3 minute read

One of the biggest sporting events this year is the Cricket World Cup and Racing and Sports will cover some of the feature matches of the tournament.

We'll provide a look at the form going in and a few betting predictions.

ENGLAND V NEW ZEALAND

Sunday 14 July @ Lord's

And so it comes down to this 48th match of the Tournament. A World Cup Final that seems more at home at Twickenham or Eden Park than Lord's.

We have a colonising powerhouse of centuries gone by and a little antipodean nation giving their all. The cricketing world know who they will be cheering for and it's the one who knows who its Prime Minister is.

England enter the Final on a high. They gave Australia a fearful shellacking at Edgbaston. It began with the first ball of the second over and ended with balls flashing into and over the boundary.

While there was every likelihood this would happen given the upward spiral England were on and the Aussies spluttering fortunes (curtailed by injury), it was still an old fashioned thrashing.

From Jofra Archer searing into Finch's pads through a proper cricketing dismissal of Warner and Handscomb's technical flaws, the game was effectively over at 3-14.

Even accounting for Smith's application and Carey's bravery (doing his best Rick McCosker impressions), England's effort to only need 224 was a credit to their full innings of unrelenting pressure.

Only early wickets would tell and yet balls kept disappearing. The game was over.

This has been a well-timed campaign by England. They have multiple flat-batting whackers at the top, some class in Joe Root and several more tonkers in Stokes and Buttler who can take the game away from the opponents.

As well as the sheer pace of a Bajan quickie in Archer alongside Wood and the swing of Woakes, early trouble awaits.

As for the Kiwis, while their upset of India was not foreseen by most, you could sense there were scenarios which meant a competitive total at Old Trafford would make India squirm.

A vast percentage of India's tournament runs came from the openers and Kohli. To use some footy terminology, the middle order had seen very little of it.

So once Matt Henry and Trent Boult had reduced them to 4-24, it was game on. Santner's amazing intervention bowling nude cherries was the icing.

Undoubtedly they were helped by Dhoni batting more like someone trying to save a game for far too long, New Zealand's forthright approach and field placings were of the highest order.

Kane Williamson might be by so far their best batsman but he raised the flagpole of a grand captain too by keeping slips in and not relinquishing the pressure. It worked like a charm.

You suspect they won't be able to get away with under 250 again in the Final but it was about assessing and then re-assessing conditions.

Both teams will go in unchanged unless someone does a GD McGrath and rolls his ankle before the toss like he famously did before a test match.

For any neutrals, you'd love New Zealand to win the toss and bat. That should at least give them best chance.

Since Lord's entered the fray back in late June, there have been four games played at the Home Of Cricket.

Each team batting first has won. England and New Zealand both played Australia and both lost fairly comprehensively in the end.

The average score batting first has been 287 and the average batting second total is 214. That toss could be crucial.

Overhead conditions could influence but surely you bat and try to apply scoreboard pressure in the Final.

In the 11 World Cup Finals played, 7 were won setting and 4 chasing. The first three Finals were here and all saw the burden fall too much on the second teams to bat.

1999 was the only time it wasn't but Australia had knocked Pakistan over for 132 – a procession it became via some Gilchristian magic.

We need a Final of excitement as very few have held the drama through to its finale. This has still been a good World Cup however.

We can rejoice in a couple of positive factors including the format even if some lesser nations weren't here. We've witnessed some brilliant catches like those of Stokes, Smith, Guptill and Cottrell.

Some special deliveries but none as skilful and simultaneously scary as Mitchell Starc's yorker to Ben Stokes at Lord's.

Despite all these, and the record of Rohit Sharma in scoring five centuries, the Player Of The Tournament hopefully will go to Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan who scored 606 runs at a strike rate of 96 and took 11 wickets at an economy rate of 5. What an achievement that would be from a team who didn't hit the heights.

Let's try for a couple of final plays on the big one to end what has been a fun tournament to bet on. Hope we've made you a little money as well.

Kane Williamson is by far New Zealand's best batsman, most inform batsman and temperamentally their best – he deserves to be top run scorer.

Watch for some early movement and if Boult can remove the right handers who don't enjoy lefties, the middle order could top score. Morgan and Stokes look value.

Disappointingly logic says England has too many weapons and will become the Land of Hope and Glory.

Enjoy the final – we are all kiwis until Monday morning!!

Match Prediction: England to win its first ICC Mens Cricket World Cup Final

Suggested Bets: Kane Williamson – NZ Hi Bat @ $3.00

Suggested Bets: Eoin Morgan – Eng Hi Bat @ $6.00

Suggested Bets: Ben Stokes – Eng Hi Bat @ $8.00

Suggested Bets: Ben Stokes – Over 30.5 Runs @ $1.87