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After 44 years of hurt and eleven editions of the Cricket World Cup, England have the chance to see their names engraved on the globed trophy for the first time in history, joining previous winners West Indies, India, Australia and Pakistan in ruling the one-day game.

New Zealand are in a similar boat. Having lost the final to Australia four years ago the Black Caps have the chance for redemption – they’ll have to overcome odds of 49/20 to do so, as they also chase their maiden Cricket World Cup crown.

The hosts cantered to victory in their semi-final against fierce rivals Australia, in a contest which was arguably decided in the opening ten overs of each innings. Jofra Archer and Chris Woakes blitzed through the Australian top order, leaving Steve Smith and Alex Carey to pick up the pieces of a disastrous innings. They fell for 223 runs, with England looking ahead to a comfortable chase – assuming Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow could oblige. Boy, they could.

Roy made 85 until he was given out caught behind from a phantom edge. A decision that he disputed but couldn’t review. Roy will be looking to make a statement on Sunday and find that century which was cruelly taken away from him by the finger of Kumara Dharmasena. In fact, Dharmasena will be in charge on Sunday afternoon, so added impetus will be on Roy to deliver the goods once again.

Roy is priced well at 11/4 to top score on Sunday, with the 28-year-old looking comfortable under the biggest pressure.

New Zealand upset the odds in squeezing past India over Tuesday and Wednesday’s play, but a last-gasp injection of heat nearly saw the two-times winners escape from the jaws of defeat. Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson led from the front once again, scoring 74 and 67, respectively, with Matt Henry taking three with the ball, including both of India’s openers. This Player of the Match performance by the 27-year-old will need repeating if the visitors are to rattle through England’s top order before they can get their eye in at Lords. Roy and Bairstow have made a century partnership in their last four opening stints together.

Winning the toss has proved pivotal in this World Cup, with the side who elects to bat first often finding runs. England have successfully chased twice in five attempts this summer, with losses to Sri Lanka, Australia and Pakistan all coming after an unsuccessful run chase. England will be sure to bat first if they win Sunday’s toss, with the Kiwi’s under pressure to find early wickets. New Zealand will be expected to follow the same strategy, with Archer and Woakes primed to keep up their aggression with the new ball.

It’s all about timing in tournaments. New Zealand started strong but fall away at the end of the group stage – a convincing 119 run loss to England set the tone for the hill they were to climb in the knockout stages. England were on the brink of elimination, however, wins against India, NZ and Australia with relative comfort have seen them canter into the final on the crest of a wave. Pressure often gets the better of English sports sides, but this group of cricketers look set to feed off the energy at the Home of Cricket on Sunday afternoon. One final hurdle should be cleared for England to finally be crowned World Cup champions.

England to win @ 31/100
Top Batsman – Jason Roy @ 11/4
Eoin Morgan over 31.5 runs @ 9/10

Amir Khan v Billy Dib
Boxing – 10.00 pm
Channel 5

If Amir Khan does not win in Jeddah on Friday against Billy Dib, then he is going to get further ostracised from title challenges. This looks to be, at least on paper, a bit of a nothing fight really for Khan. He is back in the ring pretty quickly actually after his loss against Terence Crawford in a WBO welterweight title shot in April. Khan couldn’t handle the step up to that weight. His corner threw in the towel in the sixth after he was accidentally hit below the belt.

Khan had already been on the canvas and was so far behind on points at that point, his corner spared him another bruising six rounds. The former Olympic gold medalist has the chance to shake all that off as he takes on Australia’s Billy Dib. Dib is going up through the weight divisions to meet Khan in this one, which really never seems like a good idea. The Australian is a seasoned journeyman and nothing more really.

He is a former IBF featherweight (super-featherweight is his natural division) champion. This is for a vacant WBC international welterweight belt. Dib is a massive 10/1 underdog with leading bookmakers for this fight, which is going to be the highest-profile of his career. As for Khan he needs to put on a bit of a show in Saudi Arabia to gloss over that loss to Crawford as quickly as possible. This is back at his preferred weight and is odds on at 2/9 to win the fight by a knockout.

