Cricket - England Favourites for the 2nd Test

Following their draw at Lord's, both England and Pakistan will be keen to edge ahead when they meet in the 2nd Test at Old Trafford, which commences on July 27. England are rated a top-priced 7/4, Pakistan at 3s, and the draw is available at 11/8. Pakistan now boast three players in the top ten of the LG ICC Player Rankings for Test batsmen after Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq climbed one place to third in the list after twin half-centuries and was been joined by Mohammad Yousuf, who made 202, his second successive Test double hundred against England. The rising star of Pakistan's batsmen - and currently ranked seventh in the LG ICC table, Younis Kahn, missed the tie at Lord's through injury, but will be back in the line-up at Old Trafford, something by which his team mates will be buoyed. Conversely, England has just one player in the top ten - Kevin Pietersen, who is ranked tenth - but there are a number of players making inroads towards the summit of top batsmen. Among them, Andrew Strauss is perhaps the most noteworthy. Strauss recorded his ninth Test hundred at Lord's and has climbed two places in the table, now lying in twelfth places, overtaking teammate Marcus Trescothick in the process. Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell and Alistair Cook are all very much on the ascendancy. Bet365 make Andrew Strauss 9/4 to be England's top series batsmen, while the same firm offer 10/3 about Paul Collingwood. Stan James and totesport both have Kevin Pietersen listed at a best-priced 5/1, and the latter bookmaker go 6/1 about Alistair Cook, who is generally a 5/1 chance. Mohammad Yousufis 4/9 with Ladbrokes to be Pakistan's leading batsmen ahead of Inzamam-ul-Haq, who is 5.2 with totesport, and Younis Kahn is 33/1 with Stan James having missed the 1st test. In the overall England v Pakistan top batsmen market, Mohammad Yousufis is 4/7 with Sporting Odds, ahead of Inzamam-ul-Haq, who is offered at 7/1 by both firms. The same two firms go 10/1 about Paul Collingwood and Andrew Strauss, while both Alistair Cook and Kevin Pietersen are 12s.