ICC World T20 Group 1 Betting – Cricket Odds

England look poor value in early T20 group betting

Cricket Betting

2016 ICC World Twenty20 Men’s Tournament

There will initially be 16 teams competing in the ICC World T20. In the first round, the lowest-ranked ICC Full Members, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, compete with six qualifiers (including Ireland and Scotland) for two spots in the group stages alongside the top eight Full Members in the Super 10 groups.

There have been five ICC World T2os so far have so far and no team has won more than once.

The inaugural event was staged in South Africa in 2007 and won by India. The 2009 tournament took place in England, and was won by the previous runners-up Pakistan. The third tournament was held in 2010 and staged in the West Indies. England beat Australia in the final, their only victory to date in a major international competitions. The West Indies beat hosts Sri Lanka in the final in 2012 but Sri Lanka went one better in Bangladesh in 2014 and became the first team to play in three finals in the process.

This year’s competition is again being staged in Asia with seven cities across India hosting matches. The final will be at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on April 3.

Assumptions have to be made regarding the make-up of the Super 10s but betway have taken any doubts out of the equation by offering odds against the four possible qualifiers from the preliminary rounds in betting for Groups 1 and 2.

World T20 Group 1 betway odds

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)

It’s something of a surprise to see England vying for favouritism in this section. They did won 3-0 against Pakistan in the Middle East at the end of last year but were given a lesson in finishing by South Africa in their last two matches and have to face the Proteas again.

Eoin Morgan’s squad will also have to face the potentially destructive power of Chris Gayle and the West Indies, who are ranked third in the world, and though Sri Lanka are a team in transition, they are still captained by Lasith Malinga who has been a thorn in England’s side too often to recall. Given England’s overall record, that 2/1 quote by betway is looking too low. Both Afghanistan and Zimbabwe have the scope to cause them problems and they can’t be any value. The Windies should be worth backing in this section if they can harness individual talent.

Gayle features prominently in betting to be Top batsman at the ICC World T20s (14/1 with Paddy Power) but India’s Rhit Sharma and Virat Kohli share current favouritism. England’s Alex Hales, who has been in terrific form with the white ball lately, is 25/1 but I’d be more interested in the 20/1 about South Africa’s Faf Du Plessis.

World T20 Top Batsman Paddy Power betting

Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli (9/1), AB De Villiers, David Warner and Usman Khawaja (10/1), Quinton De Kock, Chris Gayle and Shane Watson (14/1), Shikhar Dhawan, Martin Guptil, Kane Williamson and Stve Smith (16/1), Joe Root and Hashim Amla (18/1), Faf Du Plessis (20/1), Tillekeratne Dilshan (22/1), Alex Hales, Ahmed Shazad and Colin Munro (25/1)