Twenty20 World Cup
Twenty20 World Cup Spread Betting Preview
The battle of the big hitters is about to begin as the cricket circus heads to the Caribbean for the Twenty20 World Cup. Spread bettors can look forward to two-and-a-half weeks of thrilling blink-and-you'll-miss-it action, with four groups of three teams whittled down for a Super Eight stage before the semis then a winner takes all final on Sunday 16th May.
There will be plenty of individual games and countless spread betting markets for punters to get their teeth into. Sporting Index's Twenty20 traders have priced South Africa as the team to beat going into the tournament. A spread set at 25-28 in the outright index (winner = 60 points; runner-up = 40 points; lose semi-final = 20 points; lose in the Super Eight = 10 points; group stage = 0 points), means that any spread buyers of the Proteas' index will see a profit should they be one of the last remaining two teams in the competition. On the other hand, any spread sellers of Graham Smith's men's outright index at 25 will be doing so knowing that this a feat not yet achieved by the country after Super Eight elimination in the inaugural tournament and defeat in the semis last time out.
Spread punters looking to get with Sporting Index's joint-second favourites India will be buying the 2007 winners' outright index at 27 looking to be rewarded handsomely by a repeat victory. They couldn't, though, defend their title in 2009 after crashing out in the second round, and if they are to reproduce that form then it is the spread bettors selling at a price of 24 that will be jumping for joy. Michael Clarke?s Australia are priced identically to India before a ball has been bowled, and their band of Twenty20 specialists, including the explosive David Warner, will be cheered on by buyers of their outright index who are confident of an improvement on the shock group stage departure at last year's event in England. With Pakistan and Bangladesh for company in Group A, another pair of defeats in the first round this time would leave sellers of their spread ecstatic.
The only nation to have appeared in both finals are Pakistan - should the team progress beyond even the Super Eight stage, then buyers of their outright spread at 19 will be able to cash in. They will, though, be mindful of the fact that the World Cup?s all-time leading wicket-taker will be missing from the action after bowler Umar Gul had to withdraw from the squad. The paceman has struck 13 times in each competition and sits three ahead of compatriot Shahid Afridi on the leaderboard.
Many spread punters betting on the Twenty20 World Cup feel that England?s challenge is likely to be determined by their batting performance. Spread buyers of their outright index at 21 will be looking for the new opening partnership of South African born pair Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter to click immediately and power the Three Lions to the latter stages. The same spread buyers will be buoyed by Kevin Pietersen's return to form and confidence in the IPL, and will point to the fact that he sits fourth in the list of World Cup runs scorers, despite having played fewer matches than any of the other men in the top five as an incentive to buy the team's tournament runs at 840.
Sporting Index punters instead choosing to sell in both markets will remember two Super Eight exits and point to a 30 percent win rate from their ten games.
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