Twenty20 World Cup Betting: England v West Indies

Twenty20 World Cup / Jaymes Monte / 14 June 2009 / Leave a Comment

England's win against India gives them an unexpected chance of progressing through to the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup. It's all down to Monday's game against the West Indies at The Oval. Jaymes Monte previews that match...

Underdogs England defeated India on Sunday night to remain in the competition and set up a do-or-die shootout against West Indies at The Oval on Monday.

The home side were matched at a high of [3.4] to win the match with the tournament holders backed at [1.42] during an game of high drama at Lord's which came down to a final over bowled almost faultlessly by Ryan Sidebottom, England eventually winning by three runs.

India cannot win the competition now and their fixture against South Africa on Tuesday is a dead rubber.

England, however, face off against West Indies tomorrow knowing a win for either team will guarantee them a passage through the Super 8s.

From a high of [27.0], England are now [10.0] to win the World Cup. West Indies are [9.6].

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Team News
England have no new injury concerns and their team selection will be dependent on the result and performance against India. Pietersen has been taking that many pain killers that there have been unsubstantiated reports of him rattling whilst running between the wickets. But if there's still a realistic chance of England qualifying, you can bet your bottom dollar he will be the first name on the team sheet.
Andre Fletcher has failed to trouble the scorers in his last two outings and as a result his place in the side could be in jeopardy. If he is to make way it is likely to be Xavier Marshall who takes his place, with Lendl Simmons moving up the order to open alongside Gayle.

Conditions
There is a high chance of heavy rain throughout the day in London meaning the game is likely to be shortened if indeed any play is possible.

Match Odds
Two weeks ago you wouldn't have been able to back England at anything bigger than [1.7] for this fixture. The fact that it is now West Indies who are favourites gives you an indication of how the two sides' fortunes have differed so far this tournament.
Chris Gayle has made no secret of his affection for this format of the game, and his enthusiasm filters down through this West Indian team. After that innings against Australia a lot was made, and rightly so, of Gayle's importance to the team. However, since then his compatriots have shown that they are much more than a one man team.
England's problem throughout this tournament, and arguably any limited overs fixture in recent memory, is their over reliance on Pietersen to score runs. West Indies' main weakness this tournament has been there lack of world class spinners in the middle overs. As England don't have the middle order batsmen to punish that weakness West Indies are a great bet to win here at [1.9].

Top Batsman
England's lack of depth in the batting department means that if KP gets himself set, he is rarely rivalled in the run scoring department. Backing him at [4.0] usually means you're looking for him to make a start and you should collect.
Naturally Gayle will be favourite for the West Indies here and I couldn't put anyone off backing him at [4.0], but there is definitely some value in taking the in form Lendl Simmons or Dwayne Bravo at [5.0] and [6.0] respectively.

Featured Market
It won't have you sitting on the edge of your seat but if you can back 'No' in the Completed Match market at anything around the [8.0] or bigger mark you're certain to have yourself a good trading opportunity.