Tag: West Indies

Cricket: West Indies seek respite from rampant hosts

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The West Indies are battered, bruised and suffering an alright AB de Villiers inflicted cricketing hangover.  Conceding 439 is always bad, giving up another fastest ODI hundred (they were the opposing team when Corey Anderson set the previous best) is worse.  Both factors mean the West Indies need inspiration and need it fast if they are to compete in game two of the ODI series.

This sounds unusual for West Indies cricket, but given their current make-up, they will welcome the slower conditions at Port Elizabeth.  They might also be saved from another onslaught if the predicted rain eventuates.

The Last Time These Two Met

The match belonged to de Villiers.  de Villiers made an incredible 149 off just 44 balls; in the process breaking Corey Anderson’s record for the fastest ODI century of all time.  de Villiers bullied his way to nine 4’s and sixteen 6’s.  His innings went like this: 4,2,1,1,4,6,4,6,6,.,2,2,lb,1,6,6,6,4,6,1,4,1,1,.,4,4,.,6,4,6,6.  He helped his side amass 439, of which Hashim Amla and Rilee Rossouw also made hundreds.  Incredibly they butchered the chance of posting the highest team score ever in ODI cricket by scoring just 3 from the final over.  The West Indies made 291 – the best score of the series for them thus far – but never threatened the target.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Rilee Rossouw, 3 Faf du Plessis 4 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 David Miller, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

Wrap the series up first and tinker with the side afterwards.  South Africa will probably stick with the status quo before tinkering later in the series with the ranking points well and truly wrapped up.

West Indies (likely):  1. Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Lendl Simmons/Leon Johnson, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Jonathan Carter, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Jason Holder (capt), 10 Jerome Taylor/Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Sulieman Benn

We have previously suggested the West Indies should consider Lendl Simmons, now they have no choice.  While there bowling took plenty of punishment in game three, the batting still needs to be improved – especially at the top.  Jerome Taylor was one of those bowlers who got destroyed in Johannesburg so he might be due a rest and Sheldon Cottrell given a chance.

The Key Players

Farhaan Behardien – He may not be in line for a huge amount of cricket in the World Cup, but if called upon South African fans will want to be able to believe in him in crunch times.  Instances like game two don’t really help his cause, and while he’ll have a huge amount of pad rash, he won’t have much else to show for it.  He needs time in the middle and may play an important role in game three if he gets it.

Sulieman Benn – The lanky spinner was one of the first to tip his cap to de Villers after the outstanding knock, but in truth, he deserved some credit too.  Benn conceded just 49 from his ten overs (in amongst RPO’s such as 10 for Jason Holder and 17 for Dwayne Smith), to easily be the best West Indies bowler.  With his quicks going the distance, Benn will need to be at his wily best to stop the host’s batsman.

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.24

West Indies – $4.10

*Courtesy of Sportsbet Australia.

The Prediction

Wow the money on the West Indies is good.  But with a highest score of just 64 in the series from their batsman it’s hard to see them winning games, unless of course, Chris Gayle comes off.  That’s effectively what you’re doing if you bet on West Indies here. So you may as well go for the Chris Gayle to top score / West Indies win combo paying $11.00.

But, South Africa should win again.  Too strong in every aspect and taking their World Cup preparations seriously.

The Longshot 

Rilee Rossouw to double up and score 50 in game two – $3.33

Cricket: West Indies need to adjust to pace ahead of 2nd ODI

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The change of pace from T20 cricket to ODI cricket did not suit the West Indies in game one of their ODI series against South Africa, proving the longer the format the harder it is to sustain their entertaining but reckless form of cricket.

The longer format brought about a 61-run Duckworth-Lewis loss, and in reality exposed a widening chasm between the two teams.  Game two at Wanderers could highlight the gap again with the surface offering pace and bounce, and the outfield supposedly quick.  Expect plenty of runs, but also expect the change in pace (both format and pitch) to factor against the tourists.

The Last Time These Two Met

After a T20 series that hinted at a new level of competitiveness between the teams, South Africa emptied the weapon cache and thrashed the West Indies in game one.  Calling on their most experienced players South Africa accumulated 279 in their 50 overs; mainly thanks to half centuries from Hashim Amla, AB de Villers and David Miller.  In reply, West Indies folded to just 164 with Tahir, Philander an Steyn taking three wickets each.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Rilee Rossouw, 3 Faf du Plessis 4 AB de Villiers (capt & wk), 5 David Miller, 6 JP Duminy, 7 Farhaan Behardien, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

Probably no cause for changes in the South African’s top side unless they intend to manage workloads.  Morne van Wyk, Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell will likely be left on the sidelines.

