A betting preview and tips for the 2026 T20 World Cup matches taking place on Saturday 7th February including Pakistan v Netherlands, West Indies v Scotland and India v USA
TIME TO FLY OUT OF THE STALLS
The parade ring is now firmly in the past and the final galop has been concluded. We are entering the starting stalls for the big event and I for one am frothing at the prospects of coming out the gates flying – less donkey, more Pocket Power.
Let’s get stuck into day one action at the ICC T20 World Cup.
PAKISTAN v NETHERLANDS, Colombo (SSC)
Pakistan must be chomping at the bit to get their race to the title going after seemingly being well and truly handicapped in the boardrooms.
Whilst it is hardly the toughest of opponents for Pakistan the fact of the matter is that they will be left with no option than to approach USA, Namibia and the Dutch with the utmost respect and conviction.
The SSC hasn’t hosted competitive cricket in a while and as such it is tough getting a gauge on what to expect on the venue front. But this is Sri Lanka and Pakistan should feel comfortable in conditions that should either be flat or low and slow.
Top Match Batsman – Salman Agha @ 5.50 with Pokerbet
The skip has been in top form and whilst the other S.A (Saim Ayub) is also a strong runner I will opt for the slightly bigger price. Look out for Ayub in the Man of the Match Market as he does offer something extra with his bowling.
SCOTLAND v WEST INDIES, Eden Gardens
Scotland have barely had an opportunity to get their passports sorted (and possibly even work leave approved for some) with their late call up but they need to be wide awake straight out of the gate in Kolkata. The Windies are that one side who can smash it to all parts and possibly even beat India and their good day. Yet they are also a team that have it in them to trip over the brave Scots should the latter be able to stay in the fight and create some pressure. The cool dudes from the Caribbean play irresistible cricket at times but are also infuriatingly inconsistent. Time for them to get their blinkers on!
Whilst the islanders (the real ones, not the British version) struggled with the ball against South Africa recently they showed incredible fire power in their batting ranks and Eden Gardens should lend itself to the expansive stroke play of the men in maroon.
Player to score most fours – Hetmeyer @ 11.00 with Pokerbet
Hetmeyer was in superb form against the Proteas and coming in at number 3 he has a decent shot at having some good time at the wicket to get us in the running for this one. Given the price, I like this play on the form man.
West Indies total sixes – Over 10.5 @ 2.01
This is of course riskier if you take it before the toss but given the lack of potency of the Windies’ attack I reckon even if they end up chasing there should be enough on the board for them to implement their calypso style and get the big hits in.
India came close to chalking up 250 against England at this venue a year ago and Mumbai also saw the home side smash 397/4 in an ODI against the Kiwis a few years back.
The Wankhede Stadium is sure to offer the explosive Indian top order the perfect opportunity to get their campaign off to a run-fest of a start. South African, Shadley van Schalkwyk is likely to be in action for the States, but I hope he has brought his Emirates Airlines Loyalty Card as he, and his fellow bowlers, are destined to accumulate plenty of frequent flyer miles when bowling to the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Ishan Kishan.
Player to score most sixes – Ishan Kishan @ 5.00 with Pokerbet
I believe Ishan has moved ahead of Samson in the pecking order and as such he is the horse for courses selection to go big in this game as he has the opportunity to lay down a marker for his team and himself.
Man of the Match – Varun Chakravarthy @ 8.00 with Pokerbet
Probably more likely to land if the hosts bowl first but Varun is set for a monster of a tournament and I don’t want to miss getting the jump on things first up.