Last Updated on 2 weeks by Charbel Coorey
For cricket punters, the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is one of the most eagerly-awaited sports events. Currently, hosts India easily lead the way as the bookie’s favourite to win the World Cup after performing superbly in the group stage.
Australia stands second in the betting lineup, while South Africa ranks as the third favourite followed by 2015 and 2019 finalists New Zealand. Here’s a closer look at the bookie’s favourites at winning the 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup title.
2023 ODI World Cup odds: India look good to break their ICC trophy drought
India’s status as World Cup favourites has been cemented further by their impressive record of nine consecutive wins. Rohit Sharma’s side stands at 5/6 with leading bookies. Should India go all the way, it will be their third ODI World Cup title after last winning the tournament back in 2011.
The Indian side is yet to face any serious challenge in the tournament thus far, although they’re set to meet a capable New Zealand in their next game. During their eighth and ninth games against South Africa and Netherlands, the team posted totals of 326/5 and 410/4 before skittling their opponents for 83 and 250 respectively.
In the semi-final, how India deals with the threat of Trent Boult in particular can pave the way for victory.
The other semi-final games pits second favorites Australia against South Africa, who rank third to lift the trophy.
An impressive 201 innings by Glenn Maxwell turned a near-certain defeat into victory for Australia against Afghanistan. The Australians recovered from 91/7, chasing a target of 292. On the other hand, South Africa lost to the Netherlands and India in the group stage. However, the South African side is an absolute force to be reckoned with especially when batting first, and have every chance of beating Australia in the semi-final.
2023 ICC Men’s World Cup Betting Tips
With India still unchallenged for the better part of the tournament, they present a great opportunity for punters to wager. The host nation emerged victorious the last time the tournament was hosted in the subcontinent and it has remained extremely difficult for visiting nations to challenge them. The Indian side is familiar with the local pitches and it’s not often that the national team loses in ODI cricket.
England entered the tournament as the defending champions, but they had a horror tournament. Their loss at the hands of Afghanistan was arguably the biggest upset in the 2023 edition.
If you want something else besides the obvious choice, backing Australia might be an excellent idea. Australia has emerged victorious in the Men’s Cricket World Cup five times and their recent victory came in 2015 at home. However, the Australians have won the ICC Men’s cricket trophy four times away from home, including their impressive 1987 Cricket World Cup jointly hosted by Pakistan and India.
