Betting Tips South Africa v Bangladesh
Preview South Africa v Bangladesh
While by no means a "must win" at these earlier stages of the tournament this match certainly represents a chance to get things back on track for a South Africa side that was comfortably beaten by the host nation at this same ground on Thursday. Bangladesh will have sat and watched 3 other sides from the sub-continent be comprehensively beaten in their opening matches and the Tigers know that they must play to their full potential to take anything from this match
The Venue - The Oval
The fact that South Africa have already played a game on this surface is a massive bonus for them. Despite their heavy defeat on Thursday, the Proteas actually bowled pretty well particularly in the later stages of the game. At 235/4 going into the final 10 overs and with Buttler and Stokes both set, England would have ideally been looking at the upper end of the par score I predicted as between 320-340 if not more. However, the South Africans closed out the innings very well, limiting England to 76 runs from those final 60 balls with only the very last over going for more than 10 runs.
It was the use of the short ball and various cutters bowled into the pitch that stifled England's charge in that match and against a Bangladesh side more accustomed to the slow, low pitches of the sub-continent you can bet that those tactics will be on show again today.
One thing to watch out for this afternoon is that there is a risk of the odd heavy shower between 3pm and 4pm. The conventional wisdom on a good pitch like this would be to bowl first and chase a total but given the threat of bad weather alongside the fact South Africa have already shown vulnerability in the run chase then perhaps we will see a different result at the toss. Still, if you are live betting on this match then keep your eyes on the DLS mark and the radar screen as the 2nd innings begins.
Form Guide
There is no doubt that South Africa were roughed up by the short-pitched attack from England and in particular Jofra Archer in that opening game. Hashim Amla didn't have a practice net yesterday with the rest of the team and is a major doubt for this game following his blow on the head. Given their struggles with the bat against England the loss of such an experienced player at the top of the order would put a dent in South Africa's hopes for this match.
In that opening match, South Africa were very much in the run chase while Quinton De Kock was at the crease but his dismissal sparked a collapse from which they were unable to recover. That poses 2 questions for this game. Firstly, how can the South Africans bolster their middle order? And secondly, how can Bangladesh limit the influence of the inform De Kock?
Even SA captain Faf Du Plessis admitted that balancing his side was proving a significant problem. I would be tempted to drop the ineffective JP Duminy from the side and replace him with David Miller. In his later career, Duminy has become something of a bits and pieces cricketer who is struggling to define his role with either bat or ball. Given the way South Africa bowled in their opening match against England, I don't think they need to be concerned with having the occasion off-spin of Duminy available to them and particularly against a side like Bangladesh, you would imagine that the seamers will play a much more prominent role anyway.
As for De Kock, I wouldn't be surprised if the South Africans got a taste of their own medicine in this match with Bangladesh opening up with a spinner (Tahir dismissed Bairstow in the 1st over on Thursday) in a bid to frustrate the left-hander. De Kock is far more comfortable with pace on the ball, particularly early in this innings and I would imagine that Bangladesh will have a plan to use a spinner and keep everyone up on the one (they have to anyway in the powerplay) forcing the SA keeper-batsman to go up and over.
For Bangladesh, expect to see Soumya Sarkar come out and play some shots at the top of the order. He will be joined by the experienced Tamim Iqbal who as he has aged has settled into to play more of the anchor role. Beyond those 2 Shakib Al Hassan and Mushfiqur Rahim are both in good knick and it is noticeable how much experience the Bangladeshi side have at their disposal with Rahim having 200+ ODI caps and Tamim and Shakib due to reach that milestone in this tournament. Against a South African team who are relatively inexperienced (injured duo Amla and Steyn have 300 caps between them) that could yet prove to be a defining factor.
Predictions and Tips
While I am edging towards a South Africa win in this match, there are enough unanswered questions in regards the toss and team selection particularly for the favourites that mean I'm going to avoid a bet on the outright result on this occasion but may well bet in play once we have an idea of how things are panning out. I'm backing both in form keepers to have an impact on this match and for Ngidi's extra pace and bounce to trouble the Bangladeshi batsmen
Current World Cup Betting Record
Bets made 12
Wins 9
ROI +3.83%
Comments