongue, plagued by injuries since impressing in the 2023 home Ashes series, while Essex seamer Sam Cook is in line to make his Test debut.
Nothing has changed in the top seven, with Stokes’ return meaning there is no place for Jacob Bethell despite the immense promise he displayed in last winter’s away win in New Zealand.
What are the best bets?
The current incumbent at number three, Ollie Pope, will know he needs to start the summer well in order to keep the emerging Bethell at bay.
Following a poor start to the County Championship season, Zak Crawley has found form with three half-centuries, so he’ll renew his opening partnership with Nottinghamshire opener Ben Duckett at the top of the order. Crawley, , missed the second half of last summer through injury.
He could prove vulnerable against Zimbabwe pace spearhead BLESSING MUZARABANI who took nine wickets in a Test match in Bangladesh only last month.
Conditions will be vastly different here, but Muzarabani has good experience of England having played plenty of cricket in the County Championship for Northamptonshire in the past, and from only 12 Tests, he now has 51 wickets at an impressive average of 21.84.
The 28-year-old is a very good operator, the clear standout in this away attack, and the 5/2 available for him to be top Zimbabwe first innings bowler makes plenty of appeal.
I’ve been more critical of this England batting line-up than most, and remain cautious about the group against top-class opposition, but that win in New Zealand last winter, following series triumphs over the West Indies and Sri Lanka, confirmed this remains a very dangerous outfit.
The return of Tongue is a huge boost to the bowling unit, though I’m disappointed Jack Leach hasn’t returned as the first-choice spinner. Fingers crossed we’ll see Jofra Archer back in whites this year, and that Mark Wood is fit again before too long.
That's for another day, but what remains true about this England team under Stokes and Brendon McCullum is that they often shift from the sublime to the ridiculous.
Even last summer when proving much too strong for Sri Lanka, England ended that series with a heavy defeat at the Oval having been rolled out for 156 in favourable batting conditions in their second innings.
And when conditions were tough for batting in Pakistan later in the year, they were found wanting.
The weather forecast for the week doesn't look too bad at the time of writing, not for the first couple of days anyway, but some rain is expected over the weekend and temperatures will be cooler than of late.
Trent Bridge is a ground that can assist seam and swing bowlers in the right conditions, so keep an eye on those overheads, but ultimately, this is a good place to bat.
I often think talk of Nottingham being a paradise for swing bowlers is vastly overstated, a lazy assumption because James Anderson and Stuart Broad often bowled well here – as they did at most venues.
In last summer's Test match on this ground, England crossed 400 in both innings, and the West Indies made 457 first time around.
In white-ball cricket, there might not be a better place to bat in England, and the early-season scores from the Country Championship here this year would suggest good pitches that last.
I’m not going to try and pick a favourite in the top England batsman market, but if able to get through Muzarabani, you'd expect England's top seven to make runs.
Duckett to make use of home comforts
Top of my list is BEN DUCKETT who has only played once so far this summer following an incredibly busy winter, but stroked a typically classy, unbeaten 59 in Nottinghamshire’s recent home win over Sussex.
That should have put Duckett right for the international summer, and he is steadily building a strong Test record, with four hundreds and an average just nudging forty. Two of those centuries came in 2024.
In his home Test match against West Indies last summer, the left-hander made scores of 71 and 76, so will no doubt be keen to go to three figures this time around, and I’ll be backing DUCKETT TO MAKE A FIRST-INNINGS CENTURY at 7/2.
Finally, I can’t resist a crack at the top Zimbabwe batsman market, given the tourists will be coming up against a strong England seam attack armed with a Dukes ball.
There are some experienced operators in this line-up, namely Seam Williams, Craig Ervine and the recalled Sikander Raza, while Brian Bennett looks a pretty decent opening batsman from what I have seen so far.
Take a chance on Tsiga
There were runs for a few in that top six in the warm-up match in Leicester last week, but wicket-keeper TAFADZWA TSIGA was an impressive as anyone, making 66 and 66*.
🧱 Tafadzwa Tsiga holds it down!
— TakashingaCricket (@TakashingaCric) May 18, 2025
Unbeaten 66 off 114 balls* – anchored the chase with patience & class.
🟰 9️⃣x4️⃣ | 0️⃣x6️⃣ | SR: 58.41
Against PCC Select XI in the 2nd innings 💪#ChimweChimushini#Takashinga #CricketZW #TsigaSolid 🏏🛡️ pic.twitter.com/tSNdXErSec
He didn't lack for patience in Leicester, leaving well and dropping his hands nicely under the short ball.
All in all, he looks to have an organised game, and I liked how he unfurled a beautiful cover drive when given the chance to get on the front foot, and was quick to put his hands through any width.
Tsiga might not have the class of a few of those above him, and certainly not the experience, but he looks to have a wise head and the desire to battle hard.
Moreover, as we’ve seen in the last few years in England, visiting middle-order batsmen have tended to do well, coming in after the new ball has lost some of its zip. Think New Zealand wicket-keeper Tom Blundell, Kavem Hodge of the West Indies and Sri Lanka's Kamindu Mendis.
Fingers crossed number seven proves a nice fit, and I can’t resist a swing on TSIGA TO BE TOP ZIMBABWE FIRST INNINGS BATSMAN at 20/1.
Preview published at 1320 BST on 19/05/25
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