The ODI series between Ireland and New Zealand concludes on Friday when the two sides battle it out for the third and final time. The series has already been won but there are more World Cup qualifying points up for grabs so this certainly isn’t a dead rubber.
The series has been much more competitive than was probably expected before its outset and certainly more so than the 2-0 score to New Zealand suggests. There is no reason to think this final match will be any different.
Ireland
You sensed when Ireland let New Zealand back into the opening match when they had them dead and buried that they would pay the ultimate price for that and that is exactly how things have panned out. They should have drawn first blood but didn’t and then came out on the wrong side of a significant toss in the second game and here they are 2-0 down in the series despite the fact their margins of defeat have been four wickets in the two matches combined.
It would be being a little harsh but if you wanted to be that way you could point out that Ireland didn’t bat their overs out and they didn’t play spin particularly well but we shouldn’t forget that they are an associate side and not necessarily used to playing quality bowling. If Ireland are going to win this match they need to show a little more intent where they can at the top of the order. They will also need to finish the job off with the ball.
New Zealand
I’m not sure how much confidence New Zealand will take from the first two matches but I don’t ever think it is a bad sign when a team wins when it hasn’t played particularly well. They have relied on all their batting depth and experience at the top level to get the job done but they have got it done and ultimately the only thing that matters is the result. They will have to play a lot better to go anywhere as they build towards the World Cup next year but winning is never a bad habit.
The big concern for New Zealand is that their top order has failed in pretty much all three Test matches in England and both ODIs here and the absence of Kane Williamson in most of those games coupled with the fact that Ross Taylor has retired means they have an inexperienced top order and it doesn’t take much in today’s world for doubts to creep in over whether they have the players to keep them competitive. The positive is that by and large the bowlers have gone well in this series.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account to get up to £25 in free bets! Perfect offer for this series! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Team News
We’ve reached the stage of the series where teams consider bringing those who haven’t played a match into the side. For Ireland that would mean Gareth Delany, Stephen Doheny and Graham Hume would come into the thinking.
New Zealand are yet to give an outing to Dane Cleaver or Adam Milne in this series. The latter has been struggling with a niggle so he might not be available but it might be that Cleaver comes in for one of the batters.
Betting
The Curtis Campher performance worked well for us in the previous game and although the line has crept above 40 at 40.5 I still think there is enough mileage in it. I think it is fair to say the all-rounder had an average game in all departments in the second match, he scored 25 runs took one wicket in the four overs that he bowled and one catch for 55 points. In the first game he went well with the bat and ball making 43 and taking three wickets for a 103 total.
I see no reason why he won’t go well again in this match. The wickets doing a little bit for the bowlers clearly helps his seamers and he is a solid enough batter, probably better than what he showed in the previous game when he struggled to get the spinners away. If the openers can go better then he’ll be in a better position to play his natural game. Two wickets and a run gets this line covered as do 21 runs and a wicket so he doesn’t need a special game for the over to land. I’ll take that over here.
Tips
Back C.Campher’s Performance – Over 40.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
