ICC World Twenty20 – Bookmakers surprisingly favor Australia to take Calypso Crown in Twenty20 World Cup
by Juris Graney
If you think the biennial ICC World Twenty20 championship has come around quicker than it should, you are completely and utterly right.
Twenty20 World Cup Future :
Friday, April 30, 2010, EST
When New Zealand and Sri Lanka go to Providence Stadium in Guyana on April 30 it will be just 10 months since the International Cricket Council last hosted a Twenty20 World Cup.
- Australia +300
- India +350
- South Africa +400
- Sri Lanka +450
- Pakistan +600
- England +700
- West Indies +800
- New Zealand +800
- Bangladesh +4500
- Zimbabwe +20000
- Ireland +30000
- Afghanistan +50000
The original proposal was to host the event every two years, however it was set earlier this year to rectify a gaping hole left in the international calendar thanks to the postponement of the 2008 Champions Trophy in Pakistan because of security concerns and the subsequent reappointment of the ICC Champions Trophy to South Africa last year.
The ICC World Twenty20 host this time around will be the West Indies, and the tournament will be staged at the four venues of St Lucia, Barbados, Guyana, and St Kitts and will feature 27 games over 17 days with the final set down for May 16 at Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Surprisingly Australia, who has won 15 of 29 T20 internationals, has been installed as the favorites at +300 despite being bumbled out of last year’s event in England, eliminated in the group stages.
The Aussies, who were in the Old Dart preparing for their Ashes defense, failed to win a game, losing to the West Indies by seven wickets in their first hit outing and then lost to Sri Lanka by six wickets to be gunned from the competition.
Defending champions Pakistan can feel slightly outdone by not being considered the favorites, but at +600 they are a good value bet if you are brave bettor.
Their style of play and an T20 international record of 22 wins from 30 matches have to be weighed against their unpredictability at big tournaments and while Pakistan quick Mohammad Asif has come out pressing his country’s claims of favoritism, news from their camp suggests anything but.
Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat have both been ruled out due to injury and their replacements Mohammad Sami and the giant 7’2” Mohammad Irfan have yet to be officially endorsed.
Coupled with internal turmoil following a disastrous tour of Australia where they failed to win a match plus the absence of Pakistan players from this year’s Indian Premier League has robbed them of a relaxed build-up to this ICC World Twenty20.
Inaugural T20 world champions India at +350 are another good bet, however with most of their squad competing at this IPL, they could suffer terribly from fatigue, especially with the amount of T20 cricket they will have played since last year’s IPL.
Their rest and rotation policy will be of interest early in the tournament to see how they approach games such as their clash with Afghanistan (+50000) and to a lesser extent South Africa (+400).
Speaking of the Proteas, they have been hit hard by injuries with Wayne Parnell and Justin Kemp ruled out due to injuries picked up at the IPL.
Angry ginger-ninja Juan Theron comes in for Parnell, and his international debut will be closely watched by selectors to see if he has the mettle for the longer forms of the game.
With 17 wins from 26 international matches and the fact they are not playing at home, one of South Africa’s greatest weaknesses, the Proteas are my favorite for this tournament.
The performance of Jacques Kallis and Dale Steyn at this year’s IPL gives me confidence that they can take top honors at the ICC World Twenty20, nothing short of a major disaster will prevent them from making the Super Eights, and their group partner Afghanistan will provide them with zero challenge while their clash with India will be one of the top matches of the pool stages.
Sri Lanka offer plenty in the way of talent and should figure in the finals but are too inconsistent in this form of cricket while England, West Indies, and New Zealand could provide bettors looking for long shots some options. But again, they are far too inconsistent to challenge the top tier nations.
As for Ireland, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, this ICC World Twenty20 will give them much needed experience, but they are nothing more than cannon fodder for their group opposition. That being said, the future of T20 and the ICC World Twenty20 relies on the smaller nations competing and competing admirably at this level.
