Women's Cricket World Cup winner predictions, odds and cricket betting tips

Free cricket tips, best bets and analysis for the Women's World Cup which starts in New Zealand on Friday.

Where to watch

The tournament starts at 1am on Friday and matches will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Best bets

New Zealand to win World Cup
1pt 5-1 general

Harmanpreet Kaur top India tournament runscorer
1pt 5-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Tournament preview

The 50-over Women's World Cup starts on Friday in New Zealand and bookmakers expect the trophy will be heading across the Tasman Sea after the final on April 3.

Australia, fresh from a comprehensive Ashes victory over England, are no bigger than 4-5 to be crowned world champions and their squad is packed with quality and experience.

Captain Meg Lanning and wicketkeeper-batter Alyssa Healy are among the favourites to be the tournament's top runscorer while all-rounders Tahlia McGrath and Ellyse Perry offer great balance to the 11.

England won a thrilling final against India at Lord's to win the last World Cup in 2017 and they, along with New Zealand, are the biggest threats to red-hot favourites Australia.

However, Heather Knight's England side disappointed with the bat in the ODI series in Australia, losing 3-0 after scores of 178, 129 and 163, and they face a tough task to retain their title.

The White Ferns gave the Aussies something to think about in this week's warm-up clash as Sophie Devine hit 161 not out off 117 balls in a thumping nine-wicket win over their neighbours.

All-rounder Amelia Kerr made 92 not out in that prep game, following scores of 66, 68 not out, 67 and 119 not out in last month's 4-1 ODI series win over India.

Kerr's teammate Suzie Bates is another high-class batter and, with home advantage and a solid build-up to the tournament, New Zealand are worth a small bet to deny Australia the trophy.

Women's World Cup lowdown

The eight teams play each other in a round-robin league stage with the top four qualifying for the semi-finals, which will be played on March 30 and 31.

The final will be held at Christchurch's Hagley Oval on April 3 and a Super Over will decide any tied matches in the knockout stages.

DRS is in use, with each team allowed two unsuccessful reviews per innings.

India have some talented individuals and number-four batter Harmanpreet Kaur is a big price to be their top tournament runscorer.

Harmanpreet scored 63 in the fifth ODI against New Zealand last month before posting a century in a two-run warm-up win over South Africa and she blasted a stunning 171 not out, in a total of 281-4 in the 2017 semi-final win over Australia.

India's outright odds range from 11-2 to 9-1 but the layers are cooler on South Africa's chances and hard-hitting opener Lizelle Lee will miss their opening game against Bangladesh due to quarantine restrictions.

The round-robin format of the league stage means it will be a huge shock if outsiders Pakistan or Bangladesh qualify for the semi-finals.

The West Indies, 66-1 for the trophy, should be competitive against the top teams, as they showed in last month's 2-1 series defeat in South Africa, although they face a tough opening test against New Zealand on Friday.

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