Couch Critic provides his betting tips for the third ODI between South Africa and England which takes place in Johannesburg on Sunday 9th February
SOUTH AFRICA vs ENGLAND 3rd ODI - 09 Feb, Johannesburg @ 13:00
SETTING THE SCENE
Death, taxes and rain in Durban when you want to play a cricket game seem to be certainties of life. After the interference from the weather it means that the South Africans can’t lose the ODI series versus the visiting English. But we travel to the Bullring with the home team surely keen as mustard to not only share the spoils but claim the series victory at a ground that is famous for big Protea performances.
LET’S TALK TACTICS
Wanderers is well known as the best batting track in the country. The batsman (and the quick men) usually take a liking to the extra bounce on offer here. Two games into the white ball series and we have seen the SA top three take responsibility at the sharp end of the order. The Poms have brought over a strong batting lineup but clearly find themselves a touch short on strike power on the bowling front without the likes of Archer and Wood.
HOW I SEE IT PLAYING OUT
It might be a pitch known for assisting the quicker men. But in limited over cricket the slower bowlers also often have a chance to get amongst it as the batsman look to take them on. Despite the ball flying miles at the Highveld these are still decent sized boundaries and often the spinners can capitalise on reckless aggression from batsman as they look to break the shackles. Shamsi also showed he was in superb form with his efforts in the opener and I will stick with him in the bowling market.
New skipper De Kock will be looking to lead the charge toward a face-saving series win. Back at his well-known stomping ground I’m expecting a big performance from the aggressive lefty at the top of the Protea order.
We have already mentioned the friendly batting conditions as well as the Highveld air allowing balls to go that extra bit further. Add to this the fire power of the likes of Roy, Morgan and Banton with lower order hitters in the form of Jordan and Woakes as well and I see the Poms clearing the ropes with regularity on Sunday.
Joe Root is a superb 50-over batsman. He was out run-out in the first ODI and I think he will play a vital role in this match. With batsmen likely to thrive I’m expecting Root to shine and possibly take his team to victory with a big knock.
Best Bets with BETOLIMP:
Batsman to score a fifty in the match – Quinton de Kock @2.37
Top SA Bowler – T Shamsi @4.50
Team to score most sixes – England @1.72
Man of the Match – J Root @11.00
Note, odds quoted are available at the time of writing but are subject to change
Couch Critic
