The second part of the double header in the International League T20 sees the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders concluding their maiden ILT20 campaign when they take on the Sharjah Warriors for whom this is a vital game.
The Knight Riders will finish one of the worst seasons in the history of franchise cricket in this match and will want to bow out with a win. Sharjah will put one foot into the latter stages of the event if they can come out on top here.
Abu Dhabi Knight Riders
We keep on saying it but the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders have been awful this season. I don’t think they were the best put together squad for these conditions anyway but even so they have performed way below expectations and a failure to win here would have them ranked among the worst teams in the history of franchise cricket. It takes something to not win a single game in a competition but that is the possibility that awaits Abu Dhabi.
The problem for the Knight Riders is they have been awful in all departments this season. When the campaign started the plan would have been to bat well and set the games up for Andre Russell to launch. They haven’t done that but Russell has still got into his work and even his blitzes have been unable to lead them to a win. They have been way below what would be expected with the ball and that has cost them dearly throughout the campaign.
Sharjah Warriors
Even though the Sharjah Warriors have lost more matches than they have won this season, they are well placed to secure a spot in the finals of the campaign. If they win both of their remaining matches then they will be into the next stage but given their superior run rate over the Dubai Capitals, one win is likely to be enough. Their last match is against the Gulf Giants though so they could do with picking up that win here.
The longer the competition has gone on, the better the Sharjah Warriors have looked and they will be boosted by the return of their England internationals for this game so the Warriors look in a decent place. Their bowlers have kept their last four opponents under 150 and in this day and age when teams are doing that they will expect to win matches. With their batting reinforced for this one Sharjah should be feeling confident here.
Special Offer
OPEN AN ACCOUNT WITH 888SPORT AND BET £10 TO GET £30 IN FREE BETS PLUS A £10 CASINO BONUS! PERFECT OFFER TO USE ON THE ILT20 LEAGUE! CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO JOIN. USE CODE 30F. NEW ACCOUNTS ONLY. 18+ T&Cs apply (See image for significant terms). Gamble Aware.
Key Players
Andre Russell is a mile clear in the top run charts for the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders and they will be hoping he has one more big knock in him which can swing the game their way. He hasn’t been as effective with the ball as he would like and has one more bowling effort to show his worth.
Moeen Ali was in decent touch in the ODI series for England and now that he is back he’ll be looking to bring that form to the remainder of the Sharjah Warriors campaign. He’ll be key with the bat but his bowling might be important too.
Betting
The Sharjah Warriors beat the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders earlier in the competition when their England players were away on international duty so you would have to think they will get the better of them again here. If there had been signs of improvement from the Knight Riders since the competitive edge of their matches had disappeared them it might have been a different story but they have got no better and now have to back up from a defeat the day before which is never easy.
Sharjah are bowling very well at the minute and have a good death bowler in Naveen which is important to keep Andre Russell in check at the end of the innings. They have plenty of batting depth, especially if Chris Woakes comes into the side. I think this is one of those occasions where it could be worth backing the Sharjah Warriors to cover a relatively small looking handicap at a bigger price than the match betting. If Sharjah win, which I think they will, it is likely to be by more than 3.5 wickets or 7.5 runs and if they don’t win then backing them to win the match loses anyway. I’ll play the handicap here.
Tips
Back Sharjah Warriors (-3.5wickets/7.5runs) to beat Abu Dhabi Knight Riders for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2023
