The Cricket World Cup gets underway on Thursday with the grand opening of the 2019 tournament. We have some mouth-watering contests planned in the coming weeks as the sport’s popularity gets set for a major spike. As well as lovers of all things cricket, the increased coverage means casual fans will also take more of an interest as all matches are shown live on Sky Sports. Here are our top England v South Africa betting tips.
Bookmakers have put in the work to help punters mark the occasion with a bet, ramping up your interest. Gamble game-by-game and aim to nick a profit or give yourself a long-term interest with a bet on the many antepost markets available, including outright winner, top batsman, top bowler, name the finalists, to reach the final, to finish bottom, and many more besides.
England Favourites to Win at Home
The outright betting to win the 2019 Cricket World Cup before a ball has been bowled has England at the head of the market as bookmakers scramble to back the host nation to go all the way to the title in front of their own fans.
Punters in agreement will find the locals available at no better than the 2/1 available with 888sport. If it’s your intention to bet on England outright we’d suggest being careful who you trust as many major firms have the same bet as tight as 7/4. It’s difficult enough to make a profit from sports betting without taking less of a price on your predictions.
India rate as the main danger and the 3/1 trading at Ladbrokes is the best out there when publishing. Again, a difference of opinion exists amongst traders and there are many firms stuck closer to the 5/2 mark. Australia line-up third in line following a difficult year and if they were to go all the way and win the tournament, it wouldn’t only rate as a fairytale for a team pulled back from the brink, it would also deposit the profits from 4/1 (Bet365) into the bank accounts of those who supported the Aussies with their hard-earned cash.
Many Ways to Support the Hosts
Others worth a mention in the outright betting are South Africa 10/1 with Bet365, New Zealand 12/1 Unibet, West Indies 18/1 (Bet365) and Pakistan who are also 18/1 with Bet365. From there we get into the territory of no hopers with Bangladesh a staggering 125/1 to finish on the top step. That’s a nice price, of course, but it would be difficult to build a solid case for risking any money on it.
There are many ways to back England at the World Cup, even if you don’t expect them to go all the way and lift the trophy, as bookies expect them to. Name the finalists for a chance at landing a bigger price. England v India is 4/1, England v Australia 13/2 and England v South Africa 11/1.
England to reach the final two, regardless of the outcome, is another possibility and that will protect backers against the risk of the hosts choking under pressure. The top batsman market is dominated by Virat Kohli at 7/1 with William Hill, while Jasprit Bumrah is expected to be top bowler, although the 14/1 (Ladbrokes) shows that to be a wide-open field.
England’s Best is Required
England get their campaign started on Thursday morning when meeting South Africa in game one at the Kia Oval in London, a match that will be shown live on Sky Sports from 10:30am GMT. The home side will be desperate to get off to the best possible start and lay down a marker for the competition ahead but there will be no easy games this summer and England will be made to work for any joy that comes their way. Yes, they are at home and will benefit from that, not least the backing of the stands, but when the cricket gets underway their best will be required most days.
A winning start is required to breed confidence amongst the players and support, however, and that’s exactly what bookmakers expect to see on Thursday. The match prices has England as firm favourites and those happy to board that train of thought can do so at William Hill where they’ll get a steady 4/9 for their troubles. That may look a little tight for game one but England’s form in the build-up has been spectacular and that’s sure to feature in a fair share of accumulators. It’s favourite, but there’s still enough in the price to warrant a super single if you’re a big stakes player.
South Africa a Bigger Price Than They Should Be
South Africa carry a threat, but they have been priced like winning isn’t an option at the Oval and the traders would have us believe they are little more than mere opponents, giving their hosts a decent challenge before caving under heavy pressure. The best England should win this match but there will be bits and pieces of attention coming for an upset at 2/1 (Bet365), especially from value hunters who understand that quote is bigger than it should be.
If England are to rise to the occasion and chalk up the first win of this summer’s World Cup, it may be worth betting on the players to help them achieve victory. Jason Roy is our pick for top batsman at 7/2 (Ladbrokes) with Tom Curran worth an interest to be top bowler at 15/4 (Unibet). NAP of the contest for us is England to hit the ground running and record the highest first 15 overs, available at 8/13 with Bet365.