THE EDGE: The Edge previews The Hundred clash between Birmingham Phoenix v Northern Superchargers with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Birmingham Phoenix v Northern Superchargers
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The double headers from the Hundred on Betdaq Betting Exchange are coming thick and fast now! We have another one on Tuesday with Manchester Originals v Oval Invincibles kicking off the day but my focus is on the late game as Birmingham Phoenix host Northern Superchargers. After such a bad start that left their home fans heading for the exit very early into their first game, the Northern Superchargers have roared back with three straight wins. All those articles about Freddie Flintoff’s experience as a coach have gone quiet for the time being! Another excellent batting performance on Sunday evening powered them to 167/5, this time lead by Harry Brook.
Northern Superchargers still have Ben Stokes to come in too. It looked like Manchester Originals had the game in their head with the openers absolutely flying, but that middle order is very weak on paper and a collapse gave Northern Superchargers the win. They face another side here who have been having issues with their batting. On paper, outside of Ben Duckett, Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali the Birmingham Phoenix batting is pretty weak. It’s actually hard to believe that Ben Duckett scored 92 at the weekend and they finished on 137/9!
While Birmingham Phoenix are towards the bottom of the table with a bad net run rate, they still are in the mix for a playoff spot with two wins from their four games. Over the next few days this week depending on results I think we’ll be talking about the season being over for some sides; this is definitely a big game for Birmingham Phoenix in that regard with Northern Superchargers already ahead of them by two points.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
This is the second game of the season as Edgbaston, and scoring conditions are generally good here in white ball cricket. A lot has been made about the scoring being low in general at the Hundred so far – obviously we don’t have the same talent as the IPL for example and that is a common argument about the Hundred. In the first game here we saw 169/2 scored and that won by 32 runs. Last season here we saw scores of 112/7 (chased), 160/8 (won) and 185/5 (won). As I have been saying recently, I’d keep an open mind on scores given the players have been moaning about the ball logo etc, but I wouldn’t especially be expecting a low score at Edgbaston.
RECOMMENDED BET:
It’s no surprise to see Northern Superchargers as the favourites here, and I feel they offer good value at 1.8. They have built up some excellent momentum over the last week, and they are playing very good cricket now. I know it looked like the game was heading away from them last time out, but once they smelt blood with the collapse their bowling was very tidy. The Birmingham Phoenix batting looks very weak in my opinion with Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali struggling for runs too. The 1.8 on Superchargers is worth a confident bet in my opinion.
The Edge Says:
Three points win Northern Superchargers to beat Birmingham Phoenix at 1.8 on Betdaq Exchange
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/BirNor
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
Ben Duckett lead the way for Birmingham Phoenix with the bat last time out, but that middle order still looks very poor. Livingstone and Ali are struggling for runs as I said above, so I’m very happy to take on the Phoenix middle order. The Northern Superchargers have been the opposite – their middle order has been very strong with the bat and I’m keen to support Pooran and Brook when they come in. Scores have been on the lower side at the Hundred this season, but in general Edgbaston is a good place to bat.