West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Leon Johnson, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 6 Jonathan Carter/Lendl Simmons, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Jason Holder (capt), 10 Jerome Taylor, 11 Sulieman Benn

The West Indies might need to find room for Lendl Simmons to bolster the batting.  Despite previewing him below, Jonathan Carter might miss out if that’s the case.

The Key Players

Hashim Amla – Once boxed as a test specialist Amla continues to churn out ODI runs for fun against all sides.  His run a ball 66 in game one got him to 5000 ODI runs in just 101 innings, becoming the the fastest in the history of the game.  In doing so, he broke the previous record of 114 innings (Virat Kohli and Viv Richards).  Amazingly, Amla also holds the record for reaching 2000, 3000 and 4000 ODI runs the quickest.

Jonathan Carter – Carter was one of two West Indies players who made the World Cup squad without having played a one day international match.  Sheldon Cottrell was the other, but at least he has some experience in the T20 and test team environment.  Carter has played most of his recent cricket with the A team where he impressed enough to warrant World Cup selection.  He scored an excellent List A hundred against India A, and didn’t look out of place in scoring 17 on debut in game one.  Hopefully he gets a chance again at Wanderers.

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.28

West Indies – $3.70

*Courtesy of Palmerbet.

The Prediction

A bet on West Indies is effectively a bet on one of their batsman to score a hundred and win the game on his own.  South Africa are a better complete team and have more people who can contribute.  That’s why they are favourites.  The $3.70 is tempting and the West Indies did chase down 230-odd in a T20 here at Johannesburg the other day.  Even still, we’re going with South Africa by 30 runs or four wickets.

Cricket: South Africa welcome back stars ahead of ODI series

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

The Twenty20 series scheduling was a little puzzling on account of the World Cup beginning in less than a month.  Sure, the demographic is different and presents a gate-taking opportunity for the hosts (and ICC), but to ensure the highest quality of cricket come the World Cup you would forgive organisers for foregoing T20 cricket until afterwards.

Nevertheless, the play time is over.  Coaches can devise game plans; iron out the kinks.  Players can get down to nailing their World Cup spots down.

The West Indies can complete a series without walking out too, after players association negotiations ruined their last ODI series in India.

The Last Time These Two Met

These two haven’t played too much one day cricket against each other of late.  The last series was in 2010, and the last match – a tie in the 2013 World Cup in Cardiff.  We can’t use historical form as guide then, so we’ll use the just finished T20 series as an indication that this one will be close.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Hashim Amla, 2 Rilee Rossouw, 3 Faf du Plessis 4 AB de Villiers (capt, wk), 5 JP Duminy 6 Farhaan Behardien, 7 David Miller, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

Almost back to a full strength line up after resting a number of stars during the T20 series.  Only Quinton de Kock is unavailable so Rilee Russouw gets an opportunity to open up in his absence.  de Kock’s absence also means both Miller and Behardien play in the middle order, while AB de Villiers will take the gloves.

West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle/Lendl Simmons, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Leon Johnson, 5 Andre Russell, 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Jason Holder (capt), 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Sheldon Cottrell 

The West Indies are missing both Bravo’s (one of them permanently), and Kieron Pollard, so we assume they’ll need to strengthen the batting line-up with Leon Johnson or Lendl Simmons.  Both might play if Chris Gayle is given another day off.  He is training again after being rested for the final T20 but it’s understandable if the West Indies manage his workload heading into a major tournament.

The Key Players

JP Duminy – Chronic knee problems have badly impacted on Duminy’s ability to forge a lasting legacy in international cricket; a result that seems scarcely believable after his start to domestic and international cricket.  With the World Cup just around the corner and Duminy finally fit, now is the opportunity to turn that around and help his side win an overdue World Cup.  Tonight’s series opener is the perfect time to start the preparations.

Marlon Samuels – For all the talk about Chris Gayle there’s another chap in the West Indies side who does just as much for his team.  Marlon Samuels (when his attitude permits) is a massvie contributor in all three formats of the game.  Before his failure in the final T20 match, his scores in all matches were 33, 17, 101, 43, 74, 41, and 60, illustrating his importance to the side.

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.35

West Indies – $3.20

*Courtesy of Tom Waterhouse.

