The Global Super League continues on Tuesday night when the representatives from Australia and Pakistan meet in what could be a defining match in the competition as the pacesetters Victoria take on the Lahore Qalandars.
Victoria have very much been the surprise package in this event so far and a third win here would almost guarantee them a spot in the final. Lahore kept their campaign alive last time out and will take another step towards the final with a win here.
Lahore Qalandars
The Lahore Qalandars have a win and a loss in their ledger for the tournament with the loss coming in the opening match against the Guyana Amazon Warriors before they rebounded to edge out Hampshire in a pretty close game. That leaves them on the edge of the top two and probably needing to win their last two matches if they are going to make the final. Another defeat probably ends their chances unless there are some wacky results over the remainder of the week.
The Qalandars matches have generally followed a similar pattern in that their batting has struggled but they have bowled well. They were only a few runs away from having enough on the board against Guyana and then managed to defend 135 against Hampshire. That match took place on Saturday so they have had a couple of days to reflect on what they are offering with the bat and look to come out and deliver a better showing here.
Victoria
Victoria went into the tournament as the rank outsiders with the bookmakers but they have surprised everyone so far to come away from their opening two matches with a pair of wins and now they know that if they win one more match they will be into the final. They have two chances of doing it but with the speed that this tournament is taking place if they can get that win here it would allow them the luxury of resting one or two bowlers in the final group game before that final.
Victoria are one of the few teams who have looked comfortable with the bat in this tournament. They have posted scored over 150 in both of their matches and no match that hasn’t involved them has had a score beyond that threshold. One reason why they have needed to score that many was that their bowling took a while to build into the tournament but with the confidence of winning that unit has arrived and the Australians are suddenly looking very handy as a result.
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Key Players
Luke Wells bashed a few big hits away in the win over Hampshire last time out and his batting will be needed here but his leg spin could be important too with the reputation of Australian players against that style of bowling questionable to say the least.
Callum Stow has bowled very tidily for Victoria in this tournament so far and if he has another decent spell in him he could take the pressure from the remainder of his side and assist with them booking their spot in the final at the first time of asking.
Betting
I’m a little bit surprised that Victoria are as big as they are in this match. They look to have the tools to go well in the competition in that they have a couple of openers who can score in the powerplay when the ball is new and comes onto the bat a little more and then they have finishers in both parts of the match where they can get the job done and that could make them tough to beat, especially on a fresh pitch which is more likely to suit their style too.
Lahore Qalandars have the spinners to be a bit of a pain here but Victoria have handled the spinners fairly well in the competition so far. The one thing the Pakistan outfit lack a little is players who can smack the old ball out of the park and if Victoria can steal a match on the Qalandars in the powerplay, which is perfectly possible because the Lahore top order hasn’t really got going in the tournament, then they can squeeze things in the middle overs before getting the job done. At the prices the Australians look a fair bet.
Tips
Back Victoria to beat Lahore Qalandars for a 3/10 stake at 2.38 with William Hill
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