The second match of the double header in the T20 World Cup 2021 is the first truly big match of the tournament as the hosts in Group A Oman take on the strongest side in the section in Bangladesh in what should be a great game of cricket.
Oman absolutely destroyed Papua New Guinea in their opening match and a win here will pretty much cement their place in the Super 12s given the size of their net run rate. Bangladesh were shocked by Scotland in their first game and a loss here would most likely end their campaign.
Oman
In the main, Oman completely controlled their opening match against Papua New Guinea, which given the pressure on that match was pretty impressive. There was a time when they were bowling where their opposition were building a nice partnership but Oman never allowed the run rate to get out of control and then when they managed to break that period of play, they were able to take regular wickets and restrict PNG to a comfortable total to chase.
We didn’t really get to find out about the Oman batting in that first game because the bowling that got sent down was pretty ordinary to say the least. The positive was that their openers have spent time at the crease and as pitches tire as this event goes on, if Oman remain in the tournament that will serve them well if this becomes a new ball competition. Oman need to tighten up in the field but that will probably come naturally now the nerves have gone.
Bangladesh
I wouldn’t say it was a massive shock that Bangladesh lost to Scotland in their opening match, but there is no getting away from the fact that it was a surprise. It certainly wasn’t the best performance from Bangladesh. Whether they just took their eye off the ball after they had restricted Scotland to 53-6 only they will know. They will also know that you just can’t afford to lose matches from that position, particularly in this event when there is only three matches to begin with.
That has piled the pressure on them moving forward. There is now no room to breathe for the Tigers for the remainder of the group phase. They will still be expected to win this match but if they make life hard for themselves we saw they can be vulnerable. This time if they get their opponents in trouble when they are bowling they need to be ruthless and with the bat they need someone to take responsibility and manage the innings through to guide them to a win.
Special Offer
Sign up for a Boylesports account to get up to £25 in free bets! Perfect offer for this tournament! Click the image below for this great offer! New accounts only. 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Key Men
Zeeshan Maqsood changed the game against Papua New Guinea with the ball and while his spell will be important we might need to see the batsman in him if he is to guide his Oman outfit to a second successive win.
Mehidy Hasan was the one who ripped through Scotland in the opening match and he almost got them home in the final over when he had the bat in his hand. His spell of bowling could be crucial to the outcome of this one.
Betting
There isn’t a huge amount that I like in this match because of the pressure of the situation but this isn’t a particularly big ground and I would expect the Bangladesh batters to want to lay something of a marker down in this match. There is still a chance that this group comes down to net run rate to determine the two qualifiers so there might be an intent for Bangladesh to get the job done as quickly as they can to bolster theirs which is a little on the negative side after that opening defeat.
Obviously if Bangladesh bat first in this match they will be aggressive with the bat to make sure they put up the sort of score that gives them a chance of winning the match. If they are chasing then when they have the chase under control they might well push the button and look to get it done quickly so whichever way round they do it I think there is scope for them to cover a 5.5 sixes line here. I get that Bangladesh will be under pressure in this match but only two batsmen got going for PNG against Oman in the first game and they hit four sixes between them. I’m expecting half a dozen out of Bangladesh here.
Tips
Back Bangladesh – Over 5.5 sixes for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with BetVictor
Back them here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2021
