We are nearing the end of the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup 2021 and we head closer to it with another double header on Friday, which begins with Namibia facing New Zealand in what is a pivotal match in Group 2.
Namibia know that their campaign isn’t going to go any further than this stage unless they can perform a couple of miracles in their last two matches but New Zealand still have their semi-final destiny within their control, something they will be eager to maintain here.
Namibia
To their credit, Namibia haven’t disgraced themselves in this stage of the tournament even though their record now stands at a win and two defeats. Importantly for them they won the match they would have expected to win and they have been competitive at times against Afghanistan and Pakistan, the latter they had no real right to be competitive against based on how well they have played over the course of the tournament so far.
I always think that whenever an associate nation comes to one of these events their two aims are to be competitive and unearth some talent. Namibia have ticked both boxes and the fact they have already qualified for the tournament in Australia next year means that they can 100% freeroll in their last two matches. If they can take one more scalp with them then that round off a very encouraging competition for them nicely.
New Zealand
Technically New Zealand aren’t playing knockout cricket here but if they want to guarantee a semi-final spot then they have to win their last two matches so in their minds they might feel this is effectively a knockout match. This has the potential of being a tricky test for the Kiwis too. The expectation and emphasis is all on them to win but Namibia have the potential to be dangerous with the new ball. New Zealand have it all to lose and not a whole lot to gain here it has to be said.
The good thing is New Zealand are warming their way into the competition nicely. They had a bit of rust to shake off in their opening match but since then they have put in two very strong performances which have led to convincing wins. If there is an area of concern it would come in their death bowling which has leaked a few runs but on both occasions they were well in control of the situation so I suspect when they need to go through the gears in that department they will be able to.
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Key Men
You would think that Namibia are going to have to take early wickets here to have a chance in this match so once again Ruben Trumpelmann will be key. He swings the new ball into the right handers and if he can get into the top order Namibia might sense an opportunity.
This Sharjah wicket hasn’t always been the easiest to bat on and often the classiest are the ones to prevail on it so New Zealand will need their captain Kane Williamson to step forward here I fancy. He is always a man for a special situation and this is certainly that.
Betting
I would expect New Zealand to win this but Namibia have been competitive enough so far this tournament to merit respect and on a pitch which can prove a little on the tricky side I’m happy to let them win without the potential sweating and heartache and instead I’ll concentrate on one of the player performance markets which are beginning to serve us nicely as we move deeper into the competition. Those who have followed all tournament will not be surprised to know it is the performance of David Wiese that I like.
Despite him playing very well in almost every match in this tournament Wiese continues to get low looking performance lines. This time it is at 28.5, a line he has covered in four of his last five matches in the tournament with the other one seeing him finish with 26pts. Wiese will have bowled at most of these batters either in county cricket or on the franchise circuit and he’ll have faced or been teammates with most of the bowlers. With the exception of Ish Sodhi there is no mystery to the New Zealand attack and he is only a normal leg spinner. When you consider Wiese has been a teammate of Will Beer and Rashid Khan for the last few seasons that isn’t going to pose much of a problem. We saw when Wiese hit 28* to win his side the big match against Ireland in the previous round that this ground isn’t big enough to contain him with the bat. His bowling is suited to this pitch too so I expect him to cover this line regardless of what Namibia do in the match.
Tips
Back D.Wiese’s Performance – Over 28.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.90 with Betway
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