Written by Darry Worthington for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Another vital set of World T20 fixtures is scheduled to take place this Saturday. The first of the two games will see an impressive New Zealand outfit take on the struggling Bangladeshi’s at the iconic Eden Gardens. That game is followed by a do or die clash between England and Sri Lanka.
Let’s get to it then, shall we?
New Zealand 7/20 | Draw 35/1 | Bangladesh 9/4
The Black Caps come into this undefeated and are starting to look like more of a frontrunner than a darkhorse. Their undefeated start to the tournament has been mainly due to their willingness to adapt to conditions. While the likes of South Africa and Australia have opted to field bowling line ups compromising mainly of seamers, the New Zealanders have gone for a polar opposite approach.
Their three-pronged spin attack of Mitchell Satner, Ish Sodhi and part-timer Grant Elliot have been fantastic. The trio has been able to restrict opposition scoring as well as pick up vital wickets. Satner has become somewhat of a strike bowler for his side. The left-armer has picked up eight wickets at the tournament thus far. He has also been extremely miserly going at just over 5.5 runs per over.
While the Kiwis bowlers have had a fantastic time out in India, the Bangladeshis have had an absolute mere. They’ve sustained injuries, had bans for chucking thrown at them (pun intended) and are struggling to replicate the performances they put in at last year’s 50 over World Cup. The Tiger’s batsmen have fared a bit better than the bowlers but they did miss out on a great opportunity to seal a win over India last Wednesday.
With only two runs required for victory off the final three balls of their batting innings, the Bangladeshi middle order collapsed like a house of cards. The Indians went on to win by a solitary run and effectively knocked the Bangladeshi’s out of the tournament.
I can’t see either side making too many changes for this one, although a few of the young Bangladeshi squad members could be given a bash with their chances of progression to the next phase of the tournament over.
Verdict: Most Match Fours – New Zeland 7/10
There’s not much value on offer for the Black Caps to win this one so I would recommend backing them to hit the most fours in the game at a reasonable price of 7/10.
England 9/20 | Draw 35/1 | Sri Lanka 18/10
Sri Lanka and England will square off on Sunday in a fixture that neither side can afford to lose. The English come into this one in a decent position in Pool A but a loss here and a South African victory on Friday evening could see the English depart another flagship ICC event before the knockout stages commence.
The Sri Lankans are in a similar position to their opponents, although they do have an extra game to play; which is against South Africa on Monday. A victory here would move them level with whoever is in second place come the close of the South Africa versus West Indies game.
The Lions batting line-up has struggled at the tournament to date, with none of their batsmen – bar Dilshan – covering themselves in glory in the victory over Afghanistan or the loss to the Windies. They will need the rest of their top order to step up to the plate if they are to win this one as the English are capable of setting and chasing big totals.
Verdict: England 9/20
I’m going to be cautious and back England on the straight win here. They have a brilliant to order who are capable of taking the game away from any opponent.
