South Africa and Pakistan both look destined to make an early exit from the Cricket World Cup but preference is for the former when they clash at Lord’s. They played well in defeat versus New Zealand last Wednesday and could well have won that contest if their usually reliable fielding had been on point.
New Zealand versus West Indies represents a clash of Cricket World Cup styles and siding with the cool, calm and collected Kiwis is a percentage pick. The Black Caps have battled through a few tricky situations to win all four completed fixtures and may have too much nous for more gung-ho opponents.
Afghanistan have predictably struggled against the top teams at the Cricket World Cup and are unlikely to buck that trend when taking on India in Southampton. The Men in Blue have won all three of their completed matches in convincing fashion and look on course to cruise into the semi-finals.
England can continue their march towards the Cricket World Cup semi-finals by brushing aside a dispirited Sri Lanka outfit at Headingley. The Three Lions have rattled off four wins in five matches, whereas their opponents have only beaten Afghanistan from three completed fixtures.
Bangladesh are battling bravely to stay in the Cricket World Cup but will find Australia a tough nut to crack at Trent Bridge on Thursday. The holders have prevailed in four of their five matches, only losing out to India, and appear to have found a nice rhythm in all aspects of the game.
South Africa enjoyed a morale-boosting triumph over Afghanistan on Saturday and may now be value to beat New Zealand at odds against. The Black Caps are unbeaten after four matches at the Cricket World Cup but did benefit from a kind fixture list before their clash with India was washed out.
England will look to close in on a place in the Cricket World Cup semi-finals by brushing aside tournament outsiders Afghanistan at Old Trafford. The hosts have won three of their four matches so far, whereas their opponents have predictably fallen to a quartet of convincing defeats.
The West Indies and Bangladesh will be keen to get their World Cup campaigns back on track as both teams look to climb the standings with a much-needed victory on Monday. The two sides began the competition with wins, with the West Indies dismantling Pakistan and Bangladesh holding off South Africa in a shock 21-run triumph.
Pakistan will be looking to replicate their Champions Trophy heroics when they bid to get their World Cup campaign back on track against India. Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side, who were beaten by Australia on Wednesday, stunned their arch rivals in the 2017 showpiece at the Oval.
Sri Lanka will be keen to avoid the rain as they attempt to kick-start their World Cup campaign after back-to-back washouts. The Lions have struggled in their two completed matches, following a 10-wicket thumping by New Zealand with an unconvincing win over minnows Afghanistan, and face an in-form Australia.
South Africa are in desperate need of a win against Afghanistan after picking up only one point from their first four World Cup games. The Proteas had a nightmare opening week to the tournament with three defeats before a washout against West Indies got them off the mark.
England will go into their fourth Cricket World Cup clash looking to cement their place in the top four when they take on the dangerous West Indies. The tournament hosts sit in fourth place ahead of the clash in Southampton and can move up to second with victory on Friday.
Bangladesh need to kick-start their Cricket World Cup campaign after suffering back-to-back defeats. Sri Lanka were thumped by New Zealand in their opener and although they responded with a win over minnows Afghanistan, the rain ruined their game with Pakistan. The pair both have three wins in their last seven one-day international meetings.
South Africa began the Cricket World Cup at shorter odds than the West Indies but it is hard to see why they are still slight favourites for this match. The Proteas have slipped to three straight defeats and look all at sea, whereas their opponents have one win from two and seem in much better shape.