Weather played havoc with the Proteas T20 World Cup campaign but there will be little time to dwell on the no result as matches come thick and fast. James Richardson previews matches 7-11 of the Super 12s.
Tuesday 25 October
Australia 2/9 | Tie 25/1 | Sri Lanka 34/10 (13:00)
Australia will be out to bounce back from a stunning and rare upset at the hands of New Zealand.
Sri Lanka started with a comfortable win and come into this match riding high on confidence.
Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana pose a big threat to the Australian batters while Kusal Mendis has come into form in timely fashion.
Australia need their senior players to stand up before they are out of the running in their title defence.
With their backs against the wall, back the Aussies to claim an important win here.
Wednesday 26 October
Ireland 6/1 | Tie 25/1 | England 1/10 (06:00)
Ireland did well to reach the Super 12s but were overwhelmed last time out and will want to show more fight.
They will have some task ahead of them facing England who are among the form teams in the tournament.
Led by Jos Buttler, England have an imposing top order and a more than useful bowling attack.
England are loaded with matchwinners and Ireland will have to play above themselves to claim an upset.
England will win this. But we’re hunting for value here, so back the English to grab the highest opening partnership at 13/20.
New Zealand 2/9 | Tie 25/1 | Afghanistan 32/10 (10:00)
New Zealand have made a great start but need to keep their eyes on the prize and play one match at a time.
Afghanistan didn’t start well against England but could be a banana skin for any of the top sides.
Rashid Khan didn’t enjoy the Perth surface but might be more at home in Melbourne.
New Zealand have travelled a fair bit but so have Afghanistan so this will be about who adapts quickest.
The Black Caps will be in confident mood and should breeze past the Asians at the MCG.
Thursday 27 October
South Africa 23/100 | Tie 25/1 | Bangladesh 32/10 (05:00)
South Africa were stung by the weather when their match against Zimbabwe was called off and cannot afford to miss out on any more points.
Bangladesh only just saw off the Netherlands which tells you where they are coming from.
The Tigers have had recent successes against South Africa though and will be a dangerous opponent for a side under pressure.
Bangladesh will need to up their game to get beyond a top team like South Africa.
The Proteas should be good enough to get the job done here with minimal fuss.
Netherlands 13/1 | Tie 25/1 | India 1/33 (09:00)
India started with the biggest of wins in a suitably dramatic match against Pakistan but need to remember they haven’t won the trophy yet.
The Netherlands offers them an opponent who might test their focus and we expect India to use their squad for this one.
Virat Kohli is back in form but he might not play if India opt to rotate their lineup here.
The Netherlands came close against Bangladesh but will need to dig even deeper to prevent being blown away by India.
India will blow the Dutch away. Again, back India to claim the highest opening wicket partnership at 7/20 for a bit more value.
