T20 World Cup: 3 Bets To Take For This Weekend

There are four T20 World Cup matches to bet on this weekend as both Group 1 and Group 2 start to take shape. The Proteas take on Sri Lanka in Saturday’s first match before bitter rivals, Australia and England square off at the Dubai International Stadium.

Sunday’s action will see Afghanistan taking on Namibia before India and New Zealand end off the weekend in a match with a lot riding on it after Pakistan’s fantastic start to the tournament.

We’ve put together 3 suggested bets to take for this weekend:

South Africa v Sri Lanka

South Africa and Sri Lanka sit in third and fourth place respectively in Group 1. Both sides desperately need a win if they are to retain any chance of making it to the semi-finals. Each team has won one match from two games, with each of their losses coming against Australia. The loser of this match may well see themselves out of semi-final contention.

Temba Bavuma’s side has beaten Sri Lanka in their last six T20Is and will be hoping that players like Aiden Markram and Anrich Nortje continue with their impressive starts to the tournament.

On the other hand, the key for Sri Lanka will be the bowling department to complement the big-hitting pair of Rajapaksa and Asalanka.

The Proteas have beaten Sri Lanka in their last six previous T20Is and I expect them to extend their winning streak and keep their semi-final hopes alive.

Suggested Bet: South Africa to win 1.46

Value Bet: Aiden Markram to be SA’s top batsman 4.50

Australia v England

These two sides will be coming into this match full of confidence after winning their first two matches. England were expected to do well but Australia have surprised a lot of people so far, including me. A win for either of these great rivals would make it three from three and put one foot in the semi-finals.

This should be England’s toughest test of the competition after a walkover against West Indies and barely needing to get out of second gear against Bangladesh. Likewise for Australia, it will likely give a much better indication of exactly where their T20 game sits.

I expect the batsmen to shine in this match even though both sides have good bowling attacks. David Warner and Aaron Finch looked good against Sri Lanka while England’s batting has also impressed so far. Glenn Maxwell has had a quiet start but I back him to finally come good in this tournament after a fantastic IPL campaign for RCB.

The team that bats second will most likely win the match as that has been the trend so far in this tournament and the recently concluded IPL.

Suggested Bet: Highest individual score to be over 62.5 (1.83)

Value Bet: Glenn Maxwell to be Australia’s top batsman 5.50

India v New Zealand

This is a huge match in the context of Group 2 with both sides losing to Pakistan in their opening matches. India fell to a resounding ten-wicket loss, the worst possible start to their Super 12 campaign as their total of 151/7 was chased down emphatically.

After being put into bat by Pakistan in Sharjah this past Tuesday, New Zealand could only manage 134/8 from their 20 overs, which ultimately proved a losing total. Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson did not feature against Pakistan, with a calf tear ruling him out of the tournament, which is a massive loss for the Black Caps as he was my pick to be their top bowler in the tournament.

This is unlikely to be a high-scoring match with the Dubai International Stadium not witnessing a lot of high-scoring matches. 144 and 122 are the average 1st and 2nd innings scores here. India have the quality and also the experience of playing in the UAE so I expect them to be too strong for New Zealand.

Suggested Bet: India to win 1.41

Value Bet: Jasprit Bumrah to be India top bowler 3.25