Tag: NZ

Bangladesh Hoping For New Year’s Eve Boost

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

As most of New Zealand prepares for a New Year’s Eve party, Nelson is set to host a damp squib dead rubber in the third one day international between New Zealand and Bangladesh. New Zealand has dominated the series thus far, recording easy wins in Christchurch and Nelson, and look set to do the same in the Nelson finale.

A series sweep the aim for New Zealand, and pride and momentum for Bangladesh as there is still plenty of cricket to be played on this tour.

The Series So Far

Game one was dominated by the bats of Colin Munro and Tom Latham as the Black Caps registered a win by 77 runs.

Game two in Nelson was a different story. Bangladesh had chances throughout and managed to restrict the home side to just 251. In response, the Bangladesh chase was under control at 105/1 before a massive collapse (including three wickets to part-timer Kane Williamson) saw the tourists lose their way completely. They eventually lost by 67 runs.

The Teams

New Zealand (likely):

1 Martin Guptill, 2 Tom Latham, 3 Kane Williamson (capt), 4 Neil Broom, 5 James Neesham, 6 Colin Munro, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Jeetan Patel, 11 Trent Boult

The slow nature of the Saxton Oval wicket and the presence of three left-handers in the Bangladesh top five is likely to see the recently added Jeetan Patel play his first ODI since 2009. Patel’s been in okay form plying his trade in New Zealand’s domestic T20 tournament, the McDonalds Super Smash.

Bangladesh (likely):

1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mahmudullah, 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Nurul Hasan, 8 Tanbir Hayder, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Mustafizur will probably come back in after being rested for game two. Subashis Roy is the player likely to make way. Additionally, Mehedi Hasan should make his first appearance of the series for the same reason New Zealand have included Patel. The 19-year old enjoyed an exceptional test series against England in October and needs to be given an opportunity in limited-overs cricket.

The Key Players

New Zealand

It’s a big game for Neil Broom. Granted the middle order batsman is coming off a hundred, which in some circumstance might buy him more time in the number four position, but with Ross Taylor just around the corner (Taylor scored 82 for Central Districts in a domestic T20 game against Auckland yesterday to show he’s nearing a return). Broom needs runs again to guarantee a place at number five for the Australian series and for the Champions Trophy. A batsman who can control the middle overs is exactly what NZ need. If Broom can do the same in Nelson as he did in game two he will well and truly have the inside running.

Bangladesh

The last time Mahmudullah was in the Southern Hemisphere he was unstoppable. He scored back-to-back World Cup hundreds, amassed 365 runs and averaged 73. In this series, however, he’s scored just one run across the two matches. Bangladesh needs more out of the experienced right-hander if they are to salvage some pride from the one day international series and take some confidence through to the T20 series.

The Match Odds*

New Zealand – $1.19

Bangladesh – $4.80

*All odds courtesy of Palmerbet.

The Prediction

Despite some wobbles in both of the opening two games of the series, New Zealand’s overall quality has eventually got them through. The same will happen here again with New Zealand winning a low scoring encounter. New Zealand by 6 wickets or 57 runs.

The Best Bets

If you think Mahmudullah is due to score runs the $5.50 on him to top score is incredibly attractive.

And Jeetan Patel might come into the markets nicely priced. He hasn’t been added as yet, but look out for the odds of him being the unlikely top bowler for New Zealand.

Cricket World Cup: NZ v South Africa – SF 1 Review

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Grant Elliot held his nerve on the penultimate ball to swat Dale Steyn over the long on boundary, sending a 45,000 strong Eden Park into a frenzy, and New Zealand to the World Cup final.  South African born Elliot played the innings of his life to help New Zealand find 29 from the final 17 balls and 12 from the final over in a pulsating finish the World Cup richly deserved.

After four one-sided quarterfinals the tournament was screaming out for a close and memorable encounter.  Auckland duly delivered with a day’s play that constantly saw momentum ebb and flow, as two teams desperate to book their first ever World Cup final appearance traded blows under intense duress.

New Zealand fired the first shot; Trent Boult matching his deadly late swing with unparalleled accuracy, at one stage bowling to a 7-2 offside field with five slips, and taking two early wickets.  Hashim Amla chopped on when he through the hands loosely at a widish drivable length, and when Quinton de Kock gave his wicket away after surviving an earlier storm for 14, South Africa were reeling at 31/2.

While the electric Eden Park crowd bayed for more blood, Faf du Plessis personified the fight and heart of his South African side with a brilliantly composed 82.  He withstood the early pressure along with Rilee Rossouw to help build an AB de Villers shaped platform from which the aggressive captain could launch from.

Launch they did too as the 10 overs between 30 and 40 brought 110 runs.  The de Villiers led impetus had South Africa perfectly set-up to press on to 350+ before a one and a half hour rain delay curtailed the possibility.  The rain delay reduced the contest to 43 hours and meant South Africa had just five more overs to add to their total.  The post break hero for South Africa was David Miller who thrashed 49 from just 18 balls to set up the daunting total.  Remarkably, de Villiers faced just 7 balls in the final five overs.

Duckworth-Lewis entered the fray at the innings break and adjusted New Zealand’s target t0 298.  In the process, asking the Black Caps to successfully complete the largest run chase in World Cup knockout history.  History looked entirely plausible when Brendon McCullum launched a familiar attack in the first five overs.  He dispatched everything that came his way, including reducing some of the World’s best fast bowlers to club cricket cannon fodder.  McCullum’s 26-ball 59 was crucial to his side’s chances and set the perfect tone for the stiff target as well as denting the confidence of Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander – confidence that did not return when they both needed it in the crunch overs.

Despite the fall of McCullum, and a collection of others through the middle overs, Grant Elliot remained calm, found support from Corey Anderson and expertly controlled the asking rate under unimaginable stress.  Elliot and Anderson’s 103 run partnership was the determinative contribution of the innings.  The pair survived multiple run out chances, and dropped catch collisions to put together their match-winning effort.  It shouldn’t go down as a choke, as South Africa left everything out on the park, but there were some interesting options taken by the eventual losers.

In particular, JP Duminy’s early introduction and subsequent choice to bowl round the wicket was head scratching.  He can bowl better, as the quarterfinal hat-trick outline, but he picked a poor day to bowl some of his worst stuff.  That forced de Villiers himself to make up some of the overs, and he did an okay job until trying a bouncer every over that resulted in boundaries.  Rossouw’s decision to throw the ball flat and hard while trying to run out Corey Anderson will be questioned as will Steyn’s final delivery length option.

New Zealand’s win did get a little closer than perhaps it should have.  Tight Imran Tahir and Morne Morkel overs asked the South African faithful to believe, but with ten needed from four balls, Daniel Vettori squeezed and important boundary and then Elliot connected perfectly to book New Zealand a spot in Melbourne’s tournament decider.

Dream big New Zealand.

New Zealand 299 for 6 in 42.5 overs (Elliott 84*, McCullum 59, Anderson 58, Morkel 3-59) beat South Africa 281 for 5 in 43 overs (Du Plessis 82, De Villiers 65*, Miller 49) by 4 wickets (D/L method)