TUESDAY T20 WORLD CUP: The Edge previews Pakistan v USA with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Pakistan v USA
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The T20 World Cup is in full flow on Betdaq Betting Exchange , and we have Pakistan v USA on Tuesday from Group A. After surviving a scare against the Netherlands in the tournament opener on Friday, Pakistan will want a more convincing performance here. These two sides met at the 2024 T20 World Cup in a match that will live long in the memory – USA shocked Pakistan in a Super Over after the match was tied. That result was devastating for Pakistan, and they’ll be looking for revenge here – they need it too given they are going to forfeit the Indian game. Obviously we had all the jokes that we were so close to Pakistan changing that decision if Netherlands won the opener!
This World Cup has been absolutely fantastic so far. We’ve seen the smaller nations really pushing the big boys all the way – the Netherlands were close against Pakistan, USA gave India a good game, and then England only just got over the line by 4 runs against Nepal on Sunday in an absolute thriller at the Wankhede! These games have been brilliant viewing, and it really shows how competitive Associate cricket has become. The ICC should be funding these smaller nations a lot more – imagine what they could achieve with proper investment. It is very unfortunate that the ICC don’t support the Associates more.
Pakistan come into this game under enormous pressure given their decision to boycott their match against India at the weekend. They started the tournament with a two-point deficit and a negative net run-rate hit before a ball has even been bowled in that game – it’s a massive handicap but they have got plenty of support from the decision. It does mean though that their three group games against Netherlands, USA and Namibia are effectively must-win encounters. There will be huge relief they got the job done against the Dutch, but it was far too close for comfort. Let’s see can the USA give them a scare too.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
We’re back in Colombo – the same venue where Pakistan played the Netherlands in the tournament opener. Pakistan are playing all their group games here in Colombo, which should give them some familiarity with conditions. The pitch for the Pakistan v Netherlands game looked reasonably good for batting – Netherlands were bowled out for 147 and Pakistan chased it down with 3 balls to spare, but that middle-order collapse from Pakistan suggested the pitch had a bit in it. I wouldn’t be expecting a massively high scoring game here; perhaps if Pakistan bat first given the gulf in class between the sides. It’s another game where you have to keep an eye on the radar – Rain has been around Sri Lanka for the last while. Sri Lankan weather can be very hit-and-miss; there is some rain in the unreliable forecast.
RECOMMENDED BET:
There’s a huge gulf in class between these sides on paper, Pakistan are obviously heavy favourites here. They are trading 1.14 at the time of writing, and I have to say based on what we’ve seen that feels a little short. Obviously it’s a situation for small stakes but the Associates have done really well so far and as we know, USA will have that added confidence of shocking Pakistan in the past. They played well against India in their opening game, and they can perform better than the odds suggest here. I’m happy with a small Pakistan lay.
The Edge Says:
One point lay (liability) Pakistan to beat USA at 1.14 with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/WCPaUs
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
The first thing to watch here is the weather. If we’re looking at a shortened game, things could get very interesting – the shorter the format, the closer it brings the sides together. USA’s best chance is in a reduced overs game where a couple of big overs from their hitters could put serious pressure on Pakistan. You wouldn’t say Pakistan have the fastest batters, so any rain will surely benefit USA. This is a game where I’d be very careful about getting heavily involved on Pakistan at short odds; I do feel USA can play well – whether they can get over the line, we’ll just have to wait and see.
