RAIN RAIN GO AWAY!

Posted on June 9, 2017 | Posted by David Shortte

So far the ICC Champion’s Trophy tournament in England has been a washout for the Aussies with rain destroying their hopes of victory in both of their group matches.

In their first game the conditions turned nasty after New Zealand posted 291. Steve Smith was savage on his bowlers after the effort saying it was one of the worst performances with the ball Australia had dished up in a long time. In reply the conditions turned in favour of the bowling side and the Aussies looked to be in a bit of trouble at 3/53. Rain stepped in and we will never know whether or not they could have dug their way out. In the end it was a no result and one point apiece.

In their second match Australia took on Bangladesh and they produced a very polished performance with the ball. Australia bundled out Bangladesh for 182 and were well on their way to victory at 1/83 off just 16 overs when again rain stepped in to bring a halt to proceedings – again no result and one point apiece. The most encouraging aspect of the match was Mitchell Starc’s form with the ball. The left arm quickie seemingly got back his menacing rhythm and his final spell where he took 4/1 off eight balls was a warning sign to the rest of the competition that he is ready to fire – should the rain stay away!

The washup (pardon the pun) of the first two no result games is that Australia must now win Saturday night’s fixture at Edgbaston in Birmingham against England to stay in the tournament.

England have won their first two games against Bangladesh and New Zealand and are now automatic qualifiers.

Should rain step in to cruel Australia again the net run rates will come in to play and there is a chance the Aussies could be eliminated without having a chance to play a full fixture – it would be a bitter pill to swallow. There is also a chance should the numbers stack up that Australia could still qualify with a draw depending upon the scores out of the New Zealand v Bangladesh game tonight.

Assuming the rain stays away we are in for a quality contest on Saturday night.  England are brimming with confidence after two wins to commence the tournament and their star bat Joe Root is in top nick with scores of 133 not out and 64. Explosive Opener Alex Hales has also had a great start to the tournament with scores of 95 and 56. Skipper Eoin Morgan made a polished 75 not out in their victory over New Zealand to show he is also in good order heading into this match.

With the ball England’s Liam Plunkett has taken two 4 wicket hauls to lead the tournament wicket takers. England’s other seamers in Jake Ball, Matt Wood and Ben Stokes have done their job while Adil Rashid is one of the most dangerous spinners in world cricket when the conditions are right.

Despite all the positives I have mentioned in regards to England I still have an enormous belief that if the Aussies can front up and play somewhere near their best they will prevail. The fast bowling trio of Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins is the most potent in the tournament and it is worth noting that while Australia have been rained out in both matches they have bowled out their opposition in both games, a feat no other side in the tournament can lay claims to.

From a batting perspective quite simply the Aussies haven’t had a crack at it. They faced just 9 overs against New Zealand where they were in a race against the Duckworth Lewis amended score and then against Bangladesh they faced just 16 overs and looked to be doing it comfortably at 1/83.

Despite a lack of tournament time at the crease the likes of Warner, Smith, Finch, Maxwell, Head and Lynn are all explosive players capable of scoring heavily quickly and I would back them in to chase down a hefty total or indeed post one.

To this point Australia have opted to play Henriques as the all-round option, it will be very interesting to see if they bring in Chris Lynn for this encounter. Personally I would be making sure there is a spot for him in the team – he is one of the most damaging players in world cricket right now and surely they find a way to sneak him into the side for this do-or-die encounter. The prevailing conditions are also likely to determine whether Adam Zampa remains in the side as a spin option. Firebrand quick James Pattinson and veteran seamer John Hastings are also possible inclusions depending upon the pitch conditions.

In the TABtouch match result market there has been support for Australia firming from $2 into $1.91 while England have eased from $1.80 to the $1.91 quote.

There is a TABtouch special on all matches in the ICC Champion’s Trophy – for all account holders place a Most Runs bet and if your selection goes on to be the highest scorer for their team you will receive a 25% bonus on your winnings up to $50.

In this game I will be backing Joe Root most runs England at $3.75, Steve Smith most runs Australia at $3.75 and Mitchell Starc most wickets Australia at $3.50.

I sincerely hope the weather doesn’t intervene and we get the opportunity to see a great game of Cricket.

Tonight New Zealand take on Bangladesh. New Zealand are the $1.30 favourites with Bangladesh at $3.50. I favour the black caps to prevail.

In the novelty markets I’ll be backing the in-form Tamim Iqbaal at $4 to be the leading runscorer for Bangladesh while the $3.75 on offer for Kane Williamson looks tasty.

The market to win the tournament sees the only team guaranteed to qualify for the semi-finals England as favourites at $2.50. Behind them South Africa are at $5.50, India at $6, Australia $6.50, New Zealand $12, Pakistan $13, Sri Lanka $17 and Bangladesh at $101.

Good luck if you are having a punt on the Cricket this weekend.