West Indies begin their tour of New Zealand on Friday morning when the two sides take each other on in the first of three T20 matches with the opener coming from Eden Park in Auckland in front of a crowd which is a relief.
With the World T20 delayed until next year both these sides will be continuing their preparation for that tournament and with the winner here knowing they will be one up with two to play there is a lot to play for.
New Zealand
A lot of international sides have been in bubbles since lockdown but New Zealand were not one of them, although they did play the last international matches before the sport stopped prior to the first lockdown so they are used to the different times this pandemic has brought to sport. I wouldn’t say it is becoming the norm now but it is nothing new to elite sportsmen who have plied their trade in things like the Indian Premier League and things.
I always think New Zealand have an advantage at home in this format, not so much with the bat because there aren’t many international batsmen who can’t belt it out of the ground, but very much with the ball. Their bowlers are used to having to use their skills and variety whereas that isn’t always the case with the touring teams. Given who they are up against here the one thing you would think New Zealand have to do here is put up a big score.
West Indies
Although New Zealand tent to be pretty strong at home, West Indies will be confident enough in this series because this is the format of the game that their players are best suited to. We don’t just see that in the Caribbean Premier League, we see it in the Indian Premier League which their players shine in and we see it in events like the Big Bash and T20 Blast too, not to mention the World T20 which they are currently the holders of.
West Indies can perform on all sorts of grounds in this format because their batsmen are programmed to see the ball and hit it as far as they can. Where they can sometimes let themselves down is with the ball and in the field but when you have natural power like their batting line up has that doesn’t really matter. West Indies were housed in a bubble in England earlier in the year so they are perfectly used to this situation.
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Team News
New Zealand have decided to rest Trent Boult and Kane Williamson after their Indian Premier League exploits which means that Tim Southee will skipper the side and Devon Conway will come in after his big hitting domestic exploits.
West indies are without gun all-rounders Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo while the likes of Darren Bravo and Jason Holder are with the red ball squad. That leaves room for the likes of Keemo Paul and Fabian Allen to come in.
Betting
I don’t think it will surprise anyone that I want to be with the sixes in this match. We all know how small the boundaries are here and these two teams are pretty big hitting, especially when you think that arguably New Zealand’s worst six hitter – Kane Williamson – isn’t playing here. They have a top six that can clear the ropes while any West Indies team they put out can definitely clear these ropes and most others around the world.
The sixes line here is 14.5 which looks very much on the low side to me on what is effectively a rugby ground and one where the wicket is usually good for batting. It can’t do the sixes any harm that Trent Boult isn’t playing and with neither team have a true gun bowler in their ranks I expect the big shots to come early and keep on coming. This line just looks way too low so I’m happy enough to have a chunky bet on the over.
Tips
WON – Back Over 14.5 sixes for a 7/10 stake at 1.80 with BetVictor
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