Women's Cricket World Cup final betting tips: England v India preview

Recommended bet: Women’s World Cup final

2pts any hundred to be scored at 3/1 – these two teams responsible for nine of the 14 centuries at the tournament so far, from eight different players

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It’s no exaggeration to say the World Cup final between England and India at Lord’s is the biggest game in the history of women's cricket.

Projected TV audiences for cricket matches involving India err on the side of hyperbole, but it’s safe to assume there will be several million eyeballs on NW8 on Sunday morning.

Imagine if India win this. The men’s World Cup win here in 1983 triggered the one-day boom. The 2007 World Twenty20 victory hastened the arrival of the IPL and within a decade changed the face of the sport forever. What could an India win here do for the women’s game? 

If nothing else, we’d surely soon see Harmanpreet Kaur, Mithali Raj and Smriti Mandhana joined by the world’s best in a Women’s Indian Premier League to go with the Kia Super League and WBBL.

They’ll have to defy 13/8 odds to claim the glory, but, on the back of Kaur’s astonishing 171 not out in a thumping semi-final victory over red-hot favourites Australia, they won’t be short of confidence.

They beat England – convincingly - in the very first game of the tournament, and are surely a spot of value to repeat the trick in the last. 

There are legitimate concerns about whether the event proves just too big for India. They stand on the brink of something genuinely extraordinary, and they know it.

However, it’s not like Lord’s is unknown territory for them. They beat England in an ODI here in 2012; and who were the match-winners? Raj with an unbeaten 94 and Kaur with a run-a-ball 50.

But there’s no denying that the sight of Kaur hobbling around after her game-breaking heroics is a concern. Both she and her captain were non-committal about her chances of lining up at Lord’s in post-match interviews, and it would be a huge blow were she to miss it.

A bet that does stand out is the 3/1 dangled by bet365 for any player to score a century. It’s perfectly possible that one or both of these sides are overawed by the occasion and a low first-innings score scuppers this early, but that prospect appears to have been overplayed in that price.

The beauty of this bet is the number of runners you have, and these are the two sides you’d want running for you in it. Between them, England and India have produced nine centuries in 16 games at this World Cup, and, more encouraging still, eight different players have reached three figures.

And it’s not been a case of feasting on the weaker teams, either. Two of India’s four centuries came against Australia, with another in what was effectively a quarter-final against New Zealand. The other came against the deeply disappointing West Indies, but it’s worth remembering that they were runners-up four years ago and are the reigning T20 champions.

Two of England’s five centuries came against semi-finalists South Africa, and another against the White Ferns.

There may not have been a century in the group match between this pair, but there was a 90 for Mandhana and a 71 for Raj in India’s innings, before Fran Wilson made 81 in England’s reply.

A bet that potentially allows us to have Raj, Kaur and Mandhana on board as well as Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Taylor, Heather Knight and Nat Sciver looks plenty appealing at 3/1 (bet365, William Hill).

Where to watch: Sky Sports Cricket

Posted at 1550 BST on 21/07/17.