England long odds-on to complete whitewash

Bangladesh played pretty well to extend England as long as they did in the first Test but don't expect the second match to be quite as much of a contest.

Click here to bet on Bangladesh v England at bet365

The home side had to work extremely hard to get anywhere near avoiding defeat and that effort is sure to take its toll as the two sides reconvene for the second and final match, which begins on Saturday.

Bet365 make England 1/4 to win it and complete a 2-0 series win and I have absolutely no argument with that. You're not going to get me backing Bangladesh at 12/1 - I wouldn't even if they were 1200/1. The draw is a 4/1 chance.

Alastair Cook proved just how much he is enjoying his stand-in stint as captain in the absence of the resting Andrew Strauss by top-scoring in the first innings of the first Test and it would not surprise me should he do so again.

The left-handed opener is 5/2 to come out on top, with Kevin Pietersen, who showed a welcome return to form with 99 in the first match, 11/4. Jonathan Trott is next at 9/2 while Paul Collingwood and Michael Carberry are each 5/1, with Ian Bell a 6/1 chance.

Providing England don't have an absolute disaster they will win this one so those of you who can afford it should probably snap up the 1/4 before it gets any shorter than it already is.

Original preview
England were given a mini-fright at times in the one-day series against Bangladesh but still managed to win all three games. In the Test arena, the difference in class usually shows up even more and England should be well capable of winning both matches.

Bet365 make England 1/5 to win the series and there is little value in that, obviously. Bangladesh have never won a Test against England - they have actually only played four of them - and unless something nuts happens, they are not about to start winning now.

The only value of sorts come in the correct score market, where England are 4/7 to win 2-0. Considering that they are a class above, or at least one class above, that's not a bad price. England have been known to lose to anyone, of course, but it's not going to happen against Bangladesh, even with captain Andrew Strauss at home taking it easy.

Alastair Cook looks pretty relaxed with the captaincy, in Strauss's absence, and he could be worth supporting in the top series batsman markets. The left-hander is second favourite at 7/2 behind Kevin Pietersen (11/4) but as we all know, Pietersen struggles to get himself motivated against the lesser sides, usually choosing to save his best for the bigger challenges.

Jonathan Trott, who is in good form, is next at 4/1, with Paul Collingwood 9/2 and Ian Bell 5/1. I wouldn't go too far beyond these five because the top order really ought to be able to cash in against a pretty average attack.

This is really just a warm-up or warm-down for the England players before the summer extravaganza begins but even if that could mean they don't go full throttle, they are good enough and motivated enough by success to be strong enough to win both matches, weather permitting.

Cambers' Call
England to win series 2-0 v Bangladesh - 4/7 bet365
Alastair Cook to be top England series batsman - 7/2 bet365

Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.