South Africa vs Pakistan Betting Tips 12/04/2021

April 11, 2021
Zohaib Ahmed
South Africa South Africa
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Pakistan Pakistan

South Africa vs Pakistan Betting Tips 12/04/2021

Teams Status

Pakistan: In the series opener, Pakistan looked a bit too relaxed to the point of being almost uninterested. They played catch up for large swathes of the game but still did not panic and eventually got the job done as their hosts, playing a bunch of debutants, melted under pressure.

They did have their problems, with the most obvious one being their usually reliable bowling betraying them. That said, those who know Pakistan cricket would know that they’re primarily a bowling unit. It can betray them once but it will also always be their main strength.

Babar Azam’s side may make a change or two though. Fast bowler Mohammad Hasnain could be a decent option to bring in, while legspinner Zahid Mahmood is a like-for-like replacement for Usman Qadir, who was the worst of all Pakistan bowlers in the opening T20I. Chances of the swap happening are low though, especially since Qadir has generally done well in T20Is for Pakistan apart from this one game. Also, it could help that he is a childhood friend of captain Babar.

South Africa: The hosts lost the opening match in two brief phases: death overs while batting and also death overs while bowling. Granted that they were playing three newcomers, their other players had still done reasonably well to give South Africa the upper hand. But they came up empty in the business end of both the innings.

First, while batting, the Proteas scored just 29 runs off the final 24 deliveries despite having wickets in hand. Then, while bowling, they dropped catches that you’d expect to be taken from a team of South Africa’s athletic pedigree. On top of it, their newcomers unleashed a flurry of full tosses at the death that were deservedly dispatched by Pakistani batsmen.

To make matters worse, there were overthrows on the penultimate ball of the match that sealed the win for Pakistan with a ball to spare.

Will Heinrich Klaasen make any changes? He must. But then who does he bring in? The African roster is a who’s who of rookies and rejects.

What do the Sportsbook Say

Brand Home team name Away team name
Bet365 2.37 1.57
22Bet 2.38 1.58
LeoVegas 2.23 1.61

Pakistan are even bigger favourites for the second T20I than they were for the 1st. At 22Bet, they can be backed at 1.58, while South Africa at 2.384. At Bet365, the odds for Pakistan are 1.57 and for South Africa 2.37. Lastly, LeoVegas has Pakistan priced at 1.61 and South Africa 2.23.

Tipster’s Angle

Tip: Pakistan to win again @ 1.58

As explained, the tourists did not play up to their full potential in the opening match and still won. Several of their otherwise reliable performers did not do well. Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam and Mohammad Hafeez combined for a mere 54 runs and still Pakistan scored 189.

The trio does not falter often, and certainly not in back-to-back matches. Similarly, apart from Mohammad Nawaz and  Hasan Ali, neither bowler clicked. Not even the stud that is Shaheen Afridi. That, too, does not happen often. Expect Pakistani bowlers to also do better as a unit in the second T20I.

This is a total mismatch on paper and in reality, and so backing Pakistan to win even at shorter odds of 1.58 has value.

Tip: Total runs in the highest scoring over in match over 19.5 – Yes @ 1.9

The Wanderers is not the biggest of the grounds, which is why the first T20I pretty much served a run-fest. Pakistan’s highest score for a single over in the match was 20, while South Africa, too, came close with 18.

The pitch was a batting paradise. And with shorter boundaries around it, expect the batsmen to rule the roost once again. Taking a punt in any of the teams scoring more than 19.5 run in any single over of the match seems interesting.

Conclusion

This South Africa side is South Africa in name only. They are devoid of stars and feature multiple players who are way too new and way too average for the highest level. On the opposite end are a side full of confidence, superstars and combinations.
Only complacency can stop Pakistan from taking a 2-0 here.

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