England the bookmakers’ favourite, Sri Lanka in without a chance? | Sunday Observer


For ‘true believers’ who think that Sri Lanka can still lift the 2019 Cricket World Cup, this might be the right time to “put your money where your mouth is”, as the saying goes.

For punters may stand to win as much as a cool 200 rupees for every buck invested. Online bookmaker Redzone is offering odds of 200 to 1(for a 25 sterling bet) on the basis that Sri Lanka can’t do it.

Redzone is said to be a lesser known bookie and others may prefer to lay their bets with another called BET365. Their advertising billboards appear on TV beyond the boundary ropes at many cricket venues in England and offer a measly 66 times the bet money. This is the lowest return offered by any of the 15 or so online bookies, all of whose business is perfectly legal in the UK and abroad.

Currently, England are the favorites to ultimately lift the Cup at odds of about only 2 to 1. Given that the bookmakers are often British and the Cricket World Cup is being played on England’s green and pleasant land, as the poet William Blake once described, it may not be unrealistic. The green English wickets certainly give them a home advantage.

Britain’s fickle weather with its unpredictable downpours might also provide some unexpected match results if the “Duckworth-Lewis” system comes into play to determine the outcome of rain interrupted games. This could make things decidedly unpleasant not only for the spectators but the bookies too.

India are second favorites at 3 to 1 with Australia 7 to 2 and South Africa now on offer at11 to 1.

A good dark horse seems to be New Zealand at 11 to 1 with Afghanistan rated as “no-hopers” at odds of between 100 to 1 and 200 to 1 depending on the bookmaker.

These odds will shorten or become less lucrative as the tournament gets under way.

Bookmaker predictions (the odds) cannot be taken lightly as they stand to lose hard cash if they get it wrong. Therefore they have a vested interest in being accurate.