2019 Cricket World Cup Betting: England vs Australia

It’s one of the oldest rivalries in sport but at the 2019 Cricket World Cup, there is much more riding on England vs Australia. Pre-tournament favorite and host nation England seemed certain to make the semifinals but Friday’s shock defeat to Sri Lanka suddenly makes this a must-win game.

The Aussies certainly won’t make it easy: Aaron Finch’s men have lost just one game, to India, and they won’t be in the mood to do their old enemies any favors.

Match Odds

Despite losing two matches to outside bets, England remains the favorite to win Tuesday’s match at odds of -135. It’s a figure that leaves Australia at +110 and we can see why there will be plenty of interest in Finch’s men.

Even before England’s Friday defeat, we suspected there would be some value in backing the Aussies but before we commit fully, we’ll take a look at the areas where this match will be won and lost.

Key Battles

England will be hoping that Jason Roy can win his fitness battle and take his place in the XI. The opener appears to be hopeful rather than confident of making the cut and we think he is vital to the hosts’ chances.

Roy exploded with 153 against Bangladesh before pulling up with a hamstring issue in the following game. His replacement, James Vince, is a stylish batsman but he just hasn’t scored heavily enough. England needs Roy’s power as opposed to Vince’s finesse if it is to stand any chance here.

The key battle could be between England’s front-line bowlers and Australia’s Sportsbook pair of David Warner and Aaron Finch. Jofra Archer’s inclusion in the squad is clearly justified as the paceman is currently joint leading wicket taker and he has returned the most maidens in this tournament so far.

Archer and Mark Wood are the quickest among the bowlers at this World Cup but they will need all of that economy to contain Warner and Finch. The openers put on 121 against Bangladesh last time out but that isn’t even their best in this tournament. Against Pakistan, the pair put on 146 while Warner has also been involved in the highest partnership of this tournament, putting on 192 with Usman Khawaja against Bangladesh.

Verdict

This isn’t looking good for England: They may have demolished the Aussies in a home ODI series last summer but their opponents are much stronger with David Warner and Steve Smith restored to the side.

We hadn’t even mentioned Smith up to this point but the former skipper has a good record against England. The home side needs early wickets but we’re backing Smith to come in at three or four and make the major contribution with the bat.

Further bad news for England sees the Aussie new ball pair of Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins fit and firing. Faced with pitches that aren’t geared to their strengths, England’s batters have struggled at times and we expect their misery to continue at Lord’s on Tuesday.