It is one of the bigger mismatches in international cricket, but that won’t stop me from picking some South Africa vs Netherlands betting tips ahead of all the action.
The ICC Cricket World Cup Super League action gets underway at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium at 1:30 pm on 26th November – bet on cricket online using my insight for a chance to land some tasty returns!
South Africa showed some fleeting glimpses of form at the Twenty20 World Cup, but elimination in the group stages was a big disappointment.
The Netherlands, meanwhile, lost every game in the preliminary rounds to suffer a humiliating Twenty20 World Cup exit. Today’s cricket prediction is it will be a stroll in the park for South Africa!
There were some bright sparks in South Africa’s disappointing Twenty20 World Cup campaign – they won their last three group matches, including a demolition job of Bangladesh. Still, they lost out on the spot in the semi-final to Australia due to an inferior net run rate. They will hope the change in format will kickstart a momentum shift.
Tabraiz Shamsi claimed eight wickets across the Twenty20 World Cup, the second-highest for his country over the course of the tournament. The intelligent off-spinner will form a key part of the Proteas bowling attack, particularly with more overs to play with.
Team News
Pace bowler Lungi Ngidi is no longer part of the squad after testing positive for Covid-19. The two-time Saffers appearance-maker Carl Junior Dala is replacing the pacer. It’s not clear as yet if any other team member came into contact with Ngidi.
The other absentee from the original squad list is Lizaad Williams, who suffers from an intercostal muscle strain.
Quentin de Kock, Aiden Markram, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, and Rassie van der Dussen are all sitting this series out.
Player To Watch: Tabraiz Shamsi
As I mentioned above, I’m intrigued by the performances of Tabraiz Shamsi. The 31 year-old appears to be peaking and was a constant thorn in the side of opponents at the Twenty20 World Cup.
He has picked up 40 ODI wickets since first appearing for the Proteas, including a memorable 5/49 against Sri Lanka.
I think he could be a good bet for the player of the series against such a weak Netherlands batting outfit.
Probable XI
David Miller, Janneman Malan, Khaya Zondo, Reeza Hendricks, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorious, Kyle Verreynne, Junior Dala, Keshav Maharaj, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Wayne Parnell.
Netherlands Recent Form
It was a tournament to forget for the Oranje – they lost every single game in the World Cup Twenty20, failing to advance past the prelims and suffering the ignominy of being all out for 44 against Sri Lanka.
The longer format is unlikely to rescue them here – there are serious shortfalls throughout their squad, limiting their ability to compete at the highest level. The win probability South Africa vs Netherlands meter firmly points in one direction.
However, before the Twenty20 World Cup, they enjoyed some good form – winning ODI series against Ireland and Scotland. They will need to recover that kind of form to stand a chance.
Team News
Youngsters Borsi Gorlee, Musa Ahmed, and Clayton Floyd have all been called up for a further taste of international cricket.
The likes of Ben Cooper, Tobias Visee, and Paul van Meekeren all miss out due to personal reasons. The recently retired Ryan ten Doeschate will be with the squad as part of the backroom staff to offer counsel to younger squad players.
Player To Watch: Clayton Floyd
There is considerable excitement surrounding Clayton Floyd – the bowling all-rounder made his international debut against Scotland in 2019, but hasn’t been seen since.
He is the first player in history to hit a T10 century in the European Cricket Network – smashing 115 from just 35 balls against Romania back in November.
The standard of opposition is much higher, but it will be interesting to see how he goes – though he won’t have what it takes to alter my South Africa vs Netherlands betting tips.
Probable XI
Bas de Leede, Boris Gorlee, Musa Ahmed, Stephan Myburgh, Clayton Ford, Colin Ackermann, Pieter Seelaar, Roelof van der Merwe, Scott Edwards, Fred Klaassen, and Vivian Kingma.
Venue & Conditions
The SuperSport Park Cricket stadium can be a graveyard for bowling figures – particularly for teams bowling first. In the last five ODI matches at the SuperSport Park, the average first innings score is 273. The high scoring levels are reminiscent of the best explosive Indian pitch conditions.
There is some rain forecast for Friday – here’s hoping the game goes ahead without any interruptions.
South Africa vs Netherlands Head To Head
It won’t be surprising to learn that South Africa have never lost a game against the Netherlands. The record currently stands at 4-0 to the Proteas – and I expect them to build on that domination here.
South Africa vs Netherlands Toss Prediction
Despite the negativity surrounding the chances of the Netherlands, I’m backing them to win the toss.
There are no in-depth South Africa vs Netherlands toss statistics, given how infrequently they have played each other, and I think the coin-flip will side with the underdogs.
TEAMS
TOSS
WIN %
South Africa
2
50%
Netherlands
2
50%
South Africa vs Netherlands Winner Prediction
Questions remain whether this type of fixture is suitable for international cricket – even if it’s for the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League. I think South Africa will win and win handsomely. The only question about this betting prediction is how heavy the defeat will be.
After being bowled out for just 44 by Sri Lanka less than two months ago, it is hard to see the Netherlands mount any threat to the Saffers. They are bottom of the Super League for a reason.