England switch focus to World Cup

England coach Andy Flower has set a new goal of lifting the World Cup after his side became number one in the Test world rankings (7/1 England to win World Cup 2015 with bet365).

England beat India by an innings at Edgbaston on Saturday to take a 3-0 lead in the four-match series and ensure their status as the best in the world at that form of the game (England 11/10 to win 4th Test, India 11/2, Draw 7/5).

And, as reigning World Twenty20 champions, the only summit left to conquer for Flower’s men will be the next 50 over World Cup, to be held in Australia and New Zealand in 2015.

Flower said: “There’s no way our goal will be just trying to maintain that status. We’ve got to have something more exciting than that.

“England has never won a 50-over World Cup so 2015 is something we’ve already started planning towards.”

England suffered a 10-wicket defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka in the quarter-finals of the 2011 World Cup, after which Andrew Strauss retired from one-day cricket to focus on the Test side.

Sri Lanka expecting tough England challenge

Sri Lanka coach Trevor Bayliss has dismissed England’s injury problems and patchy form going into their World Cup quarter-final clash on Saturday (Sri Lanka 1/2, England 13/8 in the match betting with bet365) and insists he is expecting a tough challenge.

Key batsman Kevin Pietersen and strike bowlers Stuart Broad and Ajmal Shahzad have all been ruled out of the rest of the tournament for England after picking up injuries in the group stages.

The team’s form has been of some concern to coach Andy Flower as well because progression was far from guaranteed after the side suffered shock defeats to Ireland and Bangladesh, with England eventually going through when the latter failed to beat South Africa in their final match.

However, Bayliss is taking nothing for granted and is preparing Sri Lanka (9/2 with bet365 to lift the trophy) as if England will be bringing their ‘A’ game.

“English teams always have strong back-ups, they’ve obviously lost a few players due to injury but their back-up strength is usually deep and they are professionals, so it will be a tough game on Saturday,” said Bayliss.

“They have played very good cricket and have had close situations towards the end of the game.

“Somewhere along the line England will have a good game, so we are going to approach this match as though they are playing some very good cricket. We are under no illusions.”

Sri Lanka have home advantage with the match taking place in Colombo, starting at 0900 GMT on Saturday, with the winners set to face either New Zealand or South Africa, who play on Friday, in the semi-finals.

Nielsen puts pressure on India

Coach Tim Nielsen says Australia will go into their World Cup quarter-final (India 8/11, Australia 11/10 – Stan James Match Prices) against India with “no fear” and believes the pressure will be on the home side.

The two one-day heavyweights will go head-to-head in the last eight on Thursday in front of a packed house in Ahmedabad.

India (7/2 – Tournament Outright) had been favourites to take the title at the start of the tournament, but no side has stood out above the rest in the group stages.

Neilsen feels the co-hosts “won’t be looking forward” to facing the Aussies, who are in search of their fourth consecutive World Cup title (16/1 Australia v England final).

The expectations of the home crowd could also have a bearing on the result, something the Australia coach feels his players could use to their advantage.

Neilsen said: “There’s some pressure there and if we can start the game well and maybe quieten the crowd that will play on the mind of the Indian team.”

England can cope with pressure – Strauss

Andrew Strauss has reiterated his belief that England (13/2 Outright Winners with Stan James) can win the World Cup and feels his players have shown they can perform on the “big stage”.

England (11/4 to win World Cup Group B) arrived in Bangladesh on Sunday to start their preparations in earnest for the upcoming tournament, which starts on February 19.

The build-up to the tournament has been hardly ideal, with a 5-1 ODI series defeat to Australia and just three days at home before flying out to Asia.

But having won the Ashes and World Twenty20 in recent months, Strauss (33/1 to be tournament top batsman) feels England have the mental toughness to cope with the pressure at the World Cup.

The opener said: “We’re here to win it, and we feel like we’ve got an excellent chance. We’ve got some pretty firm ideas about how we want to go about our cricket here, and we hope we take some other sides by surprise by doing that.”

Strauss also believes the one-day hammering in Australia could be a “huge motivating factor” for the players, with England’s first game coming against the Netherlands on February 22.

Bopara flies in as Morgan ruled out

England’s injury depleted World Cup squad has been handed another blow with the news that Eoin Morgan’s broken finger will keep him out of the entire tournament.

The batsman suffered a serious fracture in his left hand during the one-day series against Australia and has been forced to accept he needs surgery on the problem.

It is a major blow for the England team that is still sweating on the fitness of several other key players ahead of their departure to the sub-continent, with Tim Bresnan, Graeme Swann, Ajmal Shahzad and Paul Collingwood all returning home from Australia early with injuries. Anyone thinking about placing a cricket free bet on the side should remember this.

While Morgan’s recent form hasn’t been as electric as when he first burst on the international scene but his average of 38 in the middle order adds an extra dimension to England’s line-up. Morgan was a key factor in his side’s triumph at last year’s T20 World Cup and Bopara will have a job on his hands to fill the boots of the Irishman.

The absence of Morgan has prompted a recall for all-rounder Ravi Bopara, who will also bring the added bonus of his ability to turn his arm over. The Essex batsman has been out of the one-day side for a while but head coach Andy Flower has backed Bopara to step-up to the plate in the World Cup.

He said: “No one is irreplaceable and as I have said Ravi is a very talented player. He will also bring a bit of medium pace bowling that will help out the captain in those middle overs in the sub-continent.”

