English Cricket Set for Huge Summer with ICC World Cup and Ashes Series

Tags: Cricket World Cup 2019, England

Published on: Apr 13, 2019

England and Wales once again take centre stage in the cricket world with two major events taking place where the game was invented this summer.

As hosts of the 2019 ICC World Cup, the 50 overs format generates global attention and kicks off on Thursday, 30 May.

Trevor Bayliss' team will start the tournament with an ODI against South Africa at The Oval. This is the first of 45 group stage matches in which the ten competing cricket nations all play one another in a round robin format.

The four with the highest number of points, or in the event of a tie the best net run rate, then advance to the semi-finals. Those knockout games take place on 9 and 11 July with the final at Lord's on Sunday 14.

England are 9/4 favourites to win the ICC World Cup, ahead of dual champions India at 11/4 and the holders Australia, who are 9/2 and have lifted the trophy a record five times.South Africa, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the West Indies, Bangladesh and Afghanistan make up the rest of the competition.

As the side at the top of the ICC One Day rankings, England not only have home advantage for the tournament, but are also rated the best 50 overs side in the world despite the fact they've never won the World Cup

There is strength in depth to Bayliss' boys, but the same can be said of India and Australia, too, now that disgraced batting trio David Warner, Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft have served their suspensions for a ball-tampering scandal.

Speaking of the Baggy Greens, The Ashes enmity between them and England reignites later on in the summer with the latest series involving these bitter rivals doubtless keeping lovers of the longer form of the game enthralled.

Bookmakers bet365 offer special cricket betting odds of 5/1 for a double delight of England lifting the World Cup and The Ashes. This would be an unprecedented level of success and there's little time between the One Day tournament and switching back to the Test format. Edgbaston hosts the first Ashes Test which starts on Thursday, 1 August. The series then moves on to Lord's (14-18 August), Headingley (22-26 August), Old Trafford (4-8 September) and concludes at The Oval (12-16 September).

This is a gruelling schedule for players like Joe Root who are involved in all forms of cricket. Australia are formidable opposition for England, especially if they do recall the likes Bancroft, Smith and Warner for the World Cup and/or The Ashes.

Competition is intense, but littered with great moments in cricket history. Who can forget Stuart Broad's magic spell of bowling at Trent Bridge and career-best figures of 8-15 when England bowled the Baggies Greens out for 60 on day one of the fourth Test during the 2015 Ashes series?

Every player involved on both sides of The Ashes divide raises their game during it. There promises to be extra spice and plenty of drama during this year's series.

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