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England v Pakistan Free Bets for the First Test at Headingley on August 19th

August 18, 2026
by Emma Harrison
England begin a home three-test series against Pakistan on Wednesday, and as well as a new look to the side it’s a chance for cricket bettors to give some consideration to the free bets offered by leading UK bookmakers.

It’s the second series of the summer, coming after June’s three-match outing against New Zealand where a 160-run last-test win secured the series for the visitors. Interim head coach Marcus Trescothick will be keen to erase the negative impact of that loss ahead of an always important Ashes tour in November and December.

First Test OddsEnglandDrawPakistan
Betfred1/26/19/4
bet3658/1511/23/1
BetMGM4/713/213/5

England seek confidence-building win

With the winter promising tours to Australia and South Africa – respectively #1 and #2-ranked in the Test form of the game – England could really do with a win here, and it is expected at the top UK betting sites, with the hosts comfortable favourites. Pakistan themselves are fresh from a short tour of the West Indies, where the series was split 1-1 and have their own need to climb the rankings, having fallen to seventh in the world behind Sri Lanka. England will be handing Jordan Cox an important no. 3 betting role while a deep battery of seam bowlers seems well-equipped to make the most of a lively pitch. The hosts will need to overcome some recent uncertainty with the bat, though, especially against the clever deliveries of Mohammad Abbas (swing) and Sajid Khan (spin).

Best free bets for the first England vs Pakistan test

Before test cricket wraps up for the summer, bettors have a final chance to make use of UK betting promotions to make the most of their hunches on a pivotal series. Below we look at three of the best.

Betfred: Bet £10 Get £50

Betfred: Pros and Cons
  • Virtually every type of gambling feature available from sports to bingo.
  • Superb sports betting setup with outright and in-play markets.
  • Simple but easy-to-use website design.
  • Highly rated mobile app for iOS and Android devices.
  • The sportsbook layout can be a little confusing.
  • No esports betting coverage.
Visit Betfred

You’d have to go some way to find better than Betfred’s opening offer to new customers. The popular and long-serving sportsbook has £50 in Betfred free bets for new bettors who sign up and place £10 on a qualifying wager at odds of Evens or longer. The key details are as follows: bets are split into three £10 free bets on single outcomes, and a further £10 each on two accumulators or Bet Builders. These bets must be used within seven days of crediting, but a bet on the first day’s play could always be used to trigger the free ones for the following days’ action.

bet365: Bet £10 Get £30

bet365: Pros and Cons
  • Multiple sections including sports betting, casino games, bingo, and esports
  • One of the best mobile apps available for Android and iOS
  • Awesome bet builder and player builder betting options for the sportsbook
  • Easy-to-use website with simple primary navigation
  • PayPal minimum deposit limit could be lower at £25
Visit Bet365

There isn’t a bigger name in UK betting than bet365 and their opening offer is a big part of what attracts customers. Making an opening bet of £10 at odds of ⅕ or longer releases three further £10 bets on the extremely packed sportsbook. There’s almost endless options to choose from at bet365 and their live streaming makes them a very good option for in-play bettors. Just make sure to use the bet365 free bets within seven days of receiving them, because otherwise they’re gone and they aren’t coming back.

BetMGM: Bet £10 Get £40

BetMGM: Pros and Cons
  • One of the best mobile apps available for UK sites
  • Wide variety of payment methods
  • Instant deposit and withdrawal processing times
  • Huge array of casino games including live dealers
  • Not a big variety of promos for existing customers
Visit BetMGM UK

The quintessentially English medium of test cricket and the extremely American nature of BetMGM may not seem a likely combination, but if you sign up to the UK arm of this worldwide betting name you can make a £10 qualifying bet on the first test and be awarded two £10 free bets along with a further two £10 accumulators for use at the site. Your qualifying bet needs to be on an outcome that is rated at Evens or longer, and then you have seven days to use the BetMGM free bets on whatever you choose.

Make your England vs Pakistan bets count

There is a lot of interest in this match, which brings together two of the best-supported nations in world cricket, and if you’re looking to make bets on the series or the First Test itself, there’s plenty of opportunity. Just click our banners and links to get over to the recommended bookmakers and make your qualifying bet. Then wait for your free bets and use them however you want.