We have our first double header in the Caribbean Premier League on Sunday as the CPL 2024 season heads back to Antigua for the first game as the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons play host to the Barbados Royals in the day match.
The Falcons has played two matches in this tournament so far and lost them both so they need to get off the mark here while the Royals will open up their campaign in this match and a winning start will set them on their way nicely.
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons
The Antigua and Barbuda Falcons could easily offer up the suggestion that while they have lost both of their matches so far, they could have won both of them with an ounce more luck here or there. In truth though, they were beaten much easier than the end score suggested in their first game but they probably should have got over the line in the second one only to fail to withstand the pressure in the final two overs of the contest.
If there is a positive to losing two home matches in this competition, it would come in the fact that the Falcons lost both in the final ball of the contest and so their net run rate hasn’t been negatively impacted so if they can find a win here they would not be playing catch up too much. They certainly won’t want to concede a third home defeat so they need their bowling to stand up when it matters and for their opening pair to set a slightly better platform.
Barbados Royals
This will be the first time that we see the Barbados Royals in this tournament. We know that they missed out on the postseason last term so they will have motivation to make a better fist of things this time around. I always think that sides who start their campaign in this tournament away from home have little to lose in their opening match because the key to this competition is winning the home games and then pinching what you can on the road so Barbados can play with a bit of freedom here.
When you look down the Barbados squad list there is certainly no shortage of clean hitters with the bat. That will be important when they get back to the Kensington Oval but for now you would think it would be down to their bowlers, if not to get them over the line, then certainly to set up the win for them. They have some good spin options, which should be important with this the third game on this ground in four days, but their seamers aren’t shabby either.
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Key Players
If the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons are going to get their first win on the board then they could do with Fakhar Zaman making the most of the starts he has had in this competition so far. If he can push beyond 50 and set the innings up it would help.
Jason Holder is usually a key player for whichever team he plays for in any format of the sport but he might be particularly keen to impress here having missed out on the West Indies’ World Cup squad. A player with a point to prove is often a dangerous one.
Betting
There isn’t a massive amount that I like in this match because I’m not really that keen on the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons but at the same time we are seeing the Barbados Royals for the first time in the competition. It is also the first day match of the tournament and you would expect the wicket to play a little slower as a result of that but we don’t truly know until we have seen that in action, even though that was the trend last season.
With all that in mind, I’m largely going to keep my powder dry for this match but I can’t resist a cheeky bet on Jason Holder to top score for the Barbados Royals. I do think he has a bit of a point to prove and if there is one thing we have seen with the Falcons’ bowling it is that they appear to be much better with the new ball than the back end of the innings. There is enough spin up front to keep the likes of Quinton de Kock honest so Holder could easily come to the crease with the top score up for grabs. At 11/1 he feels overpriced to me here.
Tips
Back J.Holder Top Barbados Royals Batter for a 1/10 stake at 12.00 with Bet365
