Andy Schooler previews England’s one-off Test with Zimbabwe, which gets under way at Trent Bridge on Thursday – read on for exclusive cricket tips ahead of the upcoming Trent Bridge clash.
England v Zimbabwe: Exclusive Cricket Betting Tips
Venue: Trent Bridge, Nottingham, England
Date/Time: Thursday May 22, 1100 BST (4 days)
TV: Sky Sports Cricket
The next few months are going be massive for the England Test team, with a home series against India being followed by the Ashes Down Under. But first, they have this warm-up game – a four-day affair they will be expected to win comfortably. Zimbabwe haven’t played in England for more than 20 years and rarely get to face the biggest teams at this level these days. A lack of experience in English conditions will be a concern for the tourists. It was evident as they lost by 138 runs to a First Class Counties XI last week.
Cricket Tips|: Batter’s Paradise
That said, things could be worse. Once renowned for its seam-friendly conditions, Trent Bridge offers more to the batters these days, while the drought-like start to the summer will surely have only helped on that front. This is unlikely to be the typical ‘green seamer’ you associate with May Test matches, which are usually held at Lord’s. If things are going to get at all tricky for England, it seems most likely to be with the ball.
They’ve handed a debut to Essex star Sam Cook and there is not a lot more experience among the other seamers, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue, or spinner Shoaib Bashir. With other bowlers waiting in the wings, all four will be out to press their claim for a place against India. Cook has been excellent for Essex in the County Championship for some time now, while Atkinson impressed last summer on Test duty.
Cricket Tips: Tasty Tongue
However, it’s Tongue I like in the England top-bowler market. The Nottinghamshire star is playing on his home ground, one at which he’s taken five-fers in both matches he’s played so far this summer. He was also very good in the two Test matches he played in 2023, taking 10 wickets across those two Lord’s games before being struck down by what turned out to be a long-term injury. At 4.0, Tongue looks the value here to me.
In the equivalent Zimbabwe market, Blessing Muzarabani looks the class of the field. The 6ft 8in paceman should be able to extract significant bounce from the surface and could well make things awkward for the home batters with the new ball. Importantly, he’s got two years of experience of playing county cricket for Northamptonshire under his belt, while his Test form is excellent.
Cricket Tips: Tidy Tsiga
In four matches so far in 2025, Muzarabani has picked up 26 wickets at an average of 18.61. He bagged six in an innings against both Afghanistan and Bangladesh, plus seven against Ireland. OK, he didn’t shine in last week’s warm-up match but his quality and experience is the best Zimbabwe have and he looks a worthy favourite.
Finally, let’s take a punt in the Zimbabwe top bat market and back wicket-keeper Tafadzwa Tsiga. He caught the eye during that warm-up game against the FCC XI, making two scores of 66, the second being not out. While he didn’t win top-bat in either innings, they were scores which suggest he’s a player very much capable of digging in further down the order. It’s not hard to see Zimbabwe’s top order (and market leaders) struggling against the Dukes ball they have little experience of and, if they do fall earlier, Tsiga looks well placed to capitalise at a decent price.
England v Zimbabwe: Cricket Tips
Josh Tongue England top bowler (1st inns) @ 4.0 with kwiff
Blessing Muzarabani Zimbabwe top bowler (1st inns) @ 2.9 with kwiff
Tafadzwa Tsiga Zimbabwe top batter (1st inns) @ 9.5 with kwiff
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