The Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup 2021 concludes on Monday and it does so with what we now know is a dead rubber in Group 2 as India go up against Namibia in the sole match on the day in Dubai.
India’s fate was sealed once New Zealand took care of Afghanistan on Sunday which means that both teams doing battle here know this is their last outing in the tournament. For Namibia it is their last chance to show themselves on the big stage, possibly until this event next year.
India
I don’t think any Indian can have any complaints that they are out of the tournament already. They paid the price for a slow start to their campaign and while they have delivered two emphatic wins in their last two outings and might well deliver another here, you lose control of your own destiny in these things when you come a cropper twice. There is no doubt India will be disappointed though. They had conditions in their favour here which they won’t have quite so much in Australia next year so this is definitely one which goes away.
It is easy to say that India have nothing to play for here but this is the last time Virat Kohli will captain them in this format. Ravi Shastri also steps down from his role at the end of this match and so I’m sure they would like to go out on a high. India are involved in a T20 series with New Zealand next week though so it might be that they choose to rest one or two players, especially with five Tests on the horizon from the end of the month.
Namibia
This has been a ground-breaking tournament for Namibia and I’m sure they will be out to depart it on a high. That might not even be with a victory, although that would send shockwaves across the game if they can achieve it, just a competitive display with some good cricket would see them leave the match with a stack of credit intact. Such is the associate world, we don’t know when Namibia will be in action again next so this team might break up after this match.
That will be a shame, although the fact that the team have already qualified for the T20 World Cup next year might see everyone go for another 12 months. Namibia have the makings of a decent bowling attack and given that the strength of it is their seamers they could be an even more dangerous proposition in Australia next year. Their ‘bomb squad’ haven’t really delivered with the bat against a top nation in this tournament. With nothing to lose here this might be the time.
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Key Men
Great players tend to show their greatness in iconic moments so it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if Virat Kohli gets in and bows out of the T20 captaincy with a major innings against an attack which should be there for the taking for him.
You wouldn’t think Namibia have much of a chance of winning this match if their kingpin David Wiese doesn’t have a great game. He will probably need a big game with the bat more than the ball but if he can contribute on both counts it would be appreciated.
Betting
Who knows what team India are going to pick for this match? They should still be strong enough to win it whoever lines up for them but in a dead rubber on a ground where we know the dew will play a part in proceedings with motivation pretty low I’m not interested in backing India to win or on a handicap. They should win easily but I can live without the potential heartache that might come along if they have taken their eye off the ball.
Instead I’ll stick with the man who keeps delivering his performance line for me and take David Wiese to cover again. Usually when a player keeps on covering their line that line moves up significantly but it is still 29.5 here and an average game with the bat and ball covers that. He has been batting well in this tournament though and this Dubai pitch will suit his bowling style with the back of the length balls not coming onto the bat. I’ll back him to cover once again.
Tips
Back D.Wiese’s Performance – Over 29.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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