Punters have turned their thoughts to the upcoming World Cup played in the UK later this month with England getting their campaign opened with an exciting match against South Africa at the Kia Oval, London on 30 May. Here are our top Ireland v England 1st ODI Betting tips.
A summer of excitement for followers of the sport, those with a casual interest and punters looking to make a profit from their predictions, but there’s plenty to get through before then. Many of the teams involved play matches between now and the start of the tournament, designed to keep the players warm and competitive while giving the coaching staff a good look at how their squads are shaping up. It also hands backers an idea of who to keep an eye out for when things get serious.
One match of particular interest goes on Friday 3 May at The Village in Dublin where Ireland welcome England for a One Day International that should hold our attention. England may be on the road and up against an opponent desperate to grab the headlines by derailing their opponents’ preparations, but they are hot favourites with the bookies and that’s no surprise.
Armchair fans can follow the play live from 10.45am and punters can have their say on everything, from the winner of the coin toss to which side will secure the bragging rights. You can even wager your cash on top batsman for either side and who will take most wickets. Once the game gets underway, we’re delighted to say many of the most popular pre-match markets are continued in-play, with odds and lines changed to match the flow of the game. That means you can bet before the start and at any other point during the course of the fixture.
Wilson Back and Good to Go
Ireland are taking this match seriously and signalled their intentions by recalling experienced Gary Wilson back into the ranks. The 33-year-old has been posted missing for a while now, not seen since before the Afghanistan series due to an ongoing problem with his vision but the fact he returns tells us he will be fit and ready to go. With something as serious as the injury he has nursed recently, no one would be in a rush to get Wilson playing before he was completely ready.
Ireland don’t boast too many wins over England in cricket, but they did pull off a memorable upset back in 2011 at the World Cup, something those packing the stands to watch this renewal will remember all too well. A real upturn for the formbook back then, the Irish celebrated a scoreboard reading Ireland 329-7 (49.1) against England’s 327-8 (50), handing them the bragging rights by a margin of three wickets.
Bookies Write Off Another Famous Upset
The locals would surely love to see something close to a repeat performance here, but will they get it? They line-up on the back of a defeat to Afghanistan last time out when falling to a seven-wicket reverse. They were competitive during that tour, however, and returned home having taken positives from the outing. Ireland will face a much sterner test here, of course, and odds-makers say they are in over their heads, writing off any chance of them snatching another famous win.
The betting has the locals chalked up at 7/1 with Bet365. That’s big enough, but if you are going to take a chance we advise following our advice and playing at Bet365 as many firms offer the same outcome as short as 6/1 and it would be foolish to take a point less, as Ireland are already up against it with this tie without us making it harder for ourselves to beat the bookies.
England Looking to Keep Sharp
England travel to Ireland looking to not only win the match but put in a performance that will demonstrate how far they have come already this year and they are in great shape for the fast-approaching World Cup. Bookies have the visitors as favourites for this test and they can also be found at the head of the pile to win the World Cup outright. Both will be extremely popular, but you’ll get much more of a price on the latter, that’s for sure.
The Three Lions were rocked recently by the news the influential Alex Hales had withdrawn from the World Cup pool so he could be free from any distractions. There weren’t too many more details in the national press about that one, but he’s thought to have on-going personal problems and the best way to deal with that would be away from the pressures of playing international cricket, especially at the World Cup in front of a huge audience. We wish him a speedy recovery.
Play the Specials
England, minus Hales, make this trip on the back of a stunning round of fixtures during what was a fantastic tour of the West Indies. It was billed as a tight set going in, but England made light work of their hosts, with the highlight being a 418-6 win against the 389 all out of West Indies. That was an incredible match and great advert for international cricket.
It also showed us where England are with their preparations and the performances noted on that tour were present in the thinking of bookies pricing this match up. Fancy the away win? You’re not alone and will have to make do with the 1/12 at William Hill if backing England. That’s tight and will put more than a few off an interest, even those using it in stacked accas.
There’s more to be had in the specials. A ton to be scored in the match is our best bet at 4/6 and that makes more appeal than no in the same market, available at 11/10 – both quotes taken from the Bet365 site. England to have the highest opening partnership looks another way to secure a better pay-out with bet365 trading 8/15, something that can be put to work in your weekend accas.