Cricket World Cup 2015 Schedule: Updated Tournament Fixtures, Odds, Predictions
England face a huge challenge against Bangladesh on Monday in Adelaide, a match Eoin Morgan's side must win to avoid an embarrassing group-stage exit at the 2015 World Cup.
Bangladesh likely also need a victory in the Pool A clash to qualify for the quarter-finals, as their final match is against in-form co-hosts New Zealand.
Pool B sees West Indies, Ireland, Pakistan and Zimbabwe all effectively fighting it out for the last two qualification spots in the group, with the final few matches set to be hugely tense affairs.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Here are the latest tournament odds with the group stages drawing to a close as well as an updated list of fixtures:
| Date | Time (GMT) | Fixture | Venue |
| March 7 | 1 a.m. | South Africa v Pakistan | Auckland |
| March 7 | 3:30 a.m. | Zimbabwe v Ireland | Hobart |
| March 8 | 10 p.m. (day before) | New Zealand v Afghanistan | Napier |
| March 8 | 3:30 a.m. | Australia v Sri Lanka | Sydney |
| March 9 | 3:30 a.m. | England v Bangladesh | Adelaide |
| March 10 | 1 a.m. | India v Ireland | Hamilton |
| March 11 | 3:30 a.m. | Sri Lanka v Scotland | Hobart |
| March 12 | 1 a.m. | South Africa v UAE | Wellington |
| March 13 | 1 a.m. | Bangladesh v New Zealand | Hamilton |
| March 13 | 3:30 a.m. | England v Afghanistan | Sydney |
| March 14 | 1 a.m. | India v Zimbabwe | Auckland |
| March 14 | 3:30 a.m. | Australia v Scotland | Hobart |
| March 15 | 10 p.m. (day before) | West Indies v UAE | Napier |
| March 15 | 3:30 a.m. | Pakistan v Ireland | Adelaide |
| March 18 | 3:30 a.m. | Quarter-final 1 | Sydney |
| March 19 | 3:30 a.m. | Quarter-final 2 | Melbourne |
| March 20 | 3:30 a.m. | Quarter-final 3 | Adelaide |
| March 21 | 1 a.m. | Quarter-final 4 | Wellington |
| March 24 | 1 a.m. | Semi-final 1 | Auckland |
| March 25 | 3:30 a.m. | Semi-final 2 | Sydney |
| March 29 | 4:30 a.m. BST | Final | Melbourne |
| Team | Odds |
| Australia | 7-4 |
| South Africa | 10-3 |
| New Zealand | 3-1 |
| India | 6-1 |
| Sri Lanka | 16-1 |
| England | 25-1 |
| West Indies | 33-1 |
| Pakistan | 33-1 |
| Bangladesh | 100-1 |
| Ireland | 150-1 |
| Zimbabwe | 500-1 |
England to Lose to Bangladesh
England have been abject so far in this tournament, with their only victory coming against Scotland along with crushing defeats to Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
They suffer from chronic low-scoring in the crucial middle overs, while bowling at the death continues to be a major issue.
The group standings do not look good for England ahead of their crucial encounter with Bangladesh at the Adelaide Oval, per ICC:
Bangladesh picked up a fortunate point for a no-result after their washout against Australia but victories over Scotland and Afghanistan mean the pressure is now all on England.
In Napier on Thursday, Bangladesh chased down 319 to beat Scotland with relative ease, thus they enter the England match in fine batting form, per BBC TMS' Adam Mountford, and knowing that a victory will see them through to the last eight:
England, on the other hand, have yet to produce a complete performance so far in the competition, and they face two must-win matches if they are to be in with a chance of making the quarter-finals.
The likes of Moeen Ali, Joe Root, James Taylor and Jos Buttler have performed well in Australia and New Zealand, but the team as a whole look unlikely to be able to handle the pressure of the Bangladesh clash.
Expect a fourth England defeat in Adelaide and an early exit for Peter Moores' side, while Bangladesh look set to advance to the quarter-finals, although they are unlikely to make it much further than that.
Zimbabwe to Beat Ireland
With South Africa and India looking likely to take the top two spots in Pool B, only two places remain for Ireland, West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe to fill.
At the moment, Zimbabwe are lagging behind the other contenders for last-eight qualification in the group—with two points rather than four—but they have an opportunity to change that when they face Ireland in Hobart on Saturday.
Both teams are fairly evenly matched heading into the encounter and Ireland can take a huge step toward the knockout rounds with a victory at the Bellerive Oval.
However, the men in green, after a fine start with a win against West Indies, have subsequently only scraped past United Arab Emirates before being annihilated by a rampant South Africa, the 201-run defeat to the Proteas hitting their crucial net run rate hard, per Wisden's Lawrence Booth:
Zimbabwe also lost to South Africa in their opener but only by 62 runs, and they were beaten by West Indies.
However, a four-wicket victory over UAE gave them their first victory of the tournament and they ran Pakistan very close on Sunday.
The Hobart encounter is set to be a hugely pressurised encounter, but Zimbabwe look to have the experience and the momentum to take victory, while Ireland are in recovery mode after the humbling against South Africa.
A victory for Zimbabwe would not secure them a quarter-final spot, but defeat would see them out of the competition with only in-form India to face in their last match.
The scenario should thus favour Zimbabwe, as Ireland have two matches remaining after the Hobart match, including a very winnable clash with inconsistent Pakistan.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
