The regular season in the inaugural SA20 competition continues to wind to a close with the one match on Saturday as we head back to SuperSport Park to see the leaders Pretoria Capitals taking on the MI Cape Town side.
The Pretoria Capitals are already through to the semi-finals but things are getting pretty serious for the pre-tournament favourites MI Cape Town who probably have to win their last two matches to get into the last four.
Pretoria Capitals
The Pretoria Capitals were by far and away the best team in the first part of the competition but they have now gone the better part of two weeks without a match and need to attempt to pick up where they left off. While they have qualified for the semi-finals, they still need at least one win if not two from their final three matches to finish top of the pile and in theory get the easier of the semi-finals against the team who come fourth.
One thing the Capitals are going to need to overcome from here on in is the loss of Will Jacks. He was the leading scorer in the first phase of the event and so his absence leaves a hole at the top of the order. Colin Ingram comes into the setup from the UAE and he is going to need to hit the ground running. The Capitals haven’t lost anyone from the bowling unit though and they were deadly in that opening part of the season, but this is not a bowler friendly ground.
MI Cape Town
When we got ready for this tournament to begin, MI Cape Town were expected to dominate proceedings but they go into this match bottom of the table with just three wins from their eight matches. One of those wins came in their opening game so they have only come out on top of two of their last seven despite the avalanche of riches they have to call upon. They are now faced with the prospect of probably having to win their final two games to make it through.
You would probably argue that it has been the bowling of MI Cape Town which has let them down. A team with Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada and Jofra Archer in their ranks should be cleaning teams up but that has never really happened and they have come up short far too often as a result. Their batting, especially in the top order, hasn’t fired as often as they have needed it to either and the outcome is that they are in the position they are in.
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Key Players
You would imagine this will be a high scoring match so Rilee Rossouw is likely to need to go big in order to keep the Pretoria Capitals on course for the sort of score which will trouble the MI Cape Town outfit.
On the flip side of that, if Kagiso Rabada can rip through the top of the Capitals order then MI Cape Town will be well on the way to the victory they need to keep themselves afloat in the competition and maybe set up a bonus point chance too.
Betting
I’m expecting the sixes to flow in this match and I’m expecting it for one big reason and that is the need of the MI Cape Town side. They have to win this match so if they are batting first then they are going to need to propel some jets to get them up to the sort of score they might feel comfortable defending on a small ground. If they are batting second then a big hitter might go up the innings to lead the run chase and if there is a chance of a bonus point win they will be all out for it.
That isn’t to say the Pretoria Capitals won’t contribute to the six hitting. They have natural big hitters of the cricket ball themselves and while one or two of this MI Cape Town attack are hard to get away there are bowlers which the Capitals can get after. We’ve had two matches here. The first had 24 sixes and the second had 10 when 122 was the first innings score from a Joburg batting unit which misses more times than it hits. There were 13 sixes between these two at Newlands and with the altitude here I expect at least as many.
Tips
Back Over 12.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with BetVictor
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