All eyes are firmly fixed on Australia this week as the final three matches of the T20 World Cup play out.
This Wednesday sees two semifinals unfold, with New Zealand taking on Pakistan on Wednesday before India meets England on Thursday. The winners of these two knockout games will then face off in a winner takes all clash on Sunday to crown the new T20 World Champion.
Below we break down the first of these two matches, looking at the Cricket Odds for each game.
Weekly Betting Rundown of the Best Cricket Games | November 7th Edition
New Zealand vs Pakistan (Wednesday, 9 November at 4:00 AM ET)
The first of the T20 World Cup semifinals will take place in a little under 48 hours time at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Sydney, Australia.
Group 1 winners New Zealand will take on the runners-up from Group 2, Pakistan. The Kiwis are slight favorites in this one, with the bookies calling it -125 to +100 in favor of New Zealand.
Heading into this one, both sides will feel confident for different reasons. From the very first match of this tournament, New Zealand has set the pace by crushing the World Cup favorites and home nation Australia.
Posting 200/3, New Zealand then put on an empathic bowling performance to roll their big brothers across the Tasman for 111, winning by 89 runs.
Since then, the Kiwis have dropped just one match against England, racking up wins against Sri Lanka and Ireland, as well as a no result with Afghanistan. This was enough to take New Zealand to seven points and the top of Group 1.
Pakistan, on the other hand, has taken a very different path. The men in green lost both of their opening matches on the final ball and looked out of the tournament after the first week’s play. However, three wins in a row, as well as some upsets going their way, have seen Pakistan seal the final spot in Group 2 on six points.
Expect this to be a tight match, with both sides having strong bowling lineups and explosive openers. Chances are, New Zealand’s middle order will be the difference on the day.
India vs England (Thursday, 10 November at 4:00 AM ET)
A day later, Group 2 toppers India will take on the runners-up from Group 1, England.
India has looked dominant throughout this tournament and is the only of the 12 teams in the group phase to make their way to eight points. With four wins from five, the only blight on India’s record was a weak performance against South Africa, where they stuttered to 133/9 batting first. Besides that, however, India has looked like the complete package.
England has also been strong, also suffering just one loss, a surprise upset to Ireland. However, a rain-affected campaign and weaker run rate than New Zealand have seen England come in second in Group 1, despite having won against the group winners.
Jos Buttler’s men will be looking for some consistency, having been a little hit-and-miss this tournament. They’ll also be eager to get Dawid Milan back ahead of this knockout clash.
India is looking like a finalist in this World Cup, but anything goes in T20 cricket. The safe money goes on them, with the men in blue slightly ahead at -125 against +100, but there’s every chance England could win if their deep batting lineup fires.
