England v Sri Lanka 2011 Cricket World Cup Betting Odds, Tips & Preview

Sports Betting

England v Sri Lanka Cricket World Cup Betting – England have squeezed their way into the 2011 Cricket Word Cup quarter finals, after performing in patches throughout their group matches. England lost against Ireland and Bangladesh in the group stages, bad defeats really for a side which many tipped to have the potential to go on and win this. On the positive side, they did draw with tournament favourites India, and managed to put in a more solid performance in beating South Africa. So perhaps that unpredictability is England’s secret weapon. Andrew Strauss’s men really haven’t put together a comprehensive, all round performance, where the bowling and batting have performed in unison. Some times the batting has been good and the bowling bad, and some times vice versa. It has been an incredibly long winter for England, and they have looked uncharacteristically sloppy in the field as well, but somehow, front line bowler Jimmy Anderson has been off his game, but somehow they have managed to get through. Maybe that is to their battling credit that they have gotten so far, and while the upset results have come in the group, it hasn’t stopped their progress, joining India, South Africa and the West Indies in the group to qualify. That was the expected four to get through from the offer, and with Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand and Pakistan all fulfilling their quarter destinies in the other group, this is the point at which the Cricket World Cup really starts for the top 8 nations.

The tournament, which seems to have been going on all year, now will race to a climax. Teams are just three victories away from glory, and all know that they will have to face tough opposition to get there, and have to raise their games to their highest potential. This is particularly true of England, who really need to find some cohesion in their game, not that coach Andy Flower seems to worried about it all, as they prepare to face pre tournament favourites Sri Lanka in the quarter finals. It is fair to say that England will rightly be underdogs, as they face Sri Lanka in conditions which will be favorable to the joint host nation. Sri Lanka cruised through their group stage, losing just one game (against Pakistan), and the only thing stopping a fuller points haul was a no result against Australia, when Sri Lanka were flowing with the bat. England really will have their hands full with Sri Lanka, who are about as complete of a one day team as you could sit down and piece together. They have such a powerful bowling attack, with the unorthodox style for Lasith Malinga, and the tormenting spin of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis. The batting line up too is just incredible, with Dilshan, Jayawardene, Jayasuriya, Sangakkara, Tharanga weighing in.  Sri Lanka, in racking up the tournament’s highest run rate, in contrast to England, do look very confident, comfortable at the crease, and the domineering wins they have racked up against lower opposition, where England have struggled, is a sign of the damage which they can do. Sri Lanka are still one of the tournament favourites, and that is represented in the Cricket World Cup Betting Odds.

England v Sri Lanka goes on Saturday, and Andy Flower is insistent that his side will perform well under pressure, just as they did in Australia in the Ashes Test series. England, remember, were the ones who came from nowhere at the Twenty20 World Cup around 18 months ago, winning it against all of the odds. But England look as if they have some way to go in order to build up the about of resolve that may be needed to really take on three top class opponents in a row, in order for them to win this. They had to rely on other results in the end to get through to the quarter finals, but as much as England have been depleted, they are there, still in with a fighting chance. However, they have not only had to cope with injury problems, but key players look as if they have ran out of steam and form, notably James Anderson and Paul Collingwood. If England were to get past Sri Lanka in the Quarter Finals, awaiting them in the semi’s would be the winner between South Africa and New Zealand. England have called up Jade Bernbach, after Ajmal Shahzad had to retire from the tournament with a hamstring problem. Flower has hinted that Bernbach’s variety could play a part in the quarter final encounter, which would be something of a baptism of fire for Bernbach (currently on tour with the England Lions in South Africa).

England v Sri Lanka Head to Head

So to the head to head. England have done very well against Sri Lanka, and if they can pull things together, they could be in with a good chance. Six of the last eight World Cup meeting between England v Sri Lanka has ended in victory for England. That is a pretty strong record. The most recent meeting between the two sides was in Johannesburg in September of 09, which England won by a convincing six wickets. That match did however, end a run of three defeats for England. In the overall head to head stats of England v Sri Lanka, there is little to split the two nations. England have won 23 of the encounters, while Sri Lanka have 21 of the ODI matches.

England v Sri Lanka Betting Tip: The positives for England, is that they have endured enough problems, and have come through them when it has mattered. They have generally raised their game against the better opposition. Batsmen Jonathan Trott and Andrew Strauss are two of the tournaments highest scorers with the bat. However, the one element of England’s game which could led them down, will ultimately be their attack. It’s not as strong as it could be, and coming up against top batsmen now, it could show could show holes in their attack. If the bowling isn’t there against the might of the Sri Lanka batsmen, England could finally be heading home for a break. A win for Sri Lanka is the most likely outcome, giving the line ups, conditions and form at the moment. All that simply does is mean that England are good value for backing, with their unpredictability, you just never know.

England v Sri Lanka Betting Odds

Sri Lanka to win: 4/7 at SkyBet
England to win: 13/8 at Boylesports

2011 Cricket World Cup Quarter Final Draw

March 26th: England v Sri Lanka

March 23rd: West Indies v Pakistan
March 24th: India v Australia
March 25th: South Africa v New Zealand

Cricket World Cup Outright Winner Odds

South Africa: 7/2 at Unibet
India: 7/2 at Totesport
Sri Lanka: 11/2 at Unibet
Australia: 6/1 at SkyBet
Pakistan: 6/1 at Bet365
England: 11/1 at Unibet
West Indies: 22/1 at SportingBet
New Zealand: 25/1 at Totesport