THE EDGE: Our cricket tipster The Edge previews Wednesday’s T20 World Cup clash between Afghanistan v New Zealand with a recommended BETDAQ bet.
Afghanistan v New Zealand
MATCH OVERVIEW:
The T20 World Cup rumbles on with Afghanistan taking on New Zealand on Wednesday on BETDAQ Betting Exchange. We have two very different sides here, and they find themselves in very different positions too. Afghanistan collapsed all out for 112 at the weekend against England and the only positive was it took England 18 overs to chase it down so their net run rate didn’t take a real hammering. It was the opposite for New Zealand though – they scored 200/3 against Australia and bowled them out for 111. That’s such a massive win they are in a very strong position now net run rate wise.
Given the weather forecast in general is poor for this tournament, and indeed we lost a game on Monday which was very unlucky for South Africa, having a hugely positive net run rate is going to be a huge asset for New Zealand. Of course, we all know that Afghanistan can do much better than their opening game. Even though their batting failed, their bowlers showed their class working with a very low total too. With the massive boundaries at the MCG, they’ll be hoping they can put maximum pressure on the New Zealand batters.
The major issue I can for Afghanistan however is the New Zealand batters aren’t the type to lose their heads just because they can’t hit sixes. And Virat Kohli showed us here the weekend if you bat long then it gets a little easier to hit sixes – although most likely you have to go down the ground here. An intriguing battle awaits.
WEATHER AND PITCH WATCH:
Thankfully the weather looks OK for a game here. We were all so worried about the weather for India v Pakistan here at the weekend, but it turned out to be sunny in the end and we got a full game in. The weather in Melbourne can be very “changeable” in can go from 40 degrees to 20 degrees within a few hours! Watching the radar is a must, but I would say 160 is a par score here. Anything over that will see the chasing side under a lot of pressure.
RECOMMENDED BET:
New Zealand will come into this game full of confidence because their tournament couldn’t have started any better. However, they do feel a little short here at 1.22 and I’m happy to have a small investment on Afghanistan at 5.2. Their batting really didn’t fire against England, but we know their batters can very hit-and-miss at the best of times. Their bowling line-up is what is the most impressive, and I think in the MCG conditions they have a good chance of doing very well here. New Zealand are the classy side, but I see a closer match than the odds suggest.
The Edge Says:
One point win Afghanistan to beat New Zealand at 5.2 with Betdaq Exchange.
View the market here -> https://betdaq.biz/NZAfg
IN-RUNNING STRATEGY:
We saw here the weekend that 160 will be a challenging chase – these days sides are so used to hitting a six to ease the pressure in the run chase, but with the massive boundary here that’s hard to do. Pakistan pretty much threw the game away given what India needed in the final over too. Afghanistan will put pressure on this New Zealand batting line-up, and I would be very happy to support the Afghanistan bowlers. When they bat though I’m just going to sit on my hands – it’s hard to trust them after the England game, we know they have the talent but I’m just not sure what to expect. The best angle is supporting their bowling.
