THE EDGE: The Edge previews The Hundred game between Manchester Originals and London Spirit with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
MATCH OVERVIEW:
A new week begins at the Hundred on Betdaq Betting Exchange, and dare I say we begin with a new must game. It’s exceptionally early in the tournament, but Manchester Originals and London Spirit already feel on the back foot. Manchester Originals have opened their tournament with two losses and already sit bottom of the table. Things happen on fast-forward in these franchise tournaments, and it’s quite easy for the players just here for money to lose interest once the chance of the playoffs is gone. That’s why we see so many blowout seasons – London Spirit had one of those last season!
The way London Spirit started the tournament with a woeful performance against Oval Invincibles felt like it was a case of “here we go again” but they bounced back with a win over Welsh Fire at the weekend. Welsh Fire have been another historically poor side in the tournament though – Jonny Bairstow was tasked with bringing their level up; him playing for the away side at Headingley went viral the other day as to why a lot of English cricket fans don’t enjoy the Hundred, but here we are. David Warner led the London Spirit with a brilliant 70 not out, but you’d have to say if he doesn’t get the runs looking at their batting line-up then they are going to massively struggle.
Their middle order is lacking, and while Kane Williamson is an excellent cricketer – he is an ODI/Test player, not a major T20 player, and he’s in a shorter format here! Manchester Originals have had some major issues with the bat, but they do have an immense amount of talent with Phil Salt, Jos Buttler and Heinrich Klaasen some of the best hitters in the world. An interesting game awaits; as I said, it feels like a must win game for both already.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Manchester Originals only managed 131/4 with the bat in the opening game here last week, but Southern Brave barely chased it. They only had one wicket and one ball to spare so it’s not like they made the wicket look extremely good and 131 was way short. I’d go into this game with an open mind on scoring; equally you have two sides here who could easily really struggle with the bat. Unless you have Warner or Buttler come off for either side we could be looking at a reasonably small score here.
RECOMMENDED BET:
It’s no surprise to see a reasonably even market here. It’s quite easy to pick holes in both sides to be honest – you’d have to have major worries with both sides batting. I do feel London Spirit have to rely on a good score from David Warner, but he is in-form with an unbeaten 70 at the weekend – a match winning knock too. Manchester Originals have more talent in their line-up, but they have yet to win a game for their side or smash it around the park. This is definitely a game for small stakes in that sense. On balance, I’m happy with a small position on Manchester Originals at 2.04 – they have a better line-up than London Spirit in my opinion.
The Edge Says:
One point win Manchester Originals to beat London Spirit at 2.04 with Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/MncLon
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
This is an interesting game, it’s actually hard to have confidence in either side and I’m sure we’ll see the market bounce around a lot. It’s not a game to get married to a position anyway! I would be massively keen to be against the London Spirit batting once David Warner is out – he could easily play another match winning knock, but if he gets out early then I feel it’ll be a good opportunity to be against them. In regard to Manchester Originals, I do feel it’s a case of wait-and-see how Buttler and Klaasen go before forming a solid opinion. I’d be against their lower order once they are gone.
