Cricket is in the middle of some of its busiest months at the moment, as the Southern Hemisphere enjoys its summer and plenty of teams are on tour. Below we look at some of the top matches to watch out for this week, and preview the best Cricket Betting options to make on each of these.
Weekly Cricket Betting Rundown and Analysis | Big Bash Enters Final Weekend
South Africa vs England – 3rd ODI (Wednesday 1 February)
South Africa and England have been playing out an entertaining if not bizarrely scheduled, one-day international series over the past week.
The final match takes place this coming Wednesday, and while South Africa have already wrapped up the series 2-0, there’s still plenty to play for. South Africa will be wanting to secure maximum points for their World Cup qualification, given that they’ve sacrificed a few series in order to prioritize their own domestic tournament and have limited opportunities to do so. England, on the other hand, will want to respond to the mounting pressure and noise about their poor ODI form, which has seen them lose eight of their last ten matches.
We say England is due a win here, after they came close in the second ODI. Their score of 342/7 would have been enough to beat most teams, but South Africa pulled off an inspired chase and also bowled well at the death. With odds of -138, England are a solid bet to claim the victory on Wednesday.
India vs New Zealand – 3rd T20 (Wednesday 1 February)
Another brief series also concludes on Wednesday, this one between India and New Zealand.
Unlike South Africa vs England, this match is not a dead rubber—the two teams split the first two T20s, and Wednesday’s match will determine the series winner. New Zealand will be eager for a win here after getting swept in the ODI series, while India will be wanting to defend their strong home record. The Kiwi bowlers looked impressive last match when they nearly defended 98, however, the batsmen will be hoping for a slightly more friendly pitch heading into this third T20.
India are the favorites at -225, but New Zealand aren’t a bad bet at +175 here either. They’ve been much improved in this series from the T20s, and will be the more motivated side-stepping out on Wednesday.
Big Bash League – Playoffs (Thursday 2nd and Saturday 4th February)
The big cricket matches this week take place on Thursday and Saturday, with the first determining the second.
After the better part of two months, only two matches remain in Australia’s Big Bash League. The Brisbane Heat have made an excellent charge from fifth place, and now stand within touching distance of the Big Bash trophy. Only the Sydney Sixers and Perth Scorchers stand in their way.
Thursday night’s Challenger Final will see the second-placed Sydney Sixers play the Brisbane Heat first, with the winner going through to Saturday night’s Grand Final against the Perth Scorchers. We say back the Heat here, as momentum is key in T20 cricket, and the Heat have it in spadefuls. With odds of +136 they will generate a healthy return here with a win too.