The Prediction

de Villers believes his side is the best in the world.  He was quoted as saying “I still feel we will be the best team at the World Cup and I can’t wait to go there.”  Who are we to disagree?  South Africa to win.

 

Cricket: Gayle, West Indies eye series sweep

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

Chris Gayle has launched a number of attacks over the past few days.  First, a scintillating record beating fifty in game one.  Then came even better 90 in which he hit 8 sixes and equaled the record for the total number of sixes hit in international T20 cricket.  To cap it off, his most scathing attack wad directed at the WICB who refused to pick Dwayne Bravo and Pollard in the West Indies World Cup squad.  Kingsmead could be on the receiving end of the fourth.

To prevent that, South Africa must find a way to quell Gayle.  However, even if they do, they still have the rest of the West Indies line up to contend with, which is not an easy prospect for a side playing with as much confidence as they are.  The best bet is to play in the disciplined way they know how and by winning the smaller battles first – the fielding, the catching, the 1%’ers.

The Last Time These Two Met

44 fours and 24 sixes tells the story.  The Wanderers record breaker was a match of epic proportions.  Remarkably the West Indies chased down 232 with four wicket and four balls to spare; exactly the same winning margin as at Newlands. Chris Gayle, as our preview predicted, was again the star of the show bludgeoning 90 off 41 balls and partnering with Marlon Samuels (60 off 39) to cap off a memorable win.  The chase overshadowed South African captain Faf du Plessis’ special hundred, which he scored from just 46 balls.

For the record, with his century du Plessis became the eight international cricketer to have scored hundreds in all three formats.  The others are: Gayle, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina, Mahela Jayawardene, Martin Guptill and Ahmed Shehzad.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Morne van Wyk (wk), 2 Rilee Rossouw, 3 Farhaan Behardien, 4 David Miller, 5 Justin Ontong (capt), 6 Wayne Parnell, 7 David Wiese, 8 Kyle Abbott, 9 Kagiso Rabada/Aaron Phangiso, 10 Marchant de Lange, 11 Imran Tahir

Justin Ontong steps in to captain the side after du Plessis was given the day off.

West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Kieron Pollard, 5 Andre Russell, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 9 Jason Holder, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

There may be a temptation to try Carlos Brathwaite or Andre Fletche, but we sense West Indies will opt for momentum and chase the series sweep.

The Key Players

Imran Tahir – The energy that this man displays when celebrating wickets defies his age, and although he didn’t get to do so during game two, he was the only bowler who went for less than 8 runs an over.  Tahir will play a key role again in stifling the West Indies run rate with his flat turners, and he’ll much prefer the Durban conditions to the batsman friendly altitude of Wanderers.

Another West Indies Player Chris Gayle – Just kidding.  Chris Gayle is the key again, obviously.  Two matches in the series and two rapid half centuries to the tall left-hander outline his importance to the West Indies.  He’s also voiced his disappointment at Pollard and Bravo missing out on World Cup selection, so we expect him to take his anger out on Kyle Abbot and the rest of the South African bowlers again.

The Odds*

South Africa – $2.02

West Indies – $1.78

*Courtesy of Luxbet.

The Prediction

There is a slight doubt hanging over the West Indies if Gayle doesn’t score runs.  How will they respond if their talisman fails?  Who will score the runs?  And for those that don’t think lightening can strike three times, South Africa’s odds look awfully enticing.

Having said that, we’re backing the West Indies for the whitewash.

Cricket: Gayle the key in second Twenty20

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

It’s not often South Africa start any game of cricket in their own back yard as underdogs.  But that’s exactly how the bookies see game two after the Gayle storm in the first match of the series.  The Windies have rushed to the favourites tag for the Johannesburg encounter.  A tag that is rightly placed when you look through their talented team.

The altitude at Wanderers could see Gayle and his teammates hit the ball even further.  A scary prospect for the South African team given Gayle has a history of scoring runs at this ground.  A repeat of his World T20 effort in 2007 in which he scored 117 off 57 balls would put the series well and truly to bed.

The Last Time These Two Met

In game one Chris Gayle single handedly destroyed the South African chances with the fastest T20 fifty in his country’s history.  He bullied his way to 77 off 31 balls in a masterclass that featured 8 sixes and 23 off a Wayne Parnell over.  Gayle’s return buoyed his team and despite a lat wobble, got home with four wickets in hand and four balls to spare.

