Cricket World Cup Final
There will be plenty of action for spread bettors to get stuck into on Saturday with the cricket World Cup final at Mumbai between India and Sri Lanka. Despite being the away side, Sri Lanka will have excellent recent memories of the ground, as they crushed New Zealand there by 112 runs in the 38th group game of the competition, and this will not have escaped the notice of spread punters thinking of buying their supremacy or win index.
Spread buyers of Tilakaratne Dilshan's runs throughout the tournament will be delighted with the Sri Lankan opener's form so far, having amassed 467 runs at an average of 66.71. Dilshan also opened the bowling in the quarter-final against England, getting Andrew Strauss' scalp in the process, and then New Zealand's Jacob Oram's wicket in the semi-final, his seventh of the tournament. The star player is likely to bowl again during the final, so Sporting Index spread buyers of his player performance index (1 point for a run, 10 for a catch, 20 for a wicket and 25 for a stumping) will hope his fine form continues to net a handsome profit.
Sri Lanka's self belief in big games will again be called into question, having lost in the semi-finals in 2003 before crashing out in the final in 2007. Spread buyers of India's supremacy will hope Sri Lanka again falter at the final hurdle, but spread sellers will be backing Sri Lanka to overcome their nerves and claim a second title.
With Wankhede Stadium showing a history of lower scoring games than other grounds throughout India, spread bettors who like the specials markets will be looking at the total number of fours and sixes with Sporting Index. Spread buyers in these market will have been jotting down the boundaries in the throughout the tournament and will notice that the Indian trio of Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag and Yusuf Pathan have 18 between them so far. And despite averaging 241 in their eight innings so far in the World Cup, spread buyers of the Lankans' total runs for the match may be cautious due to the low scores recorded in the past at Mumbai.
In what will probably be Mutiah Muralitharan's final game on the ODI stage, the spin legend will be desperate to bow out with wickets. Currently one of the leading wicket takers of the tournament, spread punters who think he can add to his tally of fifteen so far will find buying his performance an attractive option.
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