T20
Crunch Time For England Ahead Of T20 World Cup Semi-Finals
South Africa, New Zealand, England, and India are the four remaining teams in what has been an enthralling T20 World Cup.
For the first time in ICC history, the four semi-finalists at a worldwide event are from four different continents. The Proteas face the Kiwis in the first semi-final on Wednesday before England and India match up in Mumbai on Thursday.
South Africa vs New Zealand
South Africa have already beaten New Zealand once in this World Cup. A lot of cricket has been played since that group stage encounter, with the Proteas maintain the tournament’s only 100% record.
- South Africa – 4/7
- New Zealand – 11/8
New Zealand, meanwhile, beat Sri Lanka, saw their match with Pakistan get rained out, and lost to England in the Super Eight phase. Their openers – Tim Seifert and Finn Allen – are dynamic and can take the match away from any opponent, but their middle order isn’t as explosive as the other teams remaining in this World Cup.
Seifert is a man in form, but that’s not going to be enough for the Kiwis to overturn the South Africans here. Even South Africa’s openers have failed, they have been rescued by their stacked middle order, with Dewald Brevis, Tristan Stubbs, and David Miller all scoring plenty of runs.
It’s not just the batting where South Africa have the advantage. New Zealand’s bowlers have generally had a good tournament, but they crumbled in the latter stages against England, and there’s a chance the Kiwis are without Matt Henry after he returned home for the birth of his child.
If Henry isn’t there to take early wickets, South Africa’s openers could get them off to a flyer. Should South Africa bat first, there’s a risk they score 200+ and bat New Zealand out the game.
Best bet: South Africa To Win, Aiden Markram Over 26 Runs & Tim Seifert Over 23 Runs (4/1)
England vs India
India are rightly favourites for this contest. The host nation are in familiar conditions and will be roared on by a raucous crowd at the Wankhede Stadium.
- England – 8/5
- India – 1/2
England, though, won all three of their Super Eight matches and might be getting hot at the right time. The opening pair of Phil Salt and Jos Buttler are a concern, but Harry Brook is well-suited to number three, and the middle and lower order have consistently performed throughout this World Cup.
The question for the underdogs is how their spinners fare against this Indian lineup. They have played Adil Rashid well in the past, and they probably won’t be too troubled by Will Jacks or Liam Dawson. Early wickets from Jofra Archer are key to England’s chances and Sam Curran’s variations need to be effective.
For India, the bowling attack outside of Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t been at its best of late. Varun Chakravarthy has phenomenal figures against England, but how will he cope if some of England’s big hitters get after him?
The pressure on India is immense. England, in the image of their captain, seem to have a knack for pulling off the remarkable.
Best bet: England to win (8/5)
*Odds subject to change – prices accurate at the time of writing*
