Cricket: New Zealand offer value in open contest
SPORTS BETTING
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Your support makes all the difference.THE CRICKET World Cup starts on Friday, billed as "the most open ever." The bookies tend to agree. South Africa's one-day record is, by a margin, superior to any other nation, with 63 per cent of wins (all time) and nearly 80 per cent (since the last Cup). The relatively short odds for the title, however (best price 11-4 with Coral and Stanley) are not so attractive, and it could be better value just to back them to win group A (11-8 with Coral), rather than risk them slipping up in the knockout stages. Australia should win the other group. For those looking for a bit of value and a bit of an outsider, New Zealand are the recommended each-way wager for the tournament. Back them at 20-1 with Ladbrokes, the only bookies to be giving half the odds (rather than a third) on a top two finish. For the top batsman and wicket-taker tips, we turned to the experts. Andrew Tong of The Cricketer magazine takes Sachin Tendulkar to be the former and Glenn McGrath the latter.
This week's football might see Leeds draw with Arsenal, Manchester United beat Blackburn (but at unbackable odds) and a draw in 90 minutes in the Uefa Cup final between Marseilles and Parma.
It would be easy to miss the B&H International golf in Oxfordshire, but it could be worth having a flutter on South African Retief Goosen, last week's French Open winner, at 20-1 with William Hill.
MIDWEEK FOOTBALL
C H L S T
Leeds 3-1 11-4 5-2 7-2 11-4
draw 11-5 9-4 9-4 12-5 5-2
Arsenal 4-5 5-6 10-11 4-6 8-11
Blackburn 9-2 5-1 5-1 4-1 -
draw 10-3 5-2 10-3 7-2 -
Man Utd 2-5 1-2 2-5 4-9 -
UEFA CUP FINAL
C S T
Parma 8-11 4-5 8-11
draw 15-8 2-1 11-5
Marseilles 4-1 100-30 100-30
C Coral, H William Hill, L Ladbrokes, S Stanley, T Tote
CRICKET WORLD CUP (TO WIN OUTRIGHT)
C H L S T
South Africa 11-4 5-2 5-2 11-4 9-4
Australia 3-1 10-3 10-3 3-1 10-3
Pakistan 4-1 4-1 7-2 9-2 5-1
England 6-1 11-2 5-1 11-2 5-1
Sri Lanka 9-1 10-1 10-1 8-1 9-1
India 10-1 10-1 10-1 9-1 9-1
West Indies 9-1 9-1 9-1 10-1 9-1
New Zealand 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 14-1
Zimbabwe 80-1 80-1 66-1 100-1 66-1
Kenya 200 500 250 250 750
Bangladesh 500 500 500 250 1500
Scotland 1000 1000 500 500 3000
Each-way, 1/2 odds, 1, 2 (C, H, S & T 1/3 odds, 1,2)
TO WIN GROUP A
C H L S T
South Africa 11-8 10-11 6-5 5-4 Evs
England 5-2 11-4 11-4 11-4 11-4
Sri Lanka 9-2 11-2 9-2 4-1 9-2
India 11-2 11-2 9-2 9-2 9-2
Zimbabwe 16-1 25-1 20-1 25-1 22-1
Kenya 100 150 125 100 150
TO WIN GROUP B
C H L S T
Australia 6-5 11-10 6-5 5-4 Evs
Pakistan 2-1 2-1 6-4 13-8 7-4
West Indies 9-2 9-2 5-1 9-2 5-1
New Zealand 13-2 7-1 7-1 13-2 6-1
Bangladesh 100 100 150 100 250
Scotland 150 200 200 200 500
TOP BATSMAN*
C H L S T
M Waugh (Aus) 12-1 11-1 10-1 12-1 12-1
Tendulkar (Ind) 12-1 14-1 10-1 12-1 12-1
Lara (WI) 12-1 12-1 10-1 10-1 12-1
Lehmann (Aus) 16-1 16-1 20-1 28-1 25-1
S Waugh (Aus) 20-1 20-1 20-1 33-1 20-1
Ul Haq (Pak) 20-1 20-1 16-1 16-1 25-1
Jayasuriya (SL) 20-1 20-1 20-1 25-1 20-1
Gilchrist (Aus) 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1
Ijaz (Pak) 20-1 16-1 20-1 20-1 20-1
Kirsten (SA) 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1 20-1
Kallis (SA) 20-1 14-1 20-1 20-1 25-1
Hick (Eng) 20-1 20-1 20-1 16-1 20-1
* to finish World Cup as outright top scorer
TOP WICKET TAKER*
C H L S T
McGrath (Aus) 8-1 9-1 8-1 8-1 13-2
Wasim (Pak) 12-1 16-1 14-1 16-1 16-1
Donald (SA) 12-1 16-1 14-1 14-1 14-1
Warne (Aus) 14-1 14-1 12-1 20-1 20-1
Dale (Aus) 16-1 16-1 16-1 20-1 20-1
Kumble (Ind) 16-1 25-1 16-1 16-1 16-1
Shoaib (Pak) 16-1 12-1 12-1 12-1 14-1
Pollock (SA) 16-1 14-1 12-1 14-1 9-1
Gough (Eng) 16-1 16-1 14-1 14-1 11-1
Muralith'n (SL) 20-1 20-1 16-1 14-1 16-1
Fleming (Aus) 25-1 20-1 25-1 40-1 20-1
Younis (Pak) 20-1 20-1 25-1 25-1 20-1
* to finish World Cup with most wickets overall
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