The England cricket team will be embarking on a tour of New Zealand next month – the first such visit to the country since 2008 – and will be playing a series of Test matches, Twenty20 internationals and one-day internationals during the tour, offering a feast for both cricket fans and those who enjoy betting on the game with sports betting sites. As of yet there is not much information available at these sites about the odds being offered for the tour, but it is only a matter of time before such information becomes available.

Successful cricket betting does tend to depend on having some grasp of the game, because it can seem rather arcane and difficult to get your head around for anyone who doesn’t; but for those who would like to bet successfully on cricket events like this tour of New Zealand there are ways of achieving this. Although there will always be tips sites to help those who don’t have much knowledge of the game, a better way for a betting fan to get over any cricket phobia might be to play one of the cricket games at online casinos.

Games like the slot The Umpire Strikes Back from places like jackpotcity.co.uk combine a traditional slot format with video and audio designed to evoke the experience of being on the cricket field. With this, plus the symbols based on cricket – like bats, balls, wickets and helmets – they can help a non-cricket betting fan start to understand the game a bit better, in an environment which is conducive.

After all, for those able to appreciate the game, betting on the England tour of New Zealand will offer lots of potential bets to place, including betting on the winners of each match, the highest run scorers for each team, the players who will take the most wickets, the highest scoring opening partnerships and the method by which the first player will be dismissed.

The captain of the England ODI team, Alastair Cook, has said that he will be making some changes in the playing XI for the third ODI match against New Zealand which is going to be played at Trent Bridge, Nottingham on Wednesday.

England has already lost the series, but, they would definitely not like to suffer the humiliation of whitewash in front of their home crowd. So, they will be going into the third ODI with all guns blazing.

England is playing without a couple of its frontline bowlers in this series i.e. Stuart Broad and Steven Finn. The players who have got playing chances in their absence haven’t been that impressive so far.

Jade Dernbach’s form has been absolutely awful. He is known for his smart change of pace in the death overs and he was included in the team especially to do that job. But, he has been taken apart in the slog overs in the first two ODIs and he might be the one to be left out of the playing XI for the third ODI.
Tim Bresnan’s performance was also under the scanner as he was making a comeback after the elbow surgery. The Yorkshire paceman hasn’t looked in top form so far, but, he is an experienced bowler, so, he might get another opportunity at Trent Bridge.

Ravi Bopara has sat on the sidelines in the first two ODIs and he is likely to get a playing chance in Wednesday’s match. May be Chris Woakes will be making way for him.

Talking to the reporters in the pre match press conference, Cook said, “We have tried out a few combinations in the first two ODIs, but, they haven’t worked. So, we are looking to make some changes and give opportunity to the reserve players.”

“We are not short of options at all. We have got some quality players in the reserves. Boyd Rankin is there who is a tall bowler and can be quite effective here. Also, Ravi Bopara hasn’t got a game yet in the series. He is a classy batsman and is quite handy with the ball too.”