2019 Cricket World Cup Betting: Australia vs West Indies

History tells us that Australia and the West Indies have produced some World Cup classics in the past and in 2019, they are primed to deliver a true thriller. The Australians are rightful favorites and should mount a challenge this year but don’t write off their opponents.

After years in the ODI wilderness, this current West Indian side has a great crop of youngsters who combine to make their side a strong outside bet for glory. Whatever may happen, Thursday’s game at Trent Bridge should be a real thriller.

Match Odds

The Aussies lead the way as you might expect and you can claim Aaron Finch’s men at -227. The numbers leave the Windies out at +175 and they have plenty of backers at that figure.

As we’ll discuss in the next section, much will depend on the form of Chris Gayle but the West Indians of 2019 are far from being a one-man team.

Key Battles

The key to this game could lie with Australia’s batsmen who have to face an impressive battery of West Indian fast bowlers. It’s not quite Holding, Roberts, Marshall and Garner or even Walsh and Ambrose but this 2019 pace quartet have a big future ahead of them.

Oshane Thomas, Sheldron Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel and the skipper Jason Holder can extract pace and bounce on any surface but this Trent Bridge pitch should certainly suit the West Indies’ quicks.

David Warner found immediate form on his return to international cricket against Afghanistan but this West Indian side will provide a much sterner test. Warner, Steve Smith and Aaron Finch will need to be at their best if their team is to claim another two points.

Elsewhere, we’ve mentioned that Chris Gayle is the key wicket for the Aussies to target. This is a talented young side but if Gayle falls early, then the pressure will be on some young heads. Darren Bravo is the only other experienced batsman in this squad but he is struggling for form so it really is all down to the Universe Boss, Chris Gayle.

Verdict

This young West Indian squad will receive one of its toughest examinations on Thursday. They’re being talked up in terms of a semifinal place but we’ll get a better sense of their credentials once they’ve played the five-time world champions.

As for our verdict, we suspect there will be some scares on the way for Australia and this West Indian pace battery can claim some prize scalps very cheaply. However, there is enough depth in the Aussie batting unit to pass 300 and as we’ve seen during this tournament, that type of figure is proving hard to chase down.

Australia’s bowlers are likely to have a plan for Chris Gayle. It may not be foolproof but you can be certain that Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and company will be confident of getting the Jamaican early. We expect them to succeed on this occasion and without Gayle’s runs, the rest of the order looks far too vulnerable.