Bangla Tigers vs Team Abu Dhabi match prediction
Bangla Tigers will take on Team Abu Dhabi in the third Super League match of the Abu Dhabi T10 league at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Tuesday.
Good morning, folks! After curtailing timeless Tests to five days, after shortening 50-over cricket to T20, some genius decided that the game needed EVEN MORE shortening, so here we are in the third edition of the T10 league. But hey, do we care? We get to earn more money in literally half the time. In fact, it is AWESOME! So after closely following the group matches and sizing up every team, I’m here with my tips to help you earn money. Our match of the day today is Bengal Tigers vs Team Abu Dhabi and let me assure you, it is going to be super fun!
Fifty-run mark yet to be reached
NO fifty to be scored in the match @ 2.00
T10 is a weird format, not for the viewers, but for the cricketers. As a viewer, you know what to expect and you exactly know what you want - Sixes. But the poor batters are usually caught in extreme dilemma not knowing how to approach their inning; “Do I slog from ball one or should I take my time?” “Should I go for it all or do I play a long inning?” are just some of the thoughts running inside their heads. So, in turn, what this confusion has done is that it has derailed them from consistently posting big scores. There have just been six batsmen who have scored fifties in this tournament and incredibly, 7 of the 12 matches in the group stages did not see a fifty being scored. In fact, no batsmen from either of these two teams has thus far registered to post a fifty in the competition, with Luke Wright (48) coming the closest to the landmark. Interestingly, both teams have conceded one fifty each in this tournament but thanks to the “go big or go home” approach of the batsmen of both these sides, the coveted fifty-run mark has not been reached by any player thus far and in this match, too, we can expect the pattern to continue.
No mercy towards the bowlers!
First over total runs over 8.5 @ 2.00
In case you’re still clueless how T10 cricket works, let me tell you, to put it in simple words, it’s just pure madness. What is pure madness? Pure madness is throttling in sixth gear from the word go and, in fact, this is exactly what the situation demands. The cricketing equivalent of throttling in sixth gear is to go for broke from the very first ball and from what we’ve seen thus far in this tournament, it is clear that these two teams have taken a liking to this very approach. Bangla Tigers scored 12 runs on average in their first over in the group stage, while Abu Dhabi almost matched them, scoring an average of 11.33 runs in their first over. Keep in mind that these pitches are tailor-made for batsmen, so there is literally zero assistance for the bowlers early on. In fact, if you look at the most recent matches, three matches yesterday, teams, in their first overs, scored 9.33 runs on average with the last of the three matches on Monday witnessing a staggering 14 in the first over. And oh, the combined strike rate of the openers of these teams in the group stage was an astounding 191.5, if you’re a new-ball bowler, I would like to wish you good luck. T10 is more of a bowler’s graveyard than a batsman’s paradise, thus on Tuesday, expect no mercy - from both the batsmen and curator - towards the bowlers.
Roussouw stronger than Fletcher
Race to 10 runs - Rilee Rossouw over Andre Fletcher @ 2.00
Have you ever come across a more exciting event than ‘Race to 10 runs’ in T10 cricket? Probably not. This is what I love about this format, it allows not only the cricketers, but also us, the punters, to explore alien territory. The bout I’ve picked is between Rilee Rossouw and Andre Fletcher. Both of them play for the same team, both are openers and most importantly, both are extremely destructive batsmen. However, my pick to win the race is Rilee Rossouw and here’s why. There is one huge aspect, which is often overlooked in T10, where the South African trumps the West Indian - consistency. To win the race, you first have to complete it and in 2 of the 3 group matches, Fletcher failed to even get to 10 runs. Rossouw, on the other hand, crossed the 10-run mark in all 3 matches. Rossouw is also a considerably quicker starter than Fletcher; His average strike rate in the first three balls he’s faced in this tournament is a staggering 199.6, compared to Fletcher’s 144. In fact, in 2 of the 3 group matches, Rossouw hit a boundary within his first three balls, while Fletcher managed to do it just once. One thing you can ill-afford to do in T10 cricket is a false start, and i’m afraid Fletcher has been guilty of doing it one too many times. My faith is well and truly in Rossouw to win the race.