Novak Djokovic v Roberto Bautista-Agut
Wimbledon Semi Final – 1.00 pm
BBC

This is set to be a more routine affair than the other semi-final of Nadal v Federer. Novak Djokovic is the reigning Wimbledon champion and he looks as dialled in and as formidable as ever. There has been just one set dropped by the Serbian on his way to the final four. That was back in the third round when he got a bigger challenger from Hubert Hurkacz than expected. Djokovic’s opponent had levelled things up in the second, but that just fired up Djokovic to another level.

Top seed Djokovic will continue to hold three of the four Grand Slam titles at once if he retains his Wimbledon crown. The challenge that is in front of him in the semi-finals doesn’t look to anything that he can’t handle. At least according to the bookies who have Djokovic as short as 8/13 to win 3-0 in the set betting. But then a quick glance at the head to head between the two makes for some interesting reading. Bautista Agut has won the last two meetings.

The overall head to head between the two is 7-3 in favour of Djokovic. But all three of his losses against Bautista Agut have happened in the last five meetings. Earlier this year in Doha the Spaniard beat Djokovic in the semi-finals on the way to lifting the title. This is the first Grand Slam semi-final for Bautista Agut and the leading bookmakers have him at 7/1 to get the better of the Serbian again. Can he ride his positive wave against Djokovic to pull off his biggest win over him so far?

Roger Federer v Rafael Nadal
Wimbledon Semi Final – 3.30 pm
BBC

The match that everyone has been waiting for. The last eleven days of the tournament have pretty much been wasted. Everyone else in this bottom half of the draw may as well have stayed home, leaving Nadal and Federer to just play this one match to see who faces Novak Djokovic (most likely) in the final. The two big guns have delivered the goods yet again in a Grand Slam. Federer, an eight time Wimbledon champion is the 11/10 underdog with top bookies. That is despite him winning five of the last six against the Spaniard. It’s a toss-up as to which makes for the best bet of the day for punters.

Federer dropped the opening set of his quarter-final tie against Kei Nishikori but then just powered his way through a comeback to take the tie 3-1. He has, despite his advancing years, still looked so majestically brilliant at times. He has done things a little differently this season, in having played the clay swing of the season. Is that extra work and sharpness helping him out? He will need to be at his very best here to get at Nadal and wipe out the hiding that he took against the Spaniard just back at the French Open.

Nadal crushed Federer in the semi-finals at Roland Garros in straight sets. He is 8/11 with top bookies to beat Federer again. He was given a horrible draw starting as the third seed, but it didn’t pan out to be that challenging at all. His only real test was in that spicy second-round duel with his nemesis Nick Kyrgios. But Nadal handled himself well in a strange atmosphere to win in four sets. He has been totally untroubled since. Nadal leads the head to head over Federer 24-15. He trails him 2-1 in previous Wimbledon meetings though. The last time they met at SW19 was in the 2008 Final. That was arguably the greatest ever tennis match, played when Nadal won in five sets. Let’s hope for more of the same.

There is a massive weekend of sport coming up, take a look at Bobby’s Big Weekend Bets for more.

The British Grand Prix celebrates its 70th edition this weekend. It’s going to a party atmosphere at Silverstone. Especially after the track signed up for a new five-year deal to host the race. It was looking at one point as if 2019 would be the last time that the race was going to run there.

So with the 70th anniversary celebrations going on, will this be the year that British champion Lewis Hamilton breaks the record for the most wins at the British Grand Prix? The big race can be tuned into on Sky Sports at 2.00 pm on Sunday, July 14th.

Hamilton goes for number 6

Lewis Hamilton has won six of the nine Grands Prix in 2019. That’s some form that you just can’t argue with. He is well on track for yet another F1 Drivers World Championship title. He goes into the weekend with a massive 31 point advantage over his teammate Valtteri Bottas in the standings and there will be extra adrenaline running through his veins for his home Grand Prix.

Hamilton is currently sat level with five wins at the British Grand Prix, alongside Frenchman Alain Prost and fellow Brit Jim Clark. The first of Hamilton’s British titles happened back in 2008 when he was still driving for McLaren. He was the first British driver to win the race since 2000 when David Coulthard had taken the chequered flag first.

He then had to wait until 2014 to follow it up with his second win at his home race. That success though, his first driving for Mercedes, sparked a run of unstoppable form from Hamilton at the British Grand Prix. He won four straight editions from 2014 to 2017 inclusive. That set him up so nicely in the 2018 edition to not only get his fifth straight win but also break the British Grand Prix record for the number of victories.

