The Cricket World Cup takes in Trent Bridge for the final time on Thursday for what is now a huge clash in the competition when Australia go up against Bangladesh with the race for the semi-finals very much in the spotlight.
Australia can all but secure their semi-final spot with a win in this match but were Bangladesh to come out on top they would be right in the mix with a couple of winnable fixtures still to come so this one is huge.
AllSportsBetting Podcast
Kev and Steve are rejoicing over a profitable day on Wednesday and are back to give five bets for a match between Australia and Bangladesh that they are both looking forward to. Click play on the video below to hear what they are taking!
Australia
With the exception of their match against India, Australia have largely been comfortable in this tournament thus far but they have some tricky matches on the horizon, starting here, where we are going to see their title credentials, should they exist. I’ve mentioned in the past that they will be looking to pick up the quality as they go along and while they were not perfect against Sri Lanka last time out, they were much better than they had been which is encouraging.
It is beginning to click into gear nicely though. They just need to start finishing their innings off properly. They did that against Sri Lanka to be fair and having Marcus Stoinis back should help. The other thing they need is a little more penetration in the middle overs so that they are not constantly relying on Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins with the ball.
Bangladesh
With the exception of the England game, where they were overwhelmed from start to finish, Bangladesh have been a breath of fresh air in this tournament. They have played with smiles on their faces and played some of the best cricket we have seen in the competition as emphasised by their outstanding run chase to see off the West Indies last time out. If they can continue to play with that freedom in matches that carry pressure like this one then it says plenty about them.
If Bangladesh are going to pick up the three wins they need from their final four matches to make it into the semi-finals then their bowlers are going to have to perform to their maximum level. We saw against England what happens when that isn’t the case so they need to make sure they are at their best because they certainly don’t look like they are lacking anything with the bat.
Team News
There is talk that Marcus Stoinis could be back for this match but off the back of an emphatic win there is no need to push him back in with potentially five more games to play after this one. Nathan Coulter-Nile could well return instead of Jason Behrendorff though.
It would be one of the biggest surprises in a while if Bangladesh name any changes to their side unless someone comes down with a late illness or injury. Performances like the one they gave last time out don’t need the team to be disbanded.
Special Offer
Bet on the team top batsman market at Boylesports; get money back as a free bet up to £20 if your player scores 50+ but doesn’t top score! ALL CUSTOMERS! Click the image above to bet. 18+ T&Cs apply
Betting
I’m loading the bet slips up again here with my first bet being on Bangladesh to remain within 6.5 wickets or 48.5 runs here. That is a large line on a side who have beaten South Africa and West Indies and were a bodged run out from adding New Zealand to their list of scalps. Australia may well win this and indeed should do that but it is all about winning for them rather than worry about the margin of victory. There are enough bowlers in this Australia side to score runs against for Bangladesh and enough poor players of spin to take wickets against so I’m happy to be with Bangladesh on the handicap.
My next two bets come in the player performance markets where I like the lines of Mohammad Saifuddin and Shakib-al-Hasan. The former has a line of 31.5 which he has covered with the ball in every innings in this tournament so far by taking two wickets in three of the games and three against West Indies last time out. One of the reasons for that is because he bowls at the death and has all the variety needed to succeed in that part of the game. He could easily cover this line with the ball but he’s a perfectly handy batsman down the order and with catches too I expect this line to be covered.
I also expect Shakib to cover 51.5pts. He has covered that total with the bat in every match thus far with 50s in his first two games and then tons in the next two but even if he fails with the bat at any time he has his bowling to fall back on where his canny left-arm spin is a more than useful weapon. Throw in catches as well and the form he is in, there is every reason to believe the leading all-rounder in the world will deliver the goods here.
Finally I’ll have a small bet on Aaron Finch to be the man of the match. In truth this is a bit of a saver but he is the only one who I think could take the game away from Bangladesh. There is Maxwell but enough damage will have been done by the time he comes in that Bangladesh wouldn’t have lost the handicap. Finch is in fine form and were he to play the Jason Roy innings from earlier in the tournament he would likely walk away with the man of the match award. At 7/1 that can act as a saver if he does tear Bangladesh apart.
Tips
WON – Back Bangladesh (+6.5wickets/48.5runs) to beat Australia for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Betway
Back S.al-Hasan’s Performance – Over 51.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.75 with Betway
Back them here:
VOID – Back M.Shaifuddin’s Performance – Over 31.5pts for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Bet365
Back A.Finch Man of the Match for a 1/10 stake at 8.00 with Betfair
Back him here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2019
