But Australia vs England and New Zealand vs Sri Lanka aren’t the only treats in store for Cricket fans this weekend. It’s going to be a busy month or so as the World Cup unfolds for your viewing pleasure, and this first weekend is massively important for all the teams hoping to still be involved when the Semi-Finals and Finals are being contested. On Sunday, South Africa have the sort of opening fixture that you’d pick as a coach – but they will no doubt be treating their game against Zimbabwe with the upmost respect. South Africa understandably go in as the favourites, with very short odds of $1.02, but then they’re in the mix as one of the favourites for the tournament, and they’ll be looking for the perfect start to their World Cup. Even without beating South Africa, Zimbabwe can upset their plans, but are they a chance to cause and upset at odds of $13.00?

In contrast to South Africa, both India and Pakistan have a massive first game of the 2015 World Cup. India-Pakistan fixtures are always big noise, and the World Cup just adds spice, of course. Even better for the neutral, both teams are coming into this tournament without much in the way of form, and without necessarily knowing what their best eleven looks like. You can see from the Cricket odds we’ve got for you that it’s India who will be the $1.50 favourites, but they’ll be under pressure…

We haven’t seen any Cricket odds at our favourite online betting sites that feature engagements, but they seem to have plenty on offer for you for the World Cup – and that includes for the opening game. Australia understandably go in as the favourites for this one, with odds of $1.33 as of right now on Sportsbet. They’re going to be tough to beat on home soil, we reckon, and they’re the tournament favourites, too, so you can see what the bookies think of the men in green and gold ahead of the first game. Looking at the recent form of Steve Smith, David Warner, Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Stark, you can see where they’ve got the impression that it’s Australia’s World Cup to lose.

England, though, might represent value over the course of the tournament. They’re facing some long odds in the first game – they’ve got $3.25 next to their name at the moment – but they have some serious power in their middle-order batting, an in-form Ian Bell at the top of the innings, and in James Anderson, one of the most skilful bowlers in the world. If you don’t fancy them in the opener, then you might want to keep an eye out for them as the tournament goes on – we’ll of course be bringing you a smattering of news and all the Cricket odds you’ll need as things progress…

The first two games of the 2015 World Cup promise to be absolute belters. One of them is a replay of the recent tri-nations series between England and tournament favourites Australia, and we’ll certainly be coming back to that in these pages before the 14th. The other is another potential cracker, between New Zealand and Sri Lanka, who’ve recently been knocking chunks out of each other in Tests, T20s and ODIs, and who are both real contenders for the World Cup itself.

The Kiwis will carry the favourites tag in to their tournament opener, with odds of $1.44 beside their name on Sportsbet right now. That’s probably fair, with Kane Williamson and Brendan McCullum both pretty high on the list of likeliest candidates to top score in the tournament, and the New Zealand pacemen very much on song. Sri Lanka, mind you, will bring a line-up that’s itself bristling with quality, both in the batting and the bowling. They know a thing or two about getting to the business end of a World Cup, too – and even about winning it.

So you’d possibly be a brave man to call this one, which could be a very close thing. Feel free to have a look over the Cricket Odds we’ve got for you for the whole tournament by clicking the link – there could be better value elsewhere. Of course, if you’ve got a feeling about the opening game, then we’re not going to stand in your way…

It looks like Australia will go into the tournament as the favourites – and rightly so, after some strong performances against India and England, plus the advantage of home conditions. How New Zealand fare in a home World Cup is going to be very interesting, mind you. Currently, you’re looking at Australia at the shortest odds (they’re at $3.00 on Sportsbet right now), trailed by South Africa on $4.00, and then New Zealand at $6.00, ahead of England. Certainly, the familiar conditions will suit the Kiwi bowlers, and they have given a very good account of themselves in recent fixtures. Much will depend on the New Zealand batting line-up if they are to seriously compete in the final stages of the tournament, but then that line-up does contain a certain B. McCullum, who is a decent contender for the World Cup’s top runscorer (seeing odds of $13.00 at the moment), and who is a genuine match-winner in almost any situation.

Throughout the tournament, which kicks off on Valentine’s Day with the two host nations in action, we’ll be bringing you all the Cricket odds you need, as well as all the news and insight as it comes to us – so watch this space!

The Scorchers puts the ghosts of their previous meeting with the Stars well and truly to rest in their Semi-Final, succeeding in choking the life out of the Melbourne batting this time, and defending a modest-looking 144 in the process. The tale of the Semi-Final was the tale of Andrew Tye, who looked the villain of the piece when he faced the whole final over of the Scorchers’ innings without laying bat on ball. He redeemed himself pretty well, though, with a bowling performance that saw him come away with figures of 4 for 18 – more than good enough to help his side to victory.

So if the Sixers want to give Brett Lee the perfect send-off (and there’s a bit of us that hopes they do, such has been his sterling service to Australian Cricket), they’ll have to overcome the odds. A quick check of the Cricket odds tells us that the Sixers are at $2.10, while the it’s the Scorchers who go in as the favourites, with odds of $1.72 on Sportsbet right now…

We’re talking about the first of the 2015 Big Bash Semi-Finals, which went to the Sixers, against the odds and very much against the script that Strikers fans had in mind. After a nearly-faultless season saw them to a convincing top spot on the ladder and a home Semi-Final, the Strikers were simply blown away by what amounted to a complete performance by the Sixers. The visitors posted an impressive 181 from their 20 overs, and the Strikers subsided to just a little over half that, losing their whole top order quickly and cheaply.

And that result makes the Cricket odds we’re seeing for the next Semi-Final, tonight, more than a little bit interesting, we’d say. The Scorchers go in as the favourites, with odds of $1.75, but we reckon there will be plenty of people taking a long look at Melbourne at $2.05. Then, of course, there’s the final on Wednesday night, but we’ll be taking a closer look at that game between now and then, so make sure you check back in with us!

The Strikers have been in sizzling form and they’ve more than earned that home advantage, finishing the regular season three points clear of their nearest rivals, and with the best net run rate by a country mile. Along with the Scorchers (both teams are at odds of $3.25), they are the bookies’ favourites, too, to go on and win this year’s Big Bash Final. Significantly, they secured that home Semi-Final with a convincing win over the Sixers that saw them make short work of the Sydney top order – and that will give them good confidence going into the business end of the season. Remember, though, that it was the Scorchers who ended the Strikers’ perfect run in this year’s Big Bash, and both sides will have memories of that if they meet in a Semi-Final or in the Final itself.

We’ll be re-visiting the Big Bash prospects in these pages before the Semi-Finals and the Finals come around next week – and, of course, we’ve got all the Cricket odds you could want, both for the Big Bash and for the ongoing tri-series between Australia, England and India…