Pakistan kept their part of the bargain today by thumping the West Indies meaning a momentous Cricket World Cup semi final between themselves and Asian subcontinent neighbors India is still on the cards.
Captain Shahid Afridi inspired Pakistan to a 10-wicket victory by taking four wickets as the Windies were bowled out for only 112 runs. It was then down to Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Hafeez to see them through in a little over 20 overs.
If the two fierce rivals do end up facing each other in Mohali, and it’s far from a certainty as India must first beat the holders Australia, it could also be huge news for those in the sports betting industry.
Sport betting is illegal and not properly regulated in India but thanks to a thriving illegal betting underworld, it’s likely that the amount being wagered on this game could be the most ever for a cricket match. For these two countries, it’s likely it may be the most for a sporting event in both their histories due to the euphoria that surrounds a cricket match between the two sides.
India looked at regulating sports betting earlier this year in response to a number of scandals that have surrounded the sport in the subcontinent, not least Pakistan’s tour to England. They may well have missed a trick not doing it before the World Cup but the fact these two are playing will be reason in itself for the sports betting industry to be looking on with interested glances.
