England are a general 6/1 to win the upcoming T20 World Cup in India having included uncapped Liam Dawson in their squad.
Coach Trevor Bayliss admits he has yet to see the 25-year-old Hampshire all-rounder play in a match but was encouraged by both his ability and attitude during Lions practice sessions in the United Arab Emirates before Christmas.
Dawson, who is also a useful fielder and lower-order batsman, will be England’s third spinner in India as back-up to Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid and comes into the squad, along with a fit-again Steven Finn, as the only additions to the current party touring South Africa. Chris Woakes is the unlucky man to miss out.
Both Mahela Jayawardene and Paul Collingwood will help Bayliss with coaching duties in India following their stints on tour in the UAE. Collingwood led England on the pitch to their only global trophy – the 2010 ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies – and Jayawardene won the last T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka so the pair have strong pedigrees.
England have a young side and appear to play without fear at the moment and bookmakers have made them a general 13/2 to win the 2016 T20 World Cup. But they have a shocking record in limited-overs international cricket and failed to qualify from the group stages for the last World Cup.
T20 World Cup Selected Best Odds
India (11/4, Australia (6/1), England (13/2), South Africa (7/1), West Indies (8/1), New Zealand (10/1), Pakistan (11/1), Sri Lanka (14/1), Bangladesh (40/1)
That said, they’ve managed to avoid pre-tournament favourites India and Australia in the group stages and could go into the tournament with a psychological advantage over South Africa. Betway have Eoin Morgan and his players as joint favourites to win Group 1 along with the Proteas while the enigmatic West Indies are next best. The first two will qualify for the semi-finals.
T20 World Cup Betway Group 1 Betting
England and South Africa (2/1), West Indies (3/1), Sri Lanka (7/2), Afghanistan and Zimbabwe (100/1), Hong Kong and Scotland (1000/1)
Pakistan, meanwhile, have included Mohammed Amir in their squad. He served a five-year ban from cricket for his role in a conspiracy to bowl no-balls to order during Pakistan’s Test series in England in 2010 and and also served a prison sentence but he returned from the wilderness to play in a T20 series against New Zealand last year and forms part of Shahid Afridi’s 15-man party. Pakistan are a best 6/1 to win Group 2 and 5/1 to reach the final with Paddy Power.
