The second test starts at Headingly on Thursday 3 June with England confident after their superb success at Lords. There are plenty of spread betting opportunities on this test and we've reviewed some of them below. Don't forget that if you open a Sporting Index account today you will get a £200 free bet on Euro 2004!!

Sporting Index make England slight favourites over NZ to win this test on the 25-10 index (25 points for the win, 10 for the draw and 0 for a loss) with a quote at 12.5 - 14, whilst New Zealand are 9 - 10.5. Our view is that England should be favourites, BUT a lot will depend on the weather. The forecast is not too special for the week ahead which could ruin the game and force a draw - be careful.

The player markets are also worth a look. Individual batsman runs (both innings) have the following quotes:
Trescothick 75-82
Struass 73-80
Butcher 75-82
Vaughan 78-85
Thorpe 73-80
Flintoff 60-67

After Strauss's fantastic debut the big question is whether he will do it again. He hardly looked in any trouble in either innings at Lords and was unfortunate to be run out by Hussain in the second innings when he was homing in on his second century. If you want to gamble on the weather staying fine, we would be very tempted to buy Strauss runs at 80 for the 2 innings. One good innings could put you in profit and 2 could make a very decent return.

We would steer clear of Trescothick who seems very inconsistant at the moment, but if he finds his form could go on to score big, whilst Vaughan's record at no4 is nowhere near as good as when he opens, so he ought to be left alone for the time being until he has bedded in at his new position.

Thorpe is arguably England's best batsman, but he can sometimes be left exposed when he's left with the tail which all too often collapses. However he might be worth a small wager to buy, now that his personal problems have been sorted out.

Finally, Flintoff is a complete lottery! He can be fantastic or terrible, but we've had our fingers burned to often to recommend any kind of bet on him. Leave him alone.

Recommendation:

Weather permitting:
buy England on the 25-10 index at 14
buy Strauss runs at 80
buy Thorpe runs at 80 (small stake)