England Women v India Women predictions: In-form opener can hurt England bowlers

Free cricket tips, best bets and analysis for England Women v India Women in the World Cup on Wednesday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Cricket & Main Event, 1am Wednesday

Best bet

Smriti Mandhana to score a fifty
1pt 5-2 bet365

Match preview

After defeats to Australia, the West Indies and South Africa, England Women are already in must-win territory when they face a talented India side in their fourth match of the World Cup in New Zealand.

Heather Knight's side still have a chance of sneaking through to the semi-finals, but they cannot afford any more slip-ups in their final four league matches and bookmakers expect a tight contest with India.

Dropped catches and wayward bowling have marred England's campaign and they are uneasy 8-11 favourites to see off India, who hammered Pakistan and the Windies either side of a defeat to tournament hosts New Zealand.

England's opening defeat to the awesome Aussies came as little surprise given that they had lost 3-0 in the one-day leg of their winter Ashes tour, but the narrow losses to the West Indies and South Africa are hard to excuse.

India opener Smriti Mandhana is primed to take advantage of any tension in the England bowling attack, having scored 123 against the Windies last time out and 52 in the opening game against Pakistan.

She has reached 50 in four of her last six innings for India, including warm-up matches, and is a tempting price to post another half-century in Mount Maunganui.

Not got a Paddy Power account? Sign up and get up to £50 in free sports bets

Place a single £10 Sportsbook bet and get money back as a free bet if it loses. There are x5 Free Bets available. Max refund per qualifying bet is £10. Only deposits made via Credit/Debit Card will be eligible for the promotion. Paddy's Rewards Club: Get a £10 free bet when you place 5x bets of £10+. T&Cs apply 18+ begambleaware.org

MORE FREE BETS

Sign up to emails from Racing Post Sport and get all the latest news and tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport