SOUTH AFRICA FAVOURITE TO WIN 2009 ICC WORLD TWENTY20

Things are heating up at the ICC World Twenty20 now that the Super 8's are in full swing. After England's beating at the hands of South Africa, well Jacques Kallis anyway, the Proteas have taken up a 2/1 price to win the competition outright. They were at around 4/1 when the competition started and they do certainly look a notch ahead of the competition from my angle. Perhaps if England had put more runs on the board early (or opted to field first) it would have been a different story. In twenty20, I usually favour the chasing side. India were initially named as the outright favourites to win the entire thing with a price off 11/4. They've drifted back a full point to 7/2 and they face off against West Indies tomorrow. Should they fail to beat Windies by a considerable margin, or fail altogether, their price will plummet. If you insist on backing India and think they'll win the competition regardless of tomorrow's outcome, I would wait until afterwards as you will likely get a better price following a loss and the odds won't shift much in the other direction should they win. Sri Lanka are third place favourites and are a solid each-way bet. William Hill is offering up 1/3 odds on places 1 and 2 (effectively backing a team to get to the final) and Sri Lanka are a solid selection for that. They carry a 4/1 price and I expect it to shorten if India lose tomorrow. New Zealand thumped the Irish by about a thousand points and they're listed at 6/1 for the outright win. I think, on their day, the Black Caps can take on pretty much anybody and Daniel Vettori is a solid captain and we've seen spin bowling get results this tournament. Pakistan sit at 7/1 and are an underwhelming side at the moment. West Indies can be backed at 9/1 while England have taken a substantial drop and are now available at 16/1. I like a South Africa/Sri Lanka final with the Proteas taking the win. Keep your eye on New Zealand as the dark horse.