West Indies hoping for more home comforts

Well, who'd have thought it? After just two wins from their previous 20 Tests, and having been hammered in the one-day series, West Indies finally produced a strong performance to win the first Test against Pakistan in Barbados.

Perhaps it's the fact that they've never lost a Test series at home to Pakistan that spurred them on. Perhaps it was the return of Brian Lara, who smashed a superb hundred in the first innings. Whatever it was, the 5/1 (6.00) on them to win the series before Barbados now looks a steal. It's a mark of how far West Indies have fallen since the heady days of the 1970s and 1980s, therefore, that they are still 7/2 (4.50) to win the second and final Test, which starts on Friday in Jamaica. Pakistan, humbled in Barbados, are 6/5 (2.20) favourites, while the draw is 13/10 (2.30).

Their first Test victory ended a poor run of form for West Indies in their former stronghold at Bridgetown, and they'll fancy their chances of a rare series whitewash these days since their form at Sabina Park has been excellent over the past five years. Of the six Tests played there, they've won five and lost just once, to England in 2004. Sabina Park also appears to be a result pitch, with only six of the 40 Tests there having ended in a draw. West Indies have won 21 and lost the other 13. And though Pakistan have not played at Sabina Park since the late 1970s, they have lost both their Tests there. They've now won just 41 of 167 Tests away from Pakistan.

Player markets
Cometh the hour, cometh the man. Or should that be men. Brian Lara, restored to the side after being rested for the whitewash in the one-day series, smashed his 29th Test hundred in Barbados to set the tone for the first Test, and Pakistan never recovered. At 36, his average is pushing 54. And Shivnarine Chanderpaul took his average in five Tests as captain to beyond the 100-mark with a brilliant unbeaten 153.

Lara is 3/1 (4.00) to top-score for the Windies in Jamaica, and his form at Sabina Park bodes well. In 10 Tests there, he has hit 922 runs at an average of 61. Interestingly, his overall average against Pakistan is just over 38, though it rises to 56 at home. Chanderpaul, who just can't stop scoring runs at the moment, averages 39 at Sabina Park, but will have fond memories after making a century in his last appearance there. He averages 46 against Pakistan, though that rises to 87 against them at home. Chanderpaul is 4/1 (5.00), while the in-form Chris Gayle and Ramaresh Sarwan are both 9/2 (5.50).

The return of Inzamam-ul-Haq to the Pakistan line-up after his one-match ban should bolster the tourists' batting strength, and the skipper is 7/2 (4.50) favourite to top the scoring in their first innings. Younis Khan is 4/1 (5.00) and of the rest, big-hitting Shahid Afridi, who battered a century in the second innings in Barbados, is a 6/1 (7.00) chance. Of those, Inzamam tops the averages on 50 after a century against India in his last match.

Disappointingly for West Indies, Fidel Edwards, their bowling hero of the first Test, will not be fit to play and will be replaced by fellow paceman Tino Best. Despite a promising series against England a year ago, Best has yet to show world-class form, taking just 18 wickets in nine Tests at 47. He's better than that, though, and is likely to be a fairly short price to be top bowler. Corey Collymore may be a better bet. His fine spell of 3 for 20 in the first innings helped West Indies set up victory, and his tally of 41 wickets at 35 in his 15 Tests is not an accurate reflection of his abilities. Expect him to be a narrow favourite.

Pakistan will again be without Shoaib Akhtar, although Danesh Kaneria showed enough in the first Test to suggest that he might have some success at Sabina Park. Shabbir Ahmed, reported for a suspect bowling action, was one of the few to impress and could be worth backing.

Specials
Of the other markets, the ever-popular man-of-the-match market has Afridi as the 7/1 (8.00) joint-favourite, thanks to his century and three wickets in the second innings. The bookies are clearly running scared of another big Lara innings, as the former captain shares favouritism at 7/1 (8.00), while Gayle is 15/2 (8.50) and Inzamam 9/1 (10.00). West Indies are even-money (2.00) to hold a first-innings lead, something they've done just five times in their last 10 home Tests. Pakistan are 8/11 (1.72).

In the head-to-head betting markets, Chanderpaul looks a solid favourite at 8/11 (1.72) to outscore Sarwan in the first innings, not least because he's scored four centuries in his past nine innings.

And once again, Bet365 offer several players in their performance markets, giving one point per run, 20 per wicket, 10 per catch and 25 per stumping. Afridi, whose tally worked out at 198 in the first Test, is 5/6 (1.83) to 103 or more. Chris Gayle is 5/6 (1.83) to get 111 or more. He totalled 164 in the first Test, thanks largely to five wickets in the second innings.