New Zealand will look to reach the top two T20 World Cup Group 2 when they take on Namibia. The match will take place at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah on Friday, November 5, at 3:30 pm IST (2:00 pm local time).
As part of our online cricket betting analysis, find the best New Zealand vs Namibia betting tips and predictions below.
Let’s move on to the top cricket betting tips and predictions ahead of today’s World Cup match.
New Zealand are coming in this match after winning their last two against India and Scotland. Namibia, on the other hand, have picked up just one win in the three games so far (also against Scotland) while losing to the full-member nations of Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Between the two, Kiwis are by far the heavy favourites – let’s back them in our New Zealand vs Namibia betting tips & predictions.
Martin Guptill powered New Zealand to an emphatic 16-run victory over Scotland this week to improve their prospects of reaching the semifinal. The veteran batsman scored 93 off 56 to post a gigantic total of 172-5 (Kane Williamson and Devon Conway went for cheap wickets).
With the ball, things could have gone a tad bit better for Ish Sodhi, who conceded 42 runs in his four-over spell. Nonetheless, he picked two wickets while Trent Boult also got a couple. The Black Caps restricted the Scots to 156-5 and thus, also improved their net run rate in the process.
With a game in hand, New Zealand sit at third place with four points although, a win here will propel them to the second spot. They can’t afford any more slip-ups from this point as India are also in the race to close the gap.
Mathematically, if the Kiwis win both their remaining matches, they will reach the semis but let’s remember that their final group game is against the Afghans where anything can happen.
But the task at hand is to win against Namibia, which shouldn’t prove to be that difficult. They are a professional side that is not likely to make that many mistakes against the lower-ranked teams.
New Zealand’s Likely XI
Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Adam Milne, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult
Namibia Team News
With two defeats in a row and no wins in sight, Namibia’s T20 World Cup campaign is all but over. All that remains is to play for pride against the cricketing giants that are New Zealand and India.
In their last match against Pakistan, the African nation put up a valiant effort in their attempt to chase down the target of 190 runs. Craig Williams and David Weise scored 83 runs between them but could reach as far as 144-5.
Namibia did beat Scotland in their opening Super 12 match but not much can be taken from that performance. The side is still untested and lacks the experience of playing against the big guns. That said, they will look to cause an upset here but the chances of that happening are very, very low.
We can expect another resilient performance from Weise but if he fails to click, then Namibia may very well be staring at another gigantic loss.
Namibia’s Likely XI
Zane Green, Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Gerhard Erasmus, David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz
Venue & conditions
We are in Sharjah for this one where the conditions are more suited for bowling, giving New Zealand’s bowling unit an automatic advantage. Namibia can try to trouble the Black Caps’ batsmen but their opponents’ superior experience and skills will come into play here.
Betting on bowlers is the way to go at this venue.
Weather-wise, we are in for a clear sunny afternoon with no rain interruption.
An upset here would be of epic proportions and not to mention, absolutely unforeseen. It also explains why the betting odds on New Zealand winning this one are so low.
No matter how we look at it, New Zealand have the upper hand here. They are a stronger team with more experience and superior players on their side. They should make easy work of Namibia and win this one comfortably.
From a betting point of view, you may want to bet on the bowlers market – along with wagering on the likes of Guptill and Williamson to score big runs.
Make sure to check out our Pure Win review for more on this top betting site.
The conditions in Sharjah is primed for bowling and among the many bowlers in the New Zealand roster, Ish Sodhi may take the cake with the most wickets.
He is a prolific spinner and has taken at least two wickets consistently in each of his last three Super 12 games. There is no reason why he may not continue the same heroics – especially against a relatively weaker batting unit of Namibia.
