England to Lord it up

With three draws in the last three matches at Lord's and England's weather wetter than a car wash forecourt, it is easy to see why the stalemate is as short as 4-6 (Blue Square, Coral, Ladbrokes) for the first Test between England and India, which starts at Lord's on Thursday. The 'home of cricket' has a wicket which has got better and better to bat on over the last few years and its transition from one which helped the bowlers to a track favoured by the willowmen looked complete in 2004 when England chased down a total batting last against New Zealand on a surface which refused to deteriorate. This pre-occupation with the draw may work in punters' favour and it is possible to make a case for England tasting victory at an eye-catching 14/5 with Sporting Odds.For a start they enjoyed a whopping 170-run victory over India when the sides last met on the famous old ground in 2002. Also in the home side's favour is that despite those three no results, they were on top in all of them and had it not been for rain delays they could argue they would have emerged triumphant. Against Sri Lanka last summer they couldn't remove the limpet-like Mahela Jayawardene, Pakistan were set an imposing 380 for victory the same season and earlier this term West Indies were let off the hook by the weather. The forecast for north London this week is pretty good with blazing sun greeting the players on day one so it would be reasonable to expect few interruptions. And if there are none, then the match will almost certainly end in a result given the trend of fewer stalemates in the international game these days. Another betting opportunity worth mulling over is the 4-1 that Alastair Cook top scores for England in the first innings. He has a terrific record at HQ and could start the series with a bang. Verdict: 3pts England to win First Test @ 14/5 (Sporting Odds)