Swann on comeback trail

England star Graeme Swann is cautiously optimistic that he will be okay to play in the World Cup as he prepares to begin bowling in the nets after knee and back problems (England 6/1 with bet365 to win World Cup).

The 31-year-old was forced to fly home during England’s 6-1 ODI defeat to Australia after first picking up a knee injury and then suffering a back problem.

The Nottinghamshire man has become a vital part of the England set-up in all forms of the game with his ability to take key wickets at important times in matches.

He can also contribute with the bat down the order and has a safe pair of hands in the slips so coach Andy Flower is desperate for the former Northants man to be in the side for the Asian show-piece, which begins in just a couple of weeks.

Swann took 15 wickets in the 3-1 Ashes triumph Down Under, including a five-wicket haul at the Adelaide Oval as England won the second Test to take a 1-0 lead in the series (England 4/7 with bet365 to win Ashes in 2013).

He is set to play a big part in the World Cup, with the sub-continental conditions tailor-made for his type of bowling, and is expected to bowl in tandem with Sussex spinner Michael Yardy.

Swann is quietly confident of being fully fit for the tournament but admits that anything could happen when he turns his arm over on Tuesday.

“I’m not fully fit but I’m getting there,” he told BBC Radio 5 Live. “I haven’t had a bowl yet. I’ll be doing that on Tuesday. I’m a little bit nervous about it but I should be fine.”

Bowler could miss England WC opener

Andy Flower has indicated that Tim Bresnan is a major doubt for England opening game of the World Cup (India 3/1f Outright Winners with Stan James), due to a calf injury.

The Yorkshireman was one of five players to suffer problems during the current ODI series with Australia – which is set to end in Perth on Sunday (Australia 4/5, England Evs – 7th ODI Match Prices).

The other players causing concern for the selectors are Paul Collingwood, Graeme Swann, Ajmal Shahzad and Chris Tremlett, with team director Flower bemoaning the length of the ODI series down under.

With England’s opening World Cup game against Holland less than three weeks away (Feb 22), Bresnan is the biggest worry.

Flower revealed: “He (Bresnan) is not a man who has suffered injuries, or not many injuries in the past, and hopefully he will recover very quickly and be ready somewhere near the start of the World Cup.”

Collingwood (16/1 England – Top World Cup Batsman) was the latest player to return home early from Australia, but Flower remains “confident” that he will recover in time from back spasms.

Ponting fitness race

Ricky Ponting is winning his battle to be fit for the upcoming Cricket World Cup (Australia 11/2 Outright Winners with Stan James), after coming through a net session on Tuesday.

The Australia skipper has been sidelined since in December, when he fractured his little figure trying to take a catch in the third Ashes Test.

Ponting (4/1 Top Australia World Cup Batsman) recently underwent surgery to resolve the issue and seems to be on course for a place in the squad for the 50-day showpiece last this month.

The 36-year-old batted in the nets in Sydney on Tuesday and after his one hour outdoor session at the SCG, the signs look promising.

Meanwhile, Australia will be without Shaun Marsh for the rest of the ODI series against England due to a hamstring strain (Australia 5/6, England 10/11 – Match Prices).

The left-handed opener is expected to be fit for the World Cup, but will be replaced by Callum Ferguson for the final two matches of the series.

The defending champions will play Zimbabwe in their first match of the World Cup in Ahmedabad on February 21.

Flintoff: Colly needs a break

Paul Collingwood would be best served by taking a break to ensure he can focus on the World Cup with England (5/1 to win tournament with bet365), according to Andrew Flintoff.

The all-rounder and former England captain claims the Durham man could benefit from returning home early and spending some time with his family, especially as his wife is expecting a child next month.

Collingwood has been suffering from a run of poor performances, and during the Ashes Test series he managed only 83 runs in the five games.

In the one-day series, the batsman hit scores of 16, six and one in the first three England defeats, before showing some return to form as he hit 27 to help the visitors win the fourth one-day game by 21 runs.

England open their World Cup campaign against Holland on February 22 and an in-form Collingwood (11/1 to be top England batsman in 5th ODI v Australia with bet365) would give the side a vital boost for the tournament.

Flintoff claims he found it better to “get away” when going through a poor period as sometimes players can “try too hard” to get some form back.

“I’d be tempted for him to come home, because in the World Cup we’re going to be need him playing well,” Flintoff said.

“When it’s not happening, you practice and you work so hard and you’re thinking about it, you’re dissecting your technique and you’re thinking about what’s going on.

“Just have a break. It’s amazing when you come back, everything you thought was going wrong just disappears.”

Afridi quit to focus on World Cup

Shahid Afridi says he decided to quit Test cricket with Pakistan so he can concentrate all of his efforts on winning the World Cup next year (Pakistan 15/2 to win 2011 WC).

Afridi announced his decision to retire from the five-day format on Friday, with the second and final Test against Australia – which begins at Headingley on Wednesday (Pakistan 13/2, Australia 4/6 to win) – his last Test.

The 30-year-old enjoys the shorter form of the game more and is determined to win the World Cup in Asia before he eventually retires from the game altogether.

“I took a decision which I felt was right and now all my concentration is on the limited overs series against England which will be our first step towards winning next year’s World Cup,” Afridi told AFP.

“I have won the World Twenty20, beaten England and India in Tests at home and have achieved some other milestones as well, but before I leave the game I want to win the World Cup,”

Pakistan’s ODI squad to take on England will be named next month and you can keep track of all the deveopments by following the latest cricket betting news.