Couch Critic provides the betting preview for the Mzansi Super League match between Nelson Mandela Bay Giants and Cape Town Blitz which takes place on Wednesday 20th November
NELSON MANDELA BAY GIANTS vs CAPE TOWN BLITZ
Port Elizabeth (Wednesday, 20 November – 17:30)
The two high flyers face off as the Blitz travel to Port Elizabeth looking to hand the Giants their first loss of the tournament.
Setting the Scene:
The Blitz continued their impressive early form as they did well defend against the Heat in Durban on Sunday when it seemed the home side were well on track to pick up the victory. The Capetonians are quite reliant on their dynamic opening duo with the willow but crucially some others have chipped in of late to ensure they get the bigger totals required.
Even in their rained out fixture the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants looked to be going strong. The form of Junior Dala with the ball has been vital to their cause whilst the PE boys would have been chuffed to see their top order come to the party in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Let’s Talk Tactics:
The Blitz seemed to discover a serious winning tactic in Durbs. De Kock was able to use the impact of Steyn and Nortje in the latter middle overs confident in the ability of Wahab Riaz and Magala as finishers at the death. This worked a treat and sees the men from the Cape sitting pretty as clearly their bowling attack is operating at optimum levels at present. With the bat Ashwell Prince would have been delighted to see Asif Ali come to the party with some big hits. Livingstone and Ali primed to add the gloss to the innings after Quinton and Janneman sounds lethal from where I’m sitting.
The question mark for the Giants was always going to be around the seem bowling backup available behind Morris. Dala’s impressive form as well as some good signs from Nandre Burger has meant that the NMBG are proving a dangerous outfit with ball in hand. Jason Roy gave us a glimpse of the destruction he could cause at the Wanderers. Clearly the visitors will need to ensure the Englishman doesn’t spend too much time at the wicket or he could finish things off by himself.
Verdict:
The home side usually enjoys a decent advantage at St George’s Park and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see Jon Jon Smuts bowling at Malan first up on a track that suits the slower men. Livingstone has also shown that he prefers the ball coming onto the bat. De Kock and Ali are the guys I’m expecting a solid showing from. I can’t look past the power trio of Roy, Dunk and Smuts at the top combined with Tahir who loves bowling in PE.
Betolimp Bets:
Player to score most sixes – Asif Ali @ 11.40
Top NMB Giants Bowler – I Tahir @ 4.40
Man of the Match – Jon Jon Smuts @12.50
(Note, all odds quoted are subject to change)
Enjoy the cricket and happy punting!
