Before we move on to the contenders, let’s just recap where we are with all the teams at this World Cup and what their latest Cricket World Cup odds are.
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The Current Situation
Teams that have already been eliminated include Scotland, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Namibia. Cricket World Cup odds of all the teams are with recommended Sportsbook review, by the way.
- England (+175) – Have already qualified, almost certain to top the group.
- Pakistan (+240) – Already qualified for the semis. Need to beat hapless Scotland to top the group but should top it even if they were to lose.
- New Zealand (+600) – A win over Namibia on Friday and then again against Afghanistan and they’re in the semis. Very doable.
- Australia (+700) – Defeat against the West Indies could cost them a place in the semis. Will be cheering on England against South Africa. Could well come down to net run rate between them and the Proteas.
- South Africa (+800) – If they beat England, they’re almost certainly in the semis. But even if they lose, they need to make sure it’s a narrow loss, with a better net run rate allowing them to finish above Australia.
- India (+1100) – If New Zealand beats Afghanistan, they’re out. If Afghanistan wins, they need to make sure they beat Scotland and Namibia convincingly to improve their net run rate.
- Afghanistan (+5000) – They need to beat New Zealand and hope India doesn’t win against Scotland and Namibia too easily. They’re still very much in it.
- West Indies (+20000) – Need to beat Sri Lanka and then Australia and significantly improve their net run rate in the process. Also need England to beat South Africa. Hard to see everything go their way.
England Or Pakistan?
If the latest Cricket World Cup odds are to be believed, it’s England or Pakistan’s to lose. It’s hard to argue with that assessment. They’re the only unbeaten teams in the competition, both have already qualified from the group stages, and both are almost certain to top their groups.
Th significance of the latter is that they’ll avoid each other in the semis and as favorites in those matches, regardless of who they play, both are highly likely to contest the cricket final. But who holds the edge? There really isn’t much to choose between them.
They’ve both been excellent with the ball, both have strong resources in terms of pace and spin, and both have at least six bowlers they can count on to get through 20 overs. It is worth noting, however, that England has lost fast bowler Tymal Mills to injury. He’d taken seven wickets in four games before hobbling off against Sri Lanka and is now out of the whole tournament.
England doesn’t have another bowler with his characteristics in terms of his pace or being left arm so they may miss him and will be weaker for his absence. The other slight concern with England is that their middle order has yet to be tested properly.
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In their first three games, they bowled first, dismissed their opponents for low scores and their openers knocked off the runs with minimal fuss. In their fourth, they batted first but no one got going other than centurion Jos Buttler. Sooner or later, the likes of Dawid Malan, Jonny Bairstow and Liam Livingstone will have to dig deep.
It’s not that they’re not capable, it’s that they haven’t spent much time at the crease as of yet. If you want to go with one of these two, go with Pakistan, who apart from anything else are a much bigger price in the Cricket World Cup odds market.
The Toss Bias
A toss bias is when there’s a huge advantage to winning the toss. That’s because there’s a huge advantage to either batting first or chasing. Here in the UAE the advantage is definitely with chasing. So far, over 70 percent of the matches at either of the three grounds have been won by the side batting second.
So before taking short T20 World Cup odds for Pakistan or England, consider this: If a team like Australia, New Zealand or South Africa wins the toss in the semifinal and gets to chase first, they’ll instantly be in an extremely strong position and could well go on to win the game, just because of the advantage that comes with bowling first. The same could be said of the final.
So, in light of the latest Cricket World Cup odds, who could be the team to bet on now and hope a couple of tosses go their way?
New Zealand
It’s going to be a dogfight in Group A between South Africa and Australia. We don’t want to be wasting our money on one of those when they aren’t guaranteed a place in the last four. The same goes for India. They’ve left themselves too much to do after losing two in a row and are now hoping for results to go their way that are out of their control.
New Zealand is a different story. They’re almost certain to beat Namibia and then it’s that match against Afghanistan. The latest Cricket World Cup odds have them as heavy favorites to win that one, too. And wait for the kicker: If they beat Namibia really easily, they could improve their net run rate significantly, lose to Afghanistan and still qualify for the semis. But they really should beat the Afghans and book their place that way.
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They’re a good side with a good mix of pace (Boult, Southee and Milne) and spin (Sodhi, Santner). And though they’re perhaps missing a capable finisher who can really hit sixes at will, they have sufficient batting to post and chase decent scores. Add in the wily captaincy of Kane Williamson and some excellent fielding, and you can see why we’re keen.
It’s like we say: a toss going their way in the semi (and then again, the final) and they can have a real shot. At the current Cricket World Cup odds, they’re the ones who can cause an upset.
