The first round of the T20 World Cup concludes with another double header of action on Friday when the closing matches in Group B take place in Hobart beginning with the clash between West Indies and Ireland.
The equation for these two is pretty simple. The winner will progress through to the Super 12 stage of the competition and the loser will be on the next flight out of Australia so we are playing knockout cricket here.
Ireland
Ireland have reached this match in similar fashion to West Indies. They were thrashed by Zimbabwe and didn’t look fantastic in that match but they were much better in the second one which saw them chase down a decent target against Scotland. In many ways that was much more impressive because they had to chase that score down else they would have been out of the competition so to handle their nerve like that speaks volumes for what they could achieve here.
I still think Ireland need to raise their game because until the match winning partnership came along they were a distinct second best in that contest. To their credit two of their players stood up and was counted when it really mattered but they could make life a lot easier for themselves if they improve with the ball and especially if they can find some runs from their top order. What has gone before doesn’t really matter if they can play their best game here.
West Indies
The tournament didn’t get off to the sort of start that West Indies would have wanted when they were thrashed by Scotland in their opening game. That might just have been the shock they needed to their system though because they came bouncing back in their second game when they eased past Zimbabwe to set up this chance to make it through to the next stage. That first game showed them that they can’t take anything for granted and they would be stupid if they tried here.
The two matches so far will point out to West Indies that they need to make sure they bat like they can do. They let themselves down with the bat in the opening game and while they weren’t at their best in the second match, they were much more responsible and professional with the bat and got the job done. They have generally bowled pretty well in the tournament so you get the feeling that this one is all about holding their nerve in a do or die situation and batting like they can.
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Team News
Ireland probably have no reason to make a change after a win last time out but it might be that one of the bowlers has been a little too expensive for comfort and there could easily be someone like Graham Hume waiting in the wings to come in.
You wouldn’t think West Indies would change a winning combination but if Brandon King is available you would imagine that he will return in place of Johnson Charles because their order looks a bit lopsided with Evin Lewis at three.
Betting
I’ll go with one bet over the course of this match. I was looking at another but the lines that are out there are just a little higher than I would want to take so I’ll stick with one which has been pretty good to me so far this week which is the performance of Jason Holder. The line was 31.5 for the opening two matches but it has crept up to 37.5 for this one. I still expect it to cover though as he is perfect for these conditions.
Perhaps more than his technical qualities with bat and ball it is his character and demeanour which will be important in this match. He is a calm guy who seems to be unflappable and in the pressure cooker situation of a must-win match that could be pivotal. He is very good with the bat and the ball though as we’ve seen in this tournament twice already and on a pitch which is assisting him with the ball and suiting him with the bat I’m happy to be on over 37.5pts from him here.
Tips
Back J.Holder’s Performance – Over 37.5pts for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with Bet365
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