- India vs Ireland: Group A, Wednesday 5 June, 3.30pm - Nassau County International Stadium, New York
- ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
For a lot of the early matches, I will be swerving the match result as there is a lack of value.
While you may have read from the tournament preview that I have concerns about India coming off the back of a long IPL - they have players like Rohit Sharma out of form and others with a history of injury issues - they will almost certainly qualify through this group.
It wouldn’t surprise me to see them have a similar tournament to England had in India in the 50-over World Cup late last year.
But they should win this opening. Though, at 1/14 in New York, it’s not worth backing them.
The value from online bookmakers certainly lies elsewhere.
Let’s go on a Camp-hing trip
Bet365 are offering 5/6 on Ireland all-rounder Curtis Campher to top 24.5 points in their player performance market - a bet worth taking on (20 points per wicket, 10 per catch and one per run).
Campher, who bats in the middle order and bowls seam, has cleared that marker in four of his last six T20 internationals. In the two he didn’t, failing with both bat and ball, he still went close by taking two catches in each. He can clearly contribute with both bat, ball and in the field.
You will have seen that the first game at this pop-up stadium on the outskirts of New York was bowler dominated between winners South Africa and Sri Lanka on Monday afternoon.
Proteas pacer Anrich Nortje claimed four wickets, and Ladbrokes are offering a 2/1 special on any bowler in this fixture to do the same and take four wickets, which is worth siding with.
India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal didn’t have an amazing IPL for Rajasthan, but he did find some form late on with scores of 45 and 42 in their last two games last month.
I can see him having a good day and would be taking VirginBet’s 9/4 on him to score a fifty against the Irish.
Little by Little, we can build a profit
Josh Little is Ireland’s standout bowler, of that there’s no doubt.
The left-arm new ball quick is hot property in T20 cricket, playing in a host of domestic leagues worldwide, including at the IPL and in the Hundred.
Little hasn’t actually played a massive amount of cricket of late - only two matches since late March. One of those was for Gujarat Titans at the IPL last month when he took four wickets.
He comes into this campaign fresh, and in his last nine T20 matches for clubs and country, he has only failed to strike once. In that time, for Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, Ireland and Gujarat, he has taken 16 wickets. Added to that, he claimed two wickets in a WC warm-up match the other day against Sri Lanka.
He bowls with the new ball and at the death, and I like him at 11/4 - a price boost with Ladbrokes - to take two more or wickets in this match.
Little’s team-mate Lorcan Tucker is 9/2 with Ladbrokes to be his country’s top batter. The wicketkeeper bats at number three and is one of only two Irish batters to have topped 200 T20I runs (241) in 2024.
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