Here is a look at the matches this week with odds from BetXchange.
South Africa VS England – Diamond Oval, Kimberly
3rd ODI – Wednesday, February 1
South Africa are underdogs here, having clinched the series with wins in the first two matches against England. The first two matches were in Bloemfontein, a wicket where the batsmen could feat with big scores.
England saw Jason Roy score 113 from 91 balls in the first match, and Jos Buttler slog an unbeaten 94 from 82 in the second. South Africa was even more free-scoring, with Rassie van der Dussen posting 111 (117) in the first match and Man of the Match Temba Bavuma cracking 109 (102) in the second.
They might be underdogs, but South Africa pulled off a record pursuit last time as they scored 247/5, running down England’s impressive total of 342/7 in the last over. It was the highest successful chase ever for the Proteas in ODI cricket, and it was keyed by the hosts, never letting the run rate get out of hand. They ticked over metronomically, never letting England get a key wicket – or run of wickets – to win impressively.
South Africa needs a win to get into the top eight of the World Cup Super League. There are home matches with the Netherlands to come that they should be able to win, but getting another ten points in the standings would do their chances of jumping the West Indies and landing in the 2023 World Cup outright instead of in the qualifier a world of good.
I think that extra incentive against an England team that has already qualified and has some serious questions to answer after their white-ball form recently will be enough to see them win at 11/10.
India VS New Zealand – Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
3rd T20I – Wednesday, February 1
This one is coming down to the final match, unlike the ODI series above. New Zealand took the first of these two T20Is by 21 runs as they batted first and put up 176/6. They then controlled India’s run rate – Mitchell Santner with a very economical 2/11 – as they held the hosts to 155/9 from their 20 overs.
The second match was much lower scoring. New Zealand again batted first, but they couldn’t even make a century as a team, finishing 99/8 from their 20 overs. This was their lowest total ever against India in a completed T20I innings.
India then made incredibly hard work of the chase. They made it to 101/4 but only did so with a single ball to spare in the final of their 20 allotted overs and only hit the mark thanks to a spirited 26 not out by No. 4 batsman Suryakumar Yadav.
The pitches in Ranchi and Lucknow were not good batting tracks, but they provided great entertainment in their own way. India will be hoping for a better pitch here, allowing the home crowd to get right behind them instead of living with their nerves as they did in the 2nd ODI. I like India to win. I think the Black Caps can match them in terms of their batting, but the Indian bowlers will have a little too much for the tourists.
