THE EDGE: The Edge previews the Cricket World Cup clash between AUSTRALIA v PAKISTAN with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Australia v Pakistan
MATCH OVERVIEW:
We have a huge clash at the Cricket World Cup on BETDAQ Betting Exchange as Australia and Pakistan clash on Friday in Bangalore. Most cricket fans will know this stadium very well from the IPL; we’ve had some incredible moments here and in general it rains sixes. This was the ground Ireland famously beat England too. We’ve had plenty of shocks in recent days at the World Cup, and things have worked out very well for Australia. They were massively on the backfoot after losing to India and then South Africa, but England’s loss against Afghanistan and then Netherlands beating South Africa has opened the door again for the Aussies.
The wildcard of course is Pakistan; and this game is hugely important for both sides. We have a while still to go in the group stage of the tournament, but this game could go a long way to deciding who finishes in the top four and heads to the Semi-Finals. Pakistan will be reasonably pleased with their start; they dealt with the Netherlands and Sri Lanka – creating a new record chase in a World Cup against Sri Lanka along the way before losing to India. Losing to the tournament favourites is no big deal when it comes to getting into the top four, although obviously there is a huge amount of pride when those two meet!
We should have a fascinating game ahead though. Pakistan probably need to win if they are going to reach the top four, while Australia have obviously under immense pressure results this week have worked in their favour. I really can’t see both of these in the top four, so the stakes couldn’t be higher.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Usually Bangalore is a batters paradise. We’ve watched some crazy IPL games here, however with this being an ODI we will lack a heavy dew for the first innings. I would almost certainly chase, and then you have the chance of dew helping a lot. We have small boundaries and usually a flat wicket, so it’s hard not to expect a big score. That will be a positive for Australia who have struggled with conditions so far in India; however they have done some drainage work here in recent years and sometimes the wicket dries out a lot. Then we might see spin, but usually it’s a belter and 300 might not even be close to enough. This is the first game of the tournament here; the last ODI was back in 2020 and Australia played in that one against India. They scored 286/9 and it was chased quite easily by India.
RECOMMENDED BET:
We have a very interesting market here! Australia are the favourites at 1.58, and that’s a little short for me. I would definitely have the sides closer together in the batting. However, you have to say that this ground should suit the Aussies; the wicket should be flat and unless we see a very dry wicket then there won’t be much spin for them to deal with. Their middle order should be able to cope! That being said, I know the Pakistan batting failed against India but they will enjoy this flat wicket too. They put on a show against Sri Lanka and I would expect them to go well on this surface too. I know ODI’s are a lot longer than T20’s but usually the conditions bring the sides closer together here because it’s so easy to hit sixes and score runs. I expect a closer game than the odds suggest, and I’m happy with a small bet on Pakistan at 2.7 or bigger.
The Edge Says:
One point win Pakistan to beat Australia at 2.7 with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/AusPak
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Usually at Bangalore you want to be supporting the side who bats; generally in the IPL here you aim to get on the side batting first after 12 overs when the dew arrives and then switch at the innings break unless we see an exceptionally high score. ODI format is very different, but I would look to get on the side who bats first coming into the final 20 overs for a trade (if they are in a decent position of course), and then look to switch at the innings break. We should see an edge for the chasing side here, but that doesn’t mean we won’t see a big total posted. This is a game for the batters!