2018 a missed opportunity

Lewis Hamilton was on the front of the grid for the 2018 British Grand Prix. So Sunday was looking good for him to get yet another win at the race. But an uncharacteristically poor start from him saw him get away badly and it went from bad to worse for him in a very short period of time.

Starting from second on the grid, Sebastian Vettel in his Ferrari got the jump on Hamilton off the line. As did Hamilton’s teammate Valtteri Bottas from fourth. Then on turn three, Hamilton’s Mercedes was spun off the track after contact from Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen. Raikkonen had started from third on the grid.

So that calamitous start saw Hamilton drop all the way down to last in the race after rejoining. But the Mercedes driver got down to business and in some style as well. With no damage to his car, he tore up the field as he worked his way back into contention. Hamilton ended up taking the second place, just over two seconds behind Vettel. So he still gave his fans a treat.

Mercedes feeling the heat

In the previous Grand Prix of 2019, hosted at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Mercedes had problems. It was a scorching hot race day and at a high altitude with thin air. Neither Hamilton or Bottas could push their cars because of overheating issues. This has been there all season for the team because of compacting their car design for the season. It has been a problem which had not significantly raised its head this season until Austria.

They couldn’t get enough cooling air into the car and so Mercedes simply couldn’t race. With a fifth place finish, it was the first time this season Lewis Hamilton finished outside of the top two in a Grand Prix. Bottas took third. It was also the first time this season that’s Mercedes failed to win a race. It was Red Bull’s Max Verstappen who got the win in Austria with a brilliant drive.

Will it come right for Hamilton?

Sunday is going to be some huge day of sport. There is the Cricket World Cup final and the Men’s Wimbledon final. But there will be some huge attention on Silverstone if everything comes together for Hamilton and his quest to break records. Hamilton is at 4/5 odds-on favourite with leading bookmakers for the race win. Given the form that he has produced at Silverstone with four wins in the last five years, he is naturally the favourite.

Hamilton is as cool as ice as well. H is not going to be worried about all the expectancy of him delivering the goods. He will deal with the pressure in his controlled, superbly professional manner. Where are the big threats to his ambitions in the 70th edition of the British Grand Prix? Will it be from the Red Bull team with their new engine, which should make it more competitive at the Northamptonshire track?

Or will it be Ferrari? The Ferrari duo last season of Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen went very well. Better than expected really. This season it is the Vettel and Charles Leclerc partnership for the Italian team. Vettel is the reigning champion at Silverstone but has yet to win in 2019. Leclerc has come close to winning two races this year in his first season for the Ferrari team. Will it be one of them to scupper Hamilton’s hopes, or will the Englishman have this in the bag?

There is a fantastic weekend of sporting action ahead so check out Bobby’s Big Weekend Bets for more.

After a quiet weekend, the boxing boom is back with a weekend stacked wall-to-wall with action. From Osaka, to London, via Jeddah we have world titles, British titles and – despite the ‘pearl title’ being pulled – a return to action for Amir Khan in Saudi Arabia!

Where does the value lie with this line-up of fights?

Amir Khan vs Billy Dib

Despite his rapid decline in the sport, Amir Khan is still a draw. He’s in the top three most well-known fighters in the UK along with Joshua and Fury, and fighting on free-to-air Channel 5 on a Friday night will gain renewed interest. It’s just a shame it’s Billy Dib in the opposite corner. Dib enjoyed successes in his career at 126lbs, so a clamber up to welterweight seems an absurd jump from the Australian who is expected to be dwarfed by the size of Khan.

Khan’s defensive frailty is old news, but Dib is unlikely to be able to trouble the whiskers of the 32-year-old who has been stopped four times as a pro. Khan’s quick attacks will look flashy against the shopworn challenger, however, I doubt there will be many takeaways from his performance. I’m still surprised this event is going ahead following the withdrawal of Neeraj Goyat. It’s a strange one, but it’ll be over before we know it. Won’t it?!

