Nelson Mandela Bay Giants vs Cape Town Blitz match prediction
The 2019 edition of the Mzansi Super League is up and running and on Wednesday, Nelson Mandela Bay Giants will lock horns with 2018 finalists Cape Town Blitz.
You know it’s time to switch on the telly when Cape Town Blitz is playing. I mean, from 1 to 11, the team is filled with T20 superstars, to such an absurd extent that it almost feels like the team was put together by a dude playing Fantasy. I’m not complaining, though. They have, by far, been my favorite team to watch in MSL 2019 and so it’s no wonder that I’m buzzing for their next match against the Bay Giants on Wednesday. But more than the entertainment factor, there is also an incredible opportunity in this match to make money with the market there for the taking, so I’ve come up with a crazy treble that will ensure that your wednesday is sorted.
Good odds value on the guests
Cape Town to win the match @ 2.00
Truth be spoken, I was kind of flabbergasted looking at the odds and was initially confused when I saw the Giants being favoured. They are not up against just some team, they will be up against Cape Town, finalists from 2018 who just decimated the defending champions in the first match of this season and now sit mighty at the top of the table. The Blitz have won 3 of their 4 matches this season and whilst they’ve been at it, have also, in the process, ran riot on their opponents. Cape Town also have the psychological edge over the Giants, having convincingly beaten them in their only H2H clash last season. On the other hand, having played just two completed matches thanks to rain, the season has been an on and off one for hosts Giants, but to their credit, have managed to win both. However, the home ground - Port Elizabeth - has been anything but a fortress for the Giants, who have lost 2 of their last 3 matches at this venue and thus will face a daunting task of turning things around on Wednesday against an in-form Cape Town side. While it’s still early on in the season, the Blitz, who are on a two-match winning streak, just have too much quality and momentum on their side and thus in my opinion, will get the better of the Giants on Wednesday.
Cape Town to score more sixes
Cape Town to hit more sixes @ 2.05
It is one thing to have a few six hitters in your team, but can you imagine what it would be like if there is a team full of six-hitters? Well, that’s exactly what Cape Town Blitz are. There is literally no respite for the bowlers. From Janneman Malan up top to Dale Steyn way below at #9, every single player can give the ball a proper whack and their batting line-up is an opposition captain’s nightmare. In 4 matches this season, Cape Town have struck a staggering 30 sixes, which is 17 more than the next-best team, Jozi Stars. Cape Town’s average of 7.5 sixes per match is well ahead of the Giants’ average of 5.5 and light-years ahead of the tournament average, which is a modest 3.21. In all but one match this season, Cape Town have hit more sixes than their opponents and in the last H2H clash between these two teams, they hit 6 sixes compared to the Giants’ tally of 4. If anything, the glorious Port Elizabeth pitch, which has an average first-innings score of 162.5, should play into the hands of the big-hitters in the visitors’ sheds hence Cape Town scoring more sixes than the Giants looks all but a certainty.
Guests should walk away with highest opening stand
Cape Town to have the highest opening partnership at 1.90
In cricket, the luxury of having a settled opening pair is underrated and more often than not, teams that have a stable opening pair tend to excel and be more successful. There is no better example for that than the pair of Malan and de Kock, who have now batted together for two seasons and have been rock solid for Cape Town. They set the tone in the very first match of the season with a 72-run partnership and have averaged 35 runs for the first wicket, which is 9 more than their counterparts Giants, who have averaged just 26. But I'm going to take a detour and prove my case from a bowler’s perspective. The Blitz have in their ranks Steyn, who is the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament but interestingly, 4 of his 6 wickets in this tournament has been of openers, with the new ball. In fact, the Blitz new-ball bowlers average just 18.5 with the new ball, edging their opponents Giants, who average 21.6. In their last H2H clash, too, Cape Town added 41 runs for the opening stand compared to the Giants’ 9, with Steyn removing both the Giants openers. Forget about their openers, even if they falter, trust their bowlers - Steyn in particular - to ensure that they walk away from the match with the higher opening stand.
