T20 World Cup predictions, odds and cricket betting tips: Holders hard to beat

Free cricket tips, best bets and analysis for the 2022 T20 World Cup which starts in Australia on Sunday, October 16.

Where to watch

Live coverage on Sky Sports Cricket from 5am Sunday

Best bets

Australia
3pts 3-1 Betfred, BoyleSports

South Africa
2pts 8-1bet365, Betfred

T20 World Cup format

First round
There is a round-robin format in Group A (Namibia, Netherlands, Sri Lanka and UAE) and Group B (Ireland, Scotland, West Indies and Zimbabwe) and the top two from each section qualify for the Super 12 stage.

Super 12
The 12 teams are split into Groups 1 and 2. Each team plays every other nation in their group once and the top two in each section advance to the semi-finals.

T20 World Cup preview

Australia, India and England – the big three of international cricket – dominate the betting for the 2022 T20 World Cup but there is always the potential for upsets in the volatile Twenty20 format.

Six different teams have won the first seven 20-over World Cups and another, New Zealand, were beaten by the Aussies in the 2021 final in Dubai.

The West Indies, the only side to have been crowned T20 champions twice, have slipped down the ICC rankings and start their campaign in the first group stage alongside Ireland, Scotland and Zimbabwe.

Things change quickly in T20 cricket, as matches can be decided by one blistering innings, a wayward over, an unplayable yorker or a brilliant piece of fielding, so pre-match and in-play punters can expect another thrilling World Cup in Australia.

Best bet

Australia 3-1

Australia went into the 2021 T20 World Cup in Oman and the UAE with low expectations after a dismal run of Twenty20 results including 4-1 series defeats in Bangladesh and the West Indies.

Their best performance at a World Cup had been in 2010, when they were hammered by England in the final, and they started their 2021 campaign slowly, scraping past South Africa despite restricting them to just 118-9 and losing their third group game to England by eight wickets with more than eight overs remaining.

However, the Aussies warmed to their task, digging deep to chase down 177 against Pakistan in the semi-finals and outclassing New Zealand to win the final by eight wickets, and they look solid favourites to retain their title on home turf.

Fast bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins, along with ace T20 leg-spinner Adam Zampa, make up a formidable bowling attack and their batting line-up is packed with big hitters who relish the pace and bounce of their home pitches.

Opener David Warner was player of the tournament at last year's World Cup, Mitchell Marsh has seized his opportunity at number three, Glenn Maxwell remains one of the most inventive and destructive T20 batters in the world, and Matthew Wade cracked 41 not out off 17 balls to see off Pakistan in the 2021 semis.

Australia's title-winning squad has been bolstered by the addition of Tim David, a monstrous T20 hitter who faced 86 deliveries for Mumbai Indians in this year's IPL and struck 16 of them for six.

Skipper Aaron Finch, a shrewd T20 tactician, has rediscovered his form with the bat and the squad includes the players who have made the three highest individual scores in Big Bash history: Maxwell (154 not out), Marcus Stoinis (147 not out) and Wade (130 not out).

England have to be respected, having wiped the floor with Australia in last year's group game, but much will depend on whether their injury-prone fast bowlers can come through the tournament unscathed.

Jonny Bairstow's absence, Liam Livingstone's lack of match fitness and Ben Stokes's relatively poor batting returns in T20 internationals are also concerns for Jos Buttler's side, whose Group 1 showdown with Australia at the MCG on October 28 should be a cracker.

India are missing two T20 guns, Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja, leaving them with an inexperienced bowling attack in Australian conditions. Their squad is still packed with talent but they failed to make the semi-finals last year, losing heavily to Pakistan and New Zealand in their first two matches, and look short enough to make amends down under.

Next best

South Africa 8-1

South Africa finished level on points with England and Australia in Group 1 of last year's T20 World Cup, missing out on a semi-final place on net run-rate despite winning four of their five games.

The Proteas have a poor record at major tournaments but conditions in Australia should suit their high-class pace bowlers and they also have some explosive batsmen in their ranks.

South Africa started the year with a 2-2 draw in India and beat England 2-1 in the summer, winning the second and third T20s by margins of 58 and 90 runs.

Captain Temba Bavuma's poor form with the bat is a worry for Proteas backers but the rest of their top-order players are full of confidence.

David Miller, Rilee Rossouw and youngster Tristan Stubbs have T20 international strike-rates of 186, 180 and 192 this year while Reeza Hendricks has made 57, 53, 70, 74 and 42 in his last five innings.

Quinton de Kock is a terrific white-ball opener and a bowling attack led by Kagiso Rabada, who took a hat-trick in the World Cup win over England, is well balanced and full of wicket-taking menace.

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