Hosts favoured to make it all the way to the World Cup final
Published:The cricket World Cup is just eight days away and already punters can find plenty of value in the cricket World Cup betting markets.
Indi, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will host the 2011 cricket World Cup and as hosts, the World Cup winners market makes India the 3/1 favourites and Sri Lanka the 9/2 second favourites.
Bangladesh are the outsiders at 50/1, and India and Sri Lanka are the favoured teams to compete in the final at 9/1.
On home turf, the advantage has to be with the hosts and Sri Lanka are the only country to have hosted the World Cup and won it.
Patriotic punters will be glad to see England available as the 5/1 joint third favourites alongside South Africa and Australia, and punters wishing to back England making it all the way to the final can do so at 9/4.
Had England not been stuffed by Australia in the recent ODI series then a repeat of the 1987 final in Kolkata between England and Australia would be a tantalising prospect for punters.
An England and Australia final is priced at 16/1 but punters would have to consider backing Australia to win the World Cup should it happen.
But Andrew Strauss has said his side will be fully fit and totally prepared for the World Cup and an England/India final is 12/1, an England/South Africa final is 14/1 and an England/Sri Lanka final is 16/1.
A repeat of the 2007 final between Australia and Sri Lanka is 12/1 but hopefully any repeat of the Duckworth/Lewis victory will not happen this time around.
Having done it before, Sri Lanka stand out as the value in the World Cup winners betting market and will offer a decent return at 9/2.
A £25 stake on Sri Lanka winning the World Cup would return £137.50. New customers can sign up here for a free cricket bet worth £25.
