Prospect of rain edges First Test odds towards draw
Rain continues to blight England's tour of Sri Lanka, and even if the rains relent, England's chances are extremely limited, according to bet365's pre-match odds
In the series odds, Sri Lanka are 4/5 favourites to win the three-match series, with England a distant 3/1. A drawn series is 5/2.
There is good value to be had in the Series Correct Score market, especially for England fans. A 2-1 victory for England - the series result last time - is 22/1. In what is anticipated to be a gritty series, a 1-0 victory for England is an attractive 8/1. A 1-0 or 2-0 victory to Sri Lanka is joint-favourite at 100/30.
Top Team Batsman - Butcher the punters' choice
In the first-innings Top England Batsman market, Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan are both 3/1. Given the recent dominance of left-handers over Sri Lanka's talisman Muttiah Muralitharan, Trescothick may be the wiser bet. With the experienced Graham Thorpe (4/1) and Nasser Hussain (5/1) are somewhat short of match practice, punters should look at Mark Butcher (6/1). Butcher, the Surrey left-hander, scored an unbeaten 151 against the President's XI last week, and averages 60.66 against Sri Lanka, with two hundreds and a 94 in his four Tests against them.
In the Top Sri Lanka Batsman market, Marvan Attapattu is 3/1 favourite. Kumar Sangakkara - a perennial thorn in England's side - is 9/2.