Namibia vs Ireland Betting Tips & Predictions | T20 World Cup

Namibia Team News

I said in the preview ahead of their last game against Netherlands that star man David Wiese couldn’t do it all by himself.

Well, he basically did.

He bowled decently to claim 1/32 off four overs but it was with the bat that he really showed his class. With Namibia in trouble in the chase, he came in and played with great freedom and aggression.

He scored 66 off 40 to get his side home with an over to spare. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus played his part too with a good 32 off 22.

Earlier Jan Frylinck took two wickets but was expensive, going at 9 an over.

But it was Wiese who really made it happen. The challenge is for others to step up and not just expect him to do it all over again.

The equation is simple: win and they go to the World Cup.

Ireland Team News

Same with Ireland. Win and they’re at the World Cup, lose and they’re out.

After a good win over the Netherlands, they were outclassed by Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

They made an excellent start, taking three early wickets, but let the Sri Lankan middle-order recover to post a big score. Chasing 172, they never looked on track to do so and lost by a big margin.

Maybe they should have given Paul Stirling at least another over.

His only one claimed the wicket of star man Kusal Perera and went for just four runs. Why didn’t he get another go?

Venue & conditions

This is the first match of the qualifying round to be played at Sharjah so we don’t have much to go on. Bat first or chase? Well, Namibia will probably be happier to chase after how it went for them against the Netherlands.

Ireland may decide to go the other way and bat first, try to get 150 and let scoreboard pressure do the rest. Check out our Sharjah Cricket Stadium betting guide for more on this venue!

Namibia vs Ireland Winner Prediction

Recommended Bet: Back Ireland to win @ 1.50 with Betway

I think Namibia have had their moment with that excellent win over the Netherlands and that’s as good as it might get for them. It’s worth remembering a couple of things.

1. Firstly, that Ireland also beat the Netherlands, which suggests the latter didn’t have the greatest team out this time round.
2. Secondly, Ireland are 5-1 up on the head to head which makes for a very one-sided contest over the years.
3. Thirdly, Ireland are ranked 12th with Namibia down in the 19th.

If Namibia chase and have less than about 150 to get, they might be in the game. But Ireland should be too strong for them, either way. Here’s our Betway review, by the way. Make sure you have a read so you find out why we think it’s such a top betting site.