THE EDGE: The Edge previews The Hundred format game between London Spirit v Oval Invincibles with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
Day two of The Hundred sees a London Derby on BETDAQ Betting Exchange as London Spirit take on Oval Invincibles! There was only two points between these two last season, however London Spirit managed third and Oval Invincibles had to settle for fifth and no playoff action. This should be an interesting game because both sides come into the tournament in a pretty weak spot to be honest.
London Spirit have lost the services of Glenn Maxwell and Kieron Pollard in the build-up. Glenn Maxwell spoke out about The Hundred falling short compared to other T20 leagues around the world, and as I said in my preview of the first game the tournament is really under pressure this summer. Mark Wood is also in the squad, but whether or not he plays is a decision for the ECB. I feel Oval Invincibles actually have the better squad in terms of who is actually going to play, but once again there are issues. Sunil Narine will leave around August 13th, but Jason Roy and Heinrich Klaasen lead the way with the bat.
Add in excellent domestic UK players like the Curran bothers and Sam Billings, and Oval Invincibles might be able to finish better than fifth this season. To do that though, they need a positive start here though!
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
I’m sure the old fashioned members at Lord’s aren’t fans of The Hundred, but here we are! The first inning scores here last season were 160/6 (won), 156/6 (won), 122/7 (chased), 139/6 (chased) and 120/9 (chased). Oval Invincibles chased down the 122/7 against London Spirit here quite easily last season, and I’d probably lean towards bowling first here. As always at Lord’s though, it tends to be more about overhead conditions than the wicket itself! Look up at Lord’s not down is usually what you hear.
RECOMMENDED BET:
It’s no surprise to see Oval Invincibles marginal favourites here, but I still feel they offer decent value at 1.9 or bigger. Given its early days in the tournament, you would be surprised to see the market change favourites before the off, or even react to the toss news and changes favourites. However, I really don’t like the look of London Spirit on paper this season so I’m prepared to take them on early doors. If they play well they can change my mind, but until then I feel there’s value taking them on.
The Edge Says:
Two points win Oval Invincibles to beat London Spirit at 1.9 with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/LonOva
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
At the start of the tournament, I won’t be going crazy with stakes – especially in-running. There’s going to be plenty of good trading options over the next three weeks and there’s no rush. I’d like to see how the Lord’s wicket plays, but obviously overhead conditions are always a huge factor here. I feel the best in-running trade will be supporting the Oval Invincibles batting, especially Heinrich Klaasen who has been in superb form lately. Jason Roy can be hit-or-miss at the start of his innings, but once he gets in he’s worth supporting.