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Morne van Wyk (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 Farhaan Behardien, 6 David Miller, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 David Wiese, 9 Kyle Abbott, 10 Marchant de Lange, 11 Imran Tahir

We featured Marchant de Lange in our preview for game one and he missed out.  He may get a run at the expense of young Rabada in one of the few expected changes.

West Indies (likely): 1 Dwayne Smith, 2 Chris Gayle, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Dwayne Bravo, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Jason Holder, 10 Ashley Nurse, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Probably no reason to make any changes to the side.  Although Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard have missed out on World Cup selection so may not be used.  If they are, expect (angry) fireworks.

The Key Players

Rilee Rossouw – An excellent fifty at Newlands has helped solidify the hype on the young left hander that first cam about during his trip to Australia in November.  During the T20 and ODI series there he scored valuable runs in an attractive manner.  He must be pushing for Miller’s middle order place, or Duminy’s if he can’t get himself fit.  He’s the favourite to top score along with his captain Faf du Plessis.

Dwayne Smith – While all the attention was on Chris Gayle in the series opener, Smith quietly (in comparison) went about his business, forging an excellent partnership with the former captain.  His work ended on 20, but he helped the West Indies get off to an incredible start that eventually sealed the result.  Smith is now an experienced T20 traveller in his own right with plenty of experience to boot.  He’s paying $5.00 to top score if you can consider any one other than Gayle.

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.95

West Indies – $1.85

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Unibet Australia.

The Prediction

The nice thing about the West Indies side is that if Gayle doesn’t come off they still have the players to win the game.  Smith, Simmons, Pollard and Sammy can all change a game with bat and hand, and for those reasons we’re picking them to go back to back.

Cricket: WI hoping change of pace brings change of fortune

Posted on by Online Betting Pro

With one eye on the World Cup, and one on the dodgy weather that has plagued the tour thus far, this T20 series isn’t getting a whole heap of attention.  That may be exactly what the West Indies need to be competitive and sneak a couple of wins ahead of the World Cup.

The Last Time These Two Met

Just one run separated the sides in 2010 when they last met.  Plenty has changed since the North Head match though; Chanderpaul and Sarwan were still playing for the West Indies; Smith and Botha for South Africa.  The overall record between the teams shows us that South Africa usually win but by a small margin. 

The Teams

South Africa (likely): 1 Morne van Wyk (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks/Rilee Rossouw, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Farhaan Behardien, 5 David Miller, 6 David Wiese/Justin Ontong, 7 Wayne Parnell, 8 David Wiese, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Marchant de Lange, 11 Imran Tahir

South Africa’s squad features a number of players who are not involved in their World Cup campaign, meaning there is an element of future planning evident in the team.  A prime example of that is U19 World Cup winner Kagiso Rabada.  Of the players who have made the 15, there will be plenty of interest in Duminy’s form and fitness, as well as eyes on Miller and Behardien as they look to build some form for the February tournament.

West Indies (likely): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Lendl Simmons, 4 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Andre Russell, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Chris Gayle is the name that jumps out of the reinforcements that have been summoned to make West Indies more competitive in the T20 series.  After sitting out the test series because of a back complaint, the destructive opener will be looking to build on some exciting form he showed for the Lions in South Africa’s domestic T20 tournament.  Smith, Pollard, Sammy and Russell are the other new faces.

The Key Players

Marchant de Lange – Once destined to play a huge amount of games for South Africa the genuine quick bowler has had his career stall thanks to injury and form concerns.  His numbers rest at just 2 tests, 2 ODI’s, and 3 T20 games.  That’s too few for someone who took seven wickets in his first effort in test cricket.  South Africa will be hoping he can lead the attack in the absence of some of the names they hope de Lange will eventually replace in the test team.

Chris Gayle – The veteran of 193 T20 games owns an incredible record – 14 centuries in all T20 cricket, including a best of 175* (which is, amazingly, better than his highest ODI score).  He’s made a name for himself in the format and has a list of franchises he’s played for longer than most shopping lists.  Expect fireworks from Gayle against the relatively inexperienced opposition attack. 

The Odds*

South Africa – $1.80

West Indies – $2.00

*International Cricket odds courtesy of Ladbrokes Australia.

The Prediction

South Africa’s willingness to rest players may leave them exposed in this series, especially given their form in Australia in the format was less than convincing.  I really like West Indies chances here.  Ladbrokes Australia are offering good money on the win, and good money on the tourists to be ahead after 1 and 6 overs too.