Well for fans of English cricket the last few months have been pretty hard to take – and those of us joining the barmy army down-under for part or all of the tour couldn’t have been more disappointed.
From being pre-Ashes tournament favourites, England lost five-nil. There – we’ve said it!
But onward and upward and a stiff upper lip and all that … because all eyes are now on Bangladesh for the T20 World Cup.
This time 16 teams will compete for the ICC World Twenty20 – along with eight women’s teams including (for the first time ever…) the hosts.
The World Cup runs from 16th March to 6th April and the market developing around the event for those of us who enjoy a wager is fascinating.
With the largest gambling exchange in the world, Betfair, the odds suggest that any one of India, Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the West Indes, Pakistan, or England could emerge victorious. The odds graduate out from India as around 4-1 favourites, to England at around 15/2. There’s then a bit of a gap to New Zealand at 14-1.
So if you have a punt on the T20 World Cup with Betfair.com, it’s probably best to search for the value. Because it’s an exchange, you can lay bets back with Betfair – thereby locking in a profit even if your team doesn’t go on to win – just the fact that they outperform a little should be enough to make a decent percentage profit.
On that basis, Pakistan look the obvious bet at 7-1. The team is in great form against Sri Lanka and looks like making its presence felt in fellow Muslim country Bangladesh. Support will be huge for Pakistan, particularly as the hosts are given little chance at 33-1 – so unless it’s to be a patriotic bet on England, the value lies with Misbah-ul-Haq’s boys.
