Cricket

England v Zimbabwe Betting Tips & Predictions (2025)

4 months ago

| BY Sam Cox

England face Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge in the first Test of the international summer and this is the first Test between the teams since 2003 and only the seventh ever.

Zimbabwe have never beaten England in the longest format, so it’s hardly a surprise they are betting underdogs at 28/1 to win this match.

England won both matches by an innings in their previous series. A youthful James Anderson took his first Test wicket, Rob Key batted in the middle order, and Mark Butcher was named Player of the Series.

Zimbabwe’s only preparation for this series was a match against the First Class Counties XI. Featuring predominantly backup players, the First Class Counties XI won emphatically with Ben Curran and Craig Ervine struggling with the bat. The Chevrons have only won one of their last 11 Tests, though that victory notably came against Bangladesh last month.

Bangladesh followed up with an emphatic innings victory; however, with Zimbabwe’s batting lineup mustering only 338 runs across two innings.

With their batting woes, England’s new-ball bowlers could be in for a big few days in Nottingham. Potential debutant Sam Cook is bound to be a popular cricket betting top bowler option at 2/1.

Point To Prove

Zak Crawley averaged 27.80 in Tests in 2024, which is subpar even for his inconsistent standards. A torrid tour of New Zealand was followed by a slow start to the County Championship. The form of Haseeb Hameed, Dom Sibley, and Alex Lees has maintained the pressure on Crawley.

The feast-or-famine nature of Crawley has continued with three single-figure scores and three half-centuries in his last three County Championship matches. Scorching weather in May should ensure the pitches are in his favour with less lateral movement than we usually see in the first Test of the year.

With a point to prove and facing a friendly bowling attack, the 6/4 price on Crawley to score a 50 is good value. The 4/1 on a ton is an even better option given how quickly the Kent opener scores when conditions are good.

Disappointment for Chevron Veterans

Five of Sean Williams’ last nine red-ball innings have seen him score under 21.5 runs. The under is the way to go here, particularly with Williams at risk of being exposed to the new ball if Cook, Gus Atkinson, and Josh Tongue take some early wickets.

Ervine, who has scored 56 runs over his last six red-ball innings, is another batter to fade in this Zimbabwe lineup.

A matter of weeks away from his 40th birthday, the Harare native could struggle to cope with the extra pace of Atkinson and Tongue. His form of late speaks for itself – the line of 19.5 is generous given how fresh this England bowling attack should be.

Best Bet: England to win and Richard Ngarava Top Zimbabwe Bowler – 7/2

It’s a foregone conclusion England win this match unless over four sessions are lost to rain and bad light. Zimbabwe have been relatively uncompetitive against lesser Test-playing nations and are completely overmatched against the Bazballers.

While Zimbabwe’s batting rules out any chance of making this into a tight contest, their bowlers could trouble an England team with a tendency to get a bit lax.

Richard Ngarava took four wickets in Zimbabwe’s loss to the First Class Counties XI. The left-arm seamer could get some favourable conditions in Nottingham if there’s as much cloud cover as the current forecast is suggesting. Standing at over six feet tall, Ngarava can bowl a tricky length on English pitches where he gets a little bit of extra bounce.

There’s often decent carry at Trent Bridge, and that left-arm angle could be challenging for England’s right-handers.