James Anderson will be hoping to keep West Indies from ending England's dreams of World Cup glory in the group stage
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England go into their final group match of the 2011 World Cup on Thursday with a very simple equation; beat West Indies and they have a good chance of reaching the quarter-finals; lose and they are out.
Their defeat by Bangladesh has left them vulnerable to an early exit and if Bangladesh beat South Africa in their final match then they will be going home, no matter what they do against West Indies. But all things being equal, South Africa should do their bit, so England have to give everything to see off West Indies on Thursday.
The match will be played on the same ground where England came back to beat South Africa and that low-scoring match suggests that whichever side finds a way to get decent runs on the board could be crucial.
Bet365 make England 4/6 to win it, with West Indies 5/4 and though West Indies have plenty of firepower and on their day can match it with the best, if South Africa beat Bangladesh as they should, they could almost certainly still qualify even if they lose both to England and to India in their final group match.
Cambers' Calls
- England to beat West Indies - 4/6 bet365
Motivation and necessity are vital in these kind of matches and if England's players want to stay in the competition, they have to produce their best. Illnesses to Andrew Strauss and Graeme Swann in recent days have not helped their preparation but on paper, even in one-day cricket, England should win this match.
The great thing about this format - and you won't hear that phrase too often - is that basically it's all about getting into the quarter-finals and it really doesn't matter whether you do it with a perfect record or scrape through on run-rate. Once you're there, each match is pretty much 50-50 and anyone can win the whole thing.
Chris Gayle can destroy any attack when it's his day so it will be vital that England get him out early, which will require some tight bowling from James Anderson and Co. Gayle is the 3/1 favourite to come out on top for his side, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul 7/2 and Devon Smith 4/1. Darren Bravo is 9/2 and Ramnaresh Sarwan 5/1.
For England, Strauss remains favourite despite his illness, at 10/3 with bet365, while Jonathan Trott is next at 7/2, Ian Bell and Matt Prior 9/2 and Eoin Morgan 5/1. England might need Morgan on song later in their innings.
But in a match like this, it's simply all about winning and England, better on paper and with their need by far the greater, should do it, so 4/6 looks a good price.
Please note that odds are correct at time of publication and are subject to change.
Simon Cambers is ESPN.co.uk's betting correspondent
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Simon Cambers
Simon Cambers is ESPN.co.uk's betting correspondant Simon Cambers is ESPN.co.uk's betting correspondant
