Betting Blog

England still favoured for ODIs despite Barbados blip

We are set for a series showdown in the final two contests. But the bookmakers aren't perturbed

Sheldon Cottrell celebrates the dismissal of Adil Rashid during the 2nd ODI between West Indies and England  •  AFP

Sheldon Cottrell celebrates the dismissal of Adil Rashid during the 2nd ODI between West Indies and England  •  AFP

England laid down a stunning marker in their opening ODI in the Caribbean, chasing down a hefty target of 361 with such dismissive ease, you wondered if anything would be able to derail them in their final preparations ahead of this summer's World Cup.
But then up popped Sheldon Cottrell and Shimron Hetmyer with ball and bat respectively, as England slumped from a seemingly nailed-on 2-0 series lead to 1-1 with three to play, which rapidly became two after a wash-out in Grenada.
That set us up for a series showdown in the final two contests. But the bookmakers aren't perturbed, with England still hefty favourites to seal the series and cement their status as World Cup favourites.
They are 3/10 to secure the spoils in the remaining two matches, compared to West Indies' 5/2, and that shrinks to 4/9 and 7/4 respectively for today's fourth ODI.
For the fourth ODI itself, the man most favoured to make the difference for England is Joe Root, who scored a key century in the opening match and is 7/1 to be Man of the Match on this occasion. Jason Roy, his fellow centurion, is 8/1, alongside Jonny Bairstow.
But perhaps the value lies in backing the Windies to produce another upset. Hetmyer is a distant 16/1 to back up his MoM efforts in Barbados, while Cottrell is even further out at 20/1.