England v South Africa 2nd ODI Betting: Home side hope to knock Elgar off tune

Bell has been in decent form

Ed Hawkins spots a potential weak link for the home side to exploit in game two in Southampton on Tuesday

England
As expected, England gave Chris Woakes a chance and it was a case of sod's law for the Warwickshire man that his stop-stop England career suffered another false start. Woakes cannot seem to get a break in the international arena and the rain in Cardiff dampened his chances of finally securing a regular spot.

He should get another chance in Southampton, though. England will surely pick the same XI that was required for only 5.3 overs at Sophia Gardens. They bat down to No 9, with Graeme Swann, and the pace attack of James Anderson, Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan looks a decent one.

South Africa
The tourists should make changes to their team after they decided to give Dale Steyn, the paceman, a rest for game one. He has had plenty of time to relax since and it would be a surprise if he did not return to the fold.

Most likely to make way is Wayne Parnell because Robin Peterson's slow left-arm variations are considered key while Morne Morkel's awkward bounce makes him a dangerous customer. Lonwabo Tsotsobe should be assured of his place given he is the No 1 one-day bowler in the world at the moment.

Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla will open the batting but a potential weak link is No 3 where the inexperienced Dean Elgar will be looking to make an impact.

Venue and conditions
First up, the weather. And rejoice because it should be a cracking day. The sun is expected to blaze down from 2pm and there is no suggestion of rain ruining or interrupting the contest.

The pitch is a fair one for batsmen and bowlers alike. The average in the 12 completed ODIs - ignoring Australia's farcical victory over USA in 2004 - is 242. No side has yet breached 300.

Six matches from 13 have been won by the side batting first and there is a slight toss bias to be aware of for day-night matches. Four of the six have, surprisingly, been won by the chasers.

Match odds
A gulf has opened up between these sides in the last few days, one which wasn't apparent when the market could not split them in terms of series odds. England are healthy outsiders at 2.186/5 while South Africa are 1.855/6.

One worry about South Africa: Elgar at No 3. He is yet to play an ODI and there could be a lot of pressure on this ingenue. Sure, he's a good player - he averages almost 40 in domestic cricket - but we cannot be sure how he will go. Nor can he.

There is a potential for a trade on England, therefore, when they have the ball and we could easily see those prices flip-flop. Indeed, not just in that instance. It is unlikely one side is going to dominate over the course of the match as these are two well-contested units. A great one to trade.

Top England runscorer
Runs for both of England's openers in the last two outings at the former Rose Bowl. Alastair Cook hit an unbeaten 80 against India a year ago while Ian Bell was mightily impressive against West Indies earlier this summer. Bell smashed 126 from 117 balls and he will feel comfortable walking out to bat with that psychological advantage. He looked in decent nick before the rain in Cardiff, too. Both batters are likely to go off at around the 4.507/2 mark.

Top South Africa batsman
Smith and Amla are vying for favouritism with the former 4.707/2 and the latter 4.003/1. The market, when it settled, may bring them closer together.

Recommended bet
Back-to-lay England at 2.186/5