The 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is set to kick off this week, with India, England and Australia dominating the betting.
Our expert team has analysed all the form and markets for a big tournament.
Australia
$5.00
Let’s start with the Aussies.
The world-class line-up has been anything but over the past month, with series losses to South Africa and India. However, if there’s one team that can fire at the right time, it’s the 5x ODI World Cup champions.
Just look at the names below: Pat Cummins, Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazelwood, Travis Head etc. The list goes on.
Smith and Marnus Labuschagne found form with a well-timed 74 and 72 against the Indians last week, and they’re certainly two players the Aussies will need to fire if they are to have any chance of bringing home a sixth trophy.
Don’t sleep on the Aussies, but don’t put the house on them. Watch with interest.
Squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.
India
$2.80
The short-priced favourites for a reason.
Led by Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya and Virat Kohli, the Indians boast the most dominant squad of any side participating in this year’s tournament. Mohammed Siraj is the #1-ranked bowler, and Shubman Gill is second to only Babar Azam (Pakistan) in the batting.
They’re ranked #1 in the world ahead of Pakistan and Australia, with their 44 matches during the calendar year far and away the most of any of the market dangers.
In winning form, home conditions, and a passionate Indian crowd, it’s certainly worth having a dabble if you can get them anywhere around the $3 mark.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (c), Hardik Pandya (vc), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ishan Kishan, Suryakumar Yadav.
England
$4.20
One of the most in-form sides coming into the tournament, the reigning champions are riding a five-game winning streak against Bangladesh, Ireland and New Zealand.
While none of their opponents have been single figures in the market, winning is winning, and coach Matthew Mott couldn’t have asked for much more from his men.
Ben Stokes is an important addition to the squad after reneging on his ODI retirement. At the same time, Jos Buttler will look to take it to opposition bowling attacks as the free-swinging English attitude continues from the Test arena.
They will lose some games they shouldn’t because of their carefree attitude, but they will get themselves out of trouble with the same approach.
Squad: Jos Buttler (c), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
Pakistan
$7.00
The #2-ranked ODI team has garnered a lot of interest in the lead-up to this year’s tournament, with their current quote of $7 providing plenty of value for punters looking to bet around the ‘Big 3’.
Led by Babar Azam – the #1 batsman in the world – the Pakistanis were on a five-game winning streak prior to their recent three-game losing run. They were gallant in their most recent loss to New Zealand, as they posted 5/345 thanks to a 94-ball 103 from Mohammad Rizwan.
The conditions will undoubtedly suit Pakistan, and if Azam can continue his scintillating form with the bat, anything is possible with this talent-riddled team.
Squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
