We all remember it. Four years ago, Ben Stokes played the innings of a lifetime as he helped England win their maiden World Cup on home turf against New Zealand. The Kiwi-born star hit an unbeaten 84 against the country of his birth to take things into a Super Over in the Lord’s showpiece. Then, he and Jos Buttler would manage 15 runs in said Super Over, allowing Jofra Archer and Jonny Bairstow to take over and seal one of the greatest days in English sporting history.
Four years on from perhaps the greatest game of One Day International cricket ever played, the Cricket World Cup is back. The tournament gets underway on October 5th and will run for six weeks. As the competition progresses, the ten finest One Day cricketing nations on the planet will battle it out in the hopes of finishing up as world champions on November 19th. India will play host and with the last three instalments of the tournament being won by the host, they are in prime position for a third Cricket World Cup triumph.
So without further ado, let’s take a look at the favourites for glory later this yes.
India
India have been made the early 3.20 favourites in the Cricket World Cup betting odds list, and with the Men in Blue playing on home turf, it’s clear to see why. As we have mentioned, each of the last three editions of the tournament has been won by the hosts, namely England in 2019, Australia in 2015, and India — who were co-hosting alongside Sri Lanka and Bangladesh — holding the trophy aloft in 2011. Virat Kohli and Co. will be aiming to follow in their footsteps this autumn.
If being made the hosts wasn’t enough for Indian fans to be excited about, they have just managed to claim the Asia Cup. They embarrassed Sri Lanka in the final, bowling them all out for 50 before strolling to the 51 required to win without the loss of a wicket. If they continue in a similar fashion, they may very well send over a billion people into raptures in the coming months.
England
England are perhaps the finest white ball cricketing nation on the planet at present. They are the reigning double world champions, a title they claimed when they first defeated New Zealand to claim the Cricket World Cup in 2019, before defeating Pakistan in Australia late last year to also claim the T20 World Cup title as well.
Despite not managing to regain the Ashes from archrivals Australia this summer, there are still plenty of reasons to be optimistic if you are an English cricket fan. Ben Stokes had previously announced his retirement from One Day Internationals to focus on being the captain of the test side.
However, he recently announced his return for the World Cup, and he immediately showcased his talent by smashing his fastest-ever 50-over century. If that wasn’t enough, his knock of 182 against New Zealand was England’s biggest-ever knock in a One Day International, surpassing Jason Roy’s blistering 180 against Australia. If he follows in the same vein, England may very well retain their crown this autumn.
Australia
The Aussies are the most successful nation in the history of the Cricket World Cup. They have managed to lift the famous trophy aloft on no fewer than five separate occasions, more than double that of their nearest rivals, namely the West Indies and India. In the late 90s and early 2000s, the Baggy Greens had crafted somewhat of a dream team, featuring the likes of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Matthew Hayden, and Ricky Ponting. As such, it will come as no surprise that they romped to three successive World Cups in 1999, 2003, and 2007.
They made it four trophies in five tournaments back in 2015 and after a brilliant display in the recent Ashes series, it’s clear to see why they too are much fancied by online betting sites.
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