Khan to win by Round 4 knockout @ 13/2 (BetVictor)

Daniel Dubois vs Nathan Gorman

It’s the old tale of puncher vs boxer, as two of Frank Warren’s stable go head-to-head for the British heavyweight title. Dubois has blitzed his way through ten of his eleven opponents so far, with the durable Kevin Johnson the only man to hear the final bell – he’ll do well to pin down a fluid Nathan Gorman who will be well-accustomed to the robotic, upright style of ‘Dynamite’ Dubois.

Despite sharing many rounds with each other under Team GB, expect this fight to come to life. Gorman claims to be conditioned well enough to keep his distance from the dangerous Dubois throughout the championship distance, but if DDD connects, how will Gorman react? If Gorman can negate the opening half of the fight he may well canter to the finish line. It’s either Dubois early, or Gorman on points, right?!

Gorman to win @ 13/8 (BetVictor)

Rob Brant vs Ryota Murata II

Murata is looking for revenge over Brant in front of an adoring home crowd in Osaka. Whether this added incentive will prove enough to successfully regain the WBA middleweight title from ‘Bravo’ Brant following last October’s shock defeat will be an intriguing tale of repeat vs revenge.

If Brant can match the incredible work rate and punch output from his title-winning night in Las Vegas, then Murata will need a plan B in Japan instead of trading with the middleweight titlist. With a detailed game plan – one crafted in the nine months he has spent licking his wounds – Murata has a chance of winning on the cards. Murata looked happy to eat punch after punch in their opening duel, but it’s a dangerous assumption from Brant to expect the same this weekend. The first fight was so one-sided, that even with adjustments, Brant should get over the line.

Rob Brant to win @ 2/7

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Major League Soccer has been growing in popularity in recent seasons, partly for its ultra-competitive nature, and this year’s edition has thrown up some new names at the top of the MLS pile.

The arrival of former England and Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney at DC United made a big impact last season, but this year the team has progressed further and going into this weekend’s round of MLS fixtures, they lie second in the Eastern Conference, behind Philadelphia Union.

They owe that position to a solid all-round unit that has made it possible for Rooney to showcase his talent. He may be at the end of his career, but he still has a lot to offer and some of his goals over the last season and a half will end up in his career showreel alongside some of the most spectacular efforts he contributed while at Old Trafford and Goodison Park.

Seven wins in their first twelve games took DC to the front rank in the East and they have remained there, although there has been a dip in their recent form, with four draws in their last six, which has allowed Philadelphia to open up a gap over their near rivals.

According to BetCris, DC are the strong favourites to win this game, being rated as -107 shots, with the Revolution pencilled in at +260 and the draw reckoned to be a +263 bet. They also have the edge on their rivals, at least in recent seasons. United have been victorious in five of their last ten games against the Revolution, with four draws along the way. But interestingly, the latest of those draws came just a few weeks ago and was earned courtesy of a last-minute Rooney penalty.

That New England came so close to beating DC was no fluke. Since parting company with Brad Friedel and replacing him as coach with former US manager Bruce Arena, the Revolution have enjoyed a remarkable revival. Their draw with DC was the third game in a seven-match undefeated run that has also taken in a creditable home draw with Philadelphia and an extremely impressive 3-2 victory in Los Angeles against a high-flying LA Galaxy team.

That run of form has brought them to the brink of the play-offs and means that a game that might have been regarded as a straightforward home win a month ago has now taken on a very different aspect. Under Arena’s astute guidance, New England have developed a clear counter-attacking identity, and their direct approach may well cause problems for a DC side that has been struggling for goals in recent games. United have scored just three in their last four outings and were well beaten in Dallas last time. They’ve also been held at home by mid-ranking sides Toronto, Chicago and San Jose in their last three fixtures. They are the favourites to win this one, but it won’t be easy and MLS fans look set for a fascinating battle this weekend.

The 2019 NBA Finals had the usual combination of drama, thrills and shocks, but a month on from Game Six in which the Toronto Raptors clinched their first ever title, there is a palpable feeling that change is coming to the NBA and that we are entering a new era.

And anyone looking for evidence that we are entering a new phase of NBA history need do no more than point to the bookmakers’ odds for the 2019-20 season. If the sportsbook operators are right, Golden State fans tuning in to watch the NBA on SKY in the autumn won’t be cheering on the competition favourite for the first time in four seasons.

Golden State are rated as fifth favourites to win back their crown next season, behind the LA Lakers, the LA Clippers, the Milwaukee Bucks and the Philadelphia 76ers, and are bracketed among a cluster of chasing teams that includes old rivals Houston.

