Group A of the T20 World Cup concludes in the second match of the double header of action in the tournament on Thursday and it does so with a clash between Namibia and the United Arab Emirates in Geelong.
The earlier match will determine much of what could go on here but whatever happens in that match UAE will have to win big. Namibia might be able to qualify with a narrow defeat if Sri Lanka lose but the likelihood is that they will need to win this to progress.
Namibia
Having qualified from the first round group a year ago, Namibia gave themselves a good chance of replicating that feat when they took Sri Lanka to the cleaners in their opening match. Such was the margin of victory that any win over the Netherlands in their second outing would have put more than one foot into the next round but they came unstuck which will probably leave them needing to win this match to make it through.
They are warm favourites but they won’t have played too many must-win matches of this magnitude so that is something that is important to remember when assessing their chances. While they lost to the Netherlands, they fought hard with the ball from start to finish and that is never a bad trait to have. They will need a complete performance here and probably their big players to stand up and be counted but they have the experience of last year to fall back on.
UAE
This has been a tough assignment for the UAE in this tournament. You always sensed it would be with this the first global event they have played in outside of Asia but they haven’t played anything like their best cricket so far. There is every chance that they will have been eliminated from the competition before the start of this match so that might give them some freedom to express themselves and let their best cricket come out.
To their credit, they have bowled pretty well in this tournament. They have had some wonderful moments with the ball in hand over their opening two matches but where the struggles have really come has been with the bat. They could probably be expected to struggle in these conditions and they have been caught between trying to hit the ball too hard at times and also getting bogged down. If they can find that balance they might be able to leave this event with a win.
Safer Gambling Week
This week is Safer Gambling Week, an initiative we are fully supportive of on this website. If you are having a problem with your gambling click the image below for help.
Team News
Namibia haven’t changed their side in the tournament to date and there are no signs that they are intending to make any changes for this match. Ruben Trumpelmann is waiting in the wings should they want to change things up.
UAE have been forced into a change to their squad ahead of this match. Zawar Farid has been ruled out of however long UAE have left in the tournament because of a fractured foot. Fahad Nawaz is the man to replace him.
Betting
I’ll go with three bets in this match. The first one comes in the form of under 276.5 runs, a line I think is way too high given that UAE are yet to reach 112 in the tournament. I don’t think the Namibian attack is that bad that they are suddenly going to smash it out of the park, especially with the sluggish nature of this pitch. Namibia might not score masses themselves. There is no doubt that UAE have shown better form with the ball here than the bat and the African nation have struggled against spin. In the 15 overs they have faced of spin in the competition they haven’t gone at a run a ball and lost five wickets. They’ll get plenty of spin come their way here. When you add in the pressure Namibia are under in this match nothing about it screams high scoring to me.
The second bet I like is the performance of Karthik Meiyappan, the man who took a hat trick against Sri Lanka in the previous game. He bowled lovely in that match and took a wicket in the opening game as well. You get the impression that he is going to be a dangerman here too. I’ve already highlighted the struggles that Namibia have against spin and this will be the second match on this pitch. He has a performance line of 20.5 so if he takes a wicket we would only need one run if he doesn’t take a second scalp. Namibia might well have to win this match so the pressure of the situation could easily bring about a loose shot from them. I think this line gets covered.
I’ll also have a small bet on Kashif Daud to be the top UAE batter in this match. He batted at three in the opening game and if he was shoved up for some fun in this one then you’ve got to think he would be overpriced at 16/1. Even if he doesn’t he has a decent record against this Namibia attack having scored 76* and 30* in a pair of ODIs against them earlier in the year. All the Namibia big guns played in those matches so that was encouraging. In truth, anyone could top score for UAE in this match but there are reasons to take a chance on Daud.
Tips
Back Under 276.5 runs for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back K.Meiyappan’s Performance – Over 20.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
Back K.Daud Top UAE Batter for a 1/10 stake at 17.00 with Bet365
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2022
