One of the worlds most viewed
sporting games The ICC Cricket World Cup starts last of this month and we have
all the latest chances from here!
The ICC Cricket World Cup is a
One Day International (ODI) contest that play every four years. It is organised
by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and is one of the most watched
sporting games.
When it was last held in 2015,
1.1 million tickets were retailed which was a new greatest record for the
competition. In 2011 viewing figures for the tournament touched 2.2 billion international.
Comparing this to the football World Cup in 2018 where there were 3.5 billion
viewers it shows just how popular the rivalry is.
The Cricket World Cup is open to
all memberships of the ICC and the top ranked teams in the world get automatic
qualification as well as the host country. This year's competition has ten
teams contending in it and we're going to look at the top five in the betting chances.
England – 9/4
This year's preferences are the
host country. England goes into the tournament ranked as the world’s best ODI
cricket team. They have never succeeded to win the tournament and this is the
perfect chance for them to change that.
Recently they drew 2-2 in a
series with the West Indies but managed to beat Sri Lanka 3-1 in October of
last year. Last summer they beat the second favourites India 2-1. Joe Root is
currently ranked as number six in the world’s best ODI batters whilst England
also have the 14th, 16th and 17th ranked batters in their squad.
In bowling they aren't very well
equipped, Adil Rashid is their only top ten ranked bowler at number ten.
England will be hoping their home advantage will help them to beat their best
even finish of being the runners up at this year's World Cup.
India – 11/4
The second-ranked ODI team in the
world are also the second favourites for this year's World Cup. They have
recently lost Australia 3-2 in last month’s ODI series. India were also 2-0 up
at one point. However, they did convincingly beat New Zealand 4-1 in February.
India are also no strangers to
World Cup success. They have won it twice, once in England in 1983 and once in
2011. India are also very well equipped in terms of personnel. Their captain is
the world-class Virat Kholi, he is the number Test and ODI batsman.
They also have Rohit Sharma who
is the number two batsman in the ODI format. Jasprit Bumrah is the world number
one ODI bowler as well. India also has the number seven and eight bowlers. Had
it not been for home advantage India would surely be the favourites given the
squad they have.
Australia – 7/2
The most successful time in World
Cup cricket history are ranked fifth in the world. They come into the
tournament off the back of two wins in March. One against Pakistan where they
won 5-0 and one against India where they turned around a 2-0 deficit to win
3-2.
They have won this competition
five times and are the current holders of the World Cup. They beat their
neighbours New Zealand in the 2015 final. In terms of ranked personnel, they
only have two.
Aaron Finch is at number nine for
a batsman and Pat Cummins at number six for a bowler. However, they do have
other fantastic cricketers such as David Warner, Steve Smith and Mitchell
Stark. Australia can never be ruled out when it comes to the World Cup and at 7/2
they look a good bet.
South Africa – 8/1
South Africa, like Australia,
come into the World Cup in good form. They smashed Sri Lanka 5-0 in March and
beat Pakistan 3-2 in January. The fourth-ranked team in world ODI don't have a
great record at the World Cup though.
They have never won the
competition and their best finish is the semi-finals. They have got there four
times before and most recently in 2015. South Africa have confirmed their 15
man squad for the competition.
De Kock and Du Plessis are the world
number four and five batsmen in ODI and Tahir and Rabada the same for bowlers.
At 8/1 they could be worth an outside bet considering the batting and bowling
power they have.
New Zealand – 10/1
The team ranked number three in
the world come in relatively high in the odds. New Zealand have however been
beaten and beaten convincingly 4-1 by India relatively recently. They did beat
Bangladesh in their most recent ODI series 3-0 in February.
Their best ever finish at a World
Cup was in 2015 where they lost to Australia in the final. Ross Taylor is one
of their best batters and is regarded as the third best in ODI cricket.
They also have Kane Williamson
who is a fantastic batter also. Martin Guptil is in the top ten with Taylor at
number eight. Boult is their only bowler in the number ten bowlers. He does,
however, feature at number two. At 10/1 they aren't to be ignored as they have
got to the most recent final and will look to get to another this year.
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