The case for pronouncing the end of the Golden State era, which has produced five consecutive NBA Finals appearances and three Championships, is strengthened by the dramatic personnel changes that will shape the 2019-20 season. The dominant Golden State starting four has been reduced to two by the ACL injury suffered by Klay Thompson and the departure of the injured Kevin Durant.

Durant, along with Boston’s Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan, will be part of the Brooklyn Nets franchise next season, while the man who conquered Golden State, Kawhi Leonard, has linked up with Oklahoma’s Paul George at the Clippers, who are likely to be pushed hard in the West by the Lakers, who have finally pulled off the signing of Anthony Davis to partner Lebron. And we can also expect the Milwaukee Bucks to push hard in the East, along with the 76ers.

Golden State will also have to contend with the attritional effects of five long, hard seasons. Becoming an NBA champion comes at a price, and the physical and mental exhaustion suffered by star point guard Steph Curry was evident by the end of the play-off finals.

But while it now seems a long shot for Golden State to claim the title again next season, we should be wary of concluding that their era is over. Three of the famous starting four will still be at the franchise next summer, and they have been joined by DeAngelo Russell, a smart young acquisition, who will add another dimension to their back-court play.

And coach Steve Kerr, who has moulded a ground-breaking NBA team, is still there. Much of the strength of the Warriors was built on his tactics and the team ethos he produced. So while the NBA fans checking out the latest prices on the Bigbetbookmakers sit may not be keen to back the Warriors to win the Championship next season, the foundations of success are still in place for 2020-21 and it is at least a year too soon to talk about the end of the Warriors era.

The Best Basketball Bets Online are Always Featured here atBigBetBookmakers.com and at the BIGGEST BETS OF THE DAY & BIG LIVE BETS NOW Pages .

The US Open Cup hasn’t yet earned the same sort of respect and prestige associated with some of the football world’s oldest knockout competitions, such as the FA Cup and the Copa del Rey.

But it is becoming more popular with US football fans. And it offers a perfect opportunity for teams that are unlikely to be in MLS play-off contention to gain some glory.

The oldest football competition in the US, the Open Cup, also known as the Lamar Hunt Cup, has often been won by teams that failed to reach the play-offs. Last year’s winners, Houston Dynamo, were the latest to tread this path, lifting the Hunt Cup despite finishing ninth in the Western Conference. And this time round, it is the likes of Orlando City who have the chance to get their hands on the silverware, as they prepare to take on New York City FC in Thursday’s quarter final.

Both teams have something in common, having entered MLS in the same year – 2015. But other than that, their histories have taken very different directions. NYCFC have been regular play-off contenders, finishing in the top three in the East for three seasons in a row, while Orlando have struggled to even make the play-offs, never bettering their 2015 performance, when they finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and fourteenth overall.

This season appears to be following a similar pattern for Orlando. Under James O’Connor, who took over midway through the 2018 season, they’ve continued to play pleasant football, but have rarely threatened to break out of the lower reaches of MLS. They have won six out of nineteen so far, and those wins have been spaced out throughout the campaign.

And yet, on their day, they can compete with the better teams. Last time out they managed a creditable 2-2 draw against the MLS East leaders Philadelphia. And in their opening game of the 2019 campaign, they held Thursday’s opponents to another 2-2 draw.

Still, it is a surprise to find them as slight favourites for this game, at least, based on what we’ve seen so far this season. BetCris rate Orlando as +131 favourites, with New York City rated as a +162 shot and the draw pencilled in at +250.

New York City boss Dominic Torrent, who took over from Patrick Vieira midway through last season, has kept the team in contention at the top end of the table, despite the absence this year of the retired David Villa. They go into this game six points off the top spot in the East, but with four games in hand. But crucially, there is reason to believe that Thursday’s encounter with Orlando is not the main priority for Torrent’s side.

This weekend, City will be taking on rivals New York Red Bulls, who are also in contention in the East, and it would be no surprise if they rested key personnel ahead of their trip to Orlando. With no realistic play-off hopes to keep them focused on their MLS commitments, the Open Cup offers a welcome diversion for the home side, and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see them edge out their more illustrious visitors and reach the semi-finals.