Cricket

England have bounced back from their Cricket World Cup blip in emphatic fashion and are worthy favourites to beat New Zealand in the final at Lord's. The Black Caps were crushed by Australia in the 2015 decider in Melbourne and may again have their limitations exposed by fired-up hosts. More...

England are already used to playing in a high-pressure environment heading into the Cricket World Cup semi-finals and that can help them edge out Australia. The Three Lions needed to beat India and New Zealand to get this far and came through both of those tough tests with flying colours. More...

India were our pre-tournament selection for Cricket World Cup glory and we see no reason to desert them ahead of a semi-final clash with New Zealand. The Men in Blue only lost to England during the round-robin stage, whereas the Black Caps started strongly but finished with three straight defeats. More...

Australia are expected to wrap up top spot in the Cricket World Cup round-robin table by brushing aside South Africa in Birmingham. The Aussies will be keen to finish at the summit in order to secure a semi-final clash with neighbours New Zealand, rather than having to tackle hosts England. More...

India can put a little bit of pressure on Australia in the race to top the Cricket World Cup table by seeing off Sri Lanka in Leeds. The Men in Blue have won 12 of the 14 ODI encounters between these sides over the past five years and are a short price to further enhance that head-to-head record. More...

Pakistan need a miracle to qualify for the World Cup semi-finals and that could make them vulnerable when taking on Bangladesh at Lord's. The Falcons must win by 316 runs or more to make the top four, while they are automatically out if losing the toss and being forced to field. More...

West Indies will be disappointed with their Cricket World Cup exploits but they can salvage some pride by seeing off Afghanistan in Leeds. Their opponents are assured of picking up the round-robin stage wooden spoon for finishing bottom of the table following eight straight defeats. More...

India suffered a first Cricket World Cup defeat against England on Sunday but are expected to bounce straight back when returning to Edgbaston to take on Bangladesh. The Tigers will be content with their efforts so far, but have lost to three of the teams in the top four and must now face the other. More...

Sri Lanka still have the faintest of hopes of reaching the Cricket World Cup semi-finals and are value to beat an already-eliminated West Indies in Durham. The Crusaders have won four of the last five ODI encounters between these underachieving sides and should be hungrier for success here. More...

India have been clinically efficient at the Cricket World Cup but their style of play may leave them vulnerable against England at Edgbaston. Virat Kohli's men prefer to take a measured approach when batting in this format, whereas the Three Lions are capable of scoring more quickly when on song. More...

Australia are only one point ahead of New Zealand at the top of the Cricket World Cup table but we feel they have been far more convincing at this tournament. The Kiwis scraped through several tight tussles, but their luck ran out versus Pakistan and this is a tough task to take on next time out. More...

Pakistan are still very much in the hunt for a place in the Cricket World Cup semi-finals and can enhance their prospects by brushing aside Afghanistan in Leeds. The Falcons are coming off wins over South Africa and New Zealand and now face opponents who have suffered seven straight defeats. More...

Sri Lanka still have an outside chance of making the Cricket World Cup semi-finals and that makes them a value bet to beat already-eliminated South Africa. The Proteas have been bitterly disappointing during this tournament and travelling up to Durham at this stage will be a stiff test of their resolve. More...

India appear to be marching imperiously towards the Cricket World Cup semi-finals and are hot favourites to end any hopes of a West Indies rally at Old Trafford. However, it has been interesting to note how the Men in Blue like to build steadily when batting, rather than going gung-ho from the outset. More...

New Zealand are flying high in the Cricket World Cup group-stage table but could be worth opposing with a Pakistan side fighting for survival in this tournament. The Black Caps are unbeaten, with five wins and a washout, but have had the rub of the green in several close encounters. More...

Afghanistan gave India an almighty scare over the weekend but we're still backing Bangladesh to prove a cut above in Southampton. The Tigers have enjoyed a fine tournament so far, notably beating South Africa and the West Indies, buoyed by some stellar batting performances. More...

South Africa and Pakistan both look destined to make an early exit from the Cricket World Cup but preference is for the former when they clash at Lord's. They played well in defeat versus New Zealand last Wednesday and could well have won that contest if their usually reliable fielding had been on point. More...

New Zealand versus West Indies represents a clash of Cricket World Cup styles and siding with the cool, calm and collected Kiwis is a percentage pick. The Black Caps have battled through a few tricky situations to win all four completed fixtures and may have too much nous for more gung-ho opponents. More...

Afghanistan have predictably struggled against the top teams at the Cricket World Cup and are unlikely to buck that trend when taking on India in Southampton. The Men in Blue have won all three of their completed matches in convincing fashion and look on course to cruise into the semi-finals. More...

England can continue their march towards the Cricket World Cup semi-finals by brushing aside a dispirited Sri Lanka outfit at Headingley. The Three Lions have rattled off four wins in five matches, whereas their opponents have only beaten Afghanistan from three completed fixtures. More...

Bangladesh are battling bravely to stay in the Cricket World Cup but will find Australia a tough nut to crack at Trent Bridge on Thursday. The holders have prevailed in four of their five matches, only losing out to India, and appear to have found a nice rhythm in all aspects of the game. More...

South Africa enjoyed a morale-boosting triumph over Afghanistan on Saturday and may now be value to beat New Zealand at odds against. The Black Caps are unbeaten after four matches at the Cricket World Cup but did benefit from a kind fixture list before their clash with India was washed out. More...

England will look to close in on a place in the Cricket World Cup semi-finals by brushing aside tournament outsiders Afghanistan at Old Trafford. The hosts have won three of their four matches so far, whereas their opponents have predictably fallen to a quartet of convincing defeats. More...

The West Indies and Bangladesh will be keen to get their World Cup campaigns back on track as both teams look to climb the standings with a much-needed victory on Monday. The two sides began the competition with wins, with the West Indies dismantling Pakistan and Bangladesh holding off South Africa in a shock 21-run triumph. More...

Pakistan will be looking to replicate their Champions Trophy heroics when they bid to get their World Cup campaign back on track against India. Sarfaraz Ahmed's side, who were beaten by Australia on Wednesday, stunned their arch rivals in the 2017 showpiece at the Oval. More...

Sri Lanka will be keen to avoid the rain as they attempt to kick-start their World Cup campaign after back-to-back washouts. The Lions have struggled in their two completed matches, following a 10-wicket thumping by New Zealand with an unconvincing win over minnows Afghanistan, and face an in-form Australia. More...

South Africa are in desperate need of a win against Afghanistan after picking up only one point from their first four World Cup games. The Proteas had a nightmare opening week to the tournament with three defeats before a washout against West Indies got them off the mark. More...

England will go into their fourth Cricket World Cup clash looking to cement their place in the top four when they take on the dangerous West Indies. The tournament hosts sit in fourth place ahead of the clash in Southampton and can move up to second with victory on Friday. More...

Australia are looking to continue their fine record against Pakistan at Taunton on Wednesday. The Aussies, looking for a response following a defeat to India, have beaten Pakistan in 14 of their last 15 one-day internationals. More...

Bangladesh need to kick-start their Cricket World Cup campaign after suffering back-to-back defeats. Sri Lanka were thumped by New Zealand in their opener and although they responded with a win over minnows Afghanistan, the rain ruined their game with Pakistan. The pair both have three wins in their last seven one-day international meetings. More...