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.
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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