Match 48 - Final – England v New Zealand
Ground – Lords
Date and scheduled start – Sunday 14thJuly at 10.30am
Weather – Dry with light cloud, sunny intervals by mid-afternoon
Exchange win odds – England 1.33, New Zealand 4.0
New Zealand form at Lords – 1 defeat from 1 match (Australia)
England form at Lords – 1 win from 1 match (Australia)
Head to head form in the tournament – England defeated New Zealand by 119 runs at the Riverside
After 45 days of competition we finally reach the denouement of the ICC World Cup. England face New Zealand at HQ for this most prestigious trophy. Whatever the outcome, at the close of play today there will a new name on the roll of honour.
Both teams have had less than straightforward routes to the final, both starting well before having a bad series of results when their ability to reach the final was seriously questioned. The media were seriously starting to criticise England before two important wins against New Zealand and India restored confidence and their 8 wicket win over Australia in the semi-final was nothing short of spectacular.
New Zealand started well and seemed to be coasting towards a semi-final place before losing form and rather limping over the finish line. However, they showed their ability and fighting spirit by making the most of a difficult Old Trafford pitch to run out worthy winners.
Few would argue that, man for man, England have the stronger team and their status as the highest rated one-day team in the world bears this out. On the batting side, England bring one of the most ferociously dangerous line-ups ever seen with potential to score quick runs running deep into the squad. Another factor in England’s favour is their comprehensive win over New Zealand in the round robin part of the event.
Yet New Zealand are a dangerous team, who you under-estimate at your peril. They have an ability to outperform their collective talent and beat any team on any particular occasion. In Trent Boult, they have one of the best bowlers in the tournament and his swing could cause a lot of damage. Interestingly, a weather front will be passing through West London at around the start of play, which might just make playing conditions rather tricky.
This means that the odds on England winning are about right and that is no value in the match win market.
However, I do think there is some value in the top batsman market and this will be provided in the blog bet.
