New Zealand vs Namibia T20I: Can Namibia make it fun?

The Super 12s stage has seen a varied amount of surprises and for some teams, the road is straightforward now with simple maths. One of those teams, New Zealand needs to win their next two games and they are through to the Semis. In this game, the squad will face Namibia who has had a dream journey so far but the Semis look distant. Scotland gave a slight jolt to the Kiwis but can Namibia give them a shock? For quick tips, simply head over to the “Expert Betting Tips” Section.

Their bowling can give decisive blows

New Zealand seamers Trent Boult and Tim Southee have done well at the top for the Kiwis. Both of them can move the ball and can also generate rip-roaring speed. Ish Sodhi has taken wickets but the Scottish bowlers took him to task in the last game. Mitchell Santner has been highly economical and has been tough to deal with. Adam Milne has been taken for runs in the last two games but his speed can create problems too. The bowling is well-balanced but the Scottish men gave them a bit of a scare. Top bowling picks to keep in mind when betting on (over or under) for wickets or for Best Bowler/Player Performance:

• Ish Sodhi: 6 wickets at 7.25 runs per over.
• Trent Boult: 6 wickets at 6.50 runs per over.
• Tim Southee: 3 wickets at 6.25 runs per over.
• Mitchell Santer: 2 wickets at 5.90 runs per over.

Batting: Still figuring out

The batting has not been fluent and the team got bailed out in the last game by a 93-runs special by Martin Guptill. It seems like Devon Conway’s game has been affected ever since he has shuffled to number three while the one who took his place, Daryll Mitchell has looked better but has not taken the bowlers apart. Kane Williamson has played two decent knocks so far while Glenn Phillips has not timed the ball too well but made a steady 30-odd run in the last innings. New Zealand has fielded five specialist bowlers and six batters in the last two contests, will they persist with this approach? Before you bet on (Over or Under), keep in mind the highest run-scorers for New Zealand so far:

• Martin Guptill: 120 runs at an average of 40. Highest: 93.
• Daryll Mitchell: 89 runs at an average of 29.6. Highest: 49.
• Kane Williamson: 58 runs at an average of 29.0. Highest: 33*.
• Glenn Phillips: 46 runs at an average of 23.0. Highest: 33.

The crunch time is one for the Kiwis and after this game, they will face Afghanistan. First, they will need to finish the business here against a feisty squad. Can New Zealand make an unbeaten run to finish the Super 12s? They do have a golden chance. Here is the list of fielders who have taken the most catches:

• Martin Guptill: 3, Daryll Mitchell, Tim Southee, Devon Conway: 2.

Has the top-order returned to some form?

In the first round, Namibia‘s top-order wasn’t clinical but not awful either. However, in the Super 12s, more has been needed from them and after struggling in two games, Stephan Baard and Craig Williams put their head down for some runs against a tough Pakistan bowling. In the middle, captain Gerhard Erasmus has struggled a bit but David Wiese has continued to be a huge factor, well, he is indeed the “X-Factor” for this team. JJ Smit can launch a few too but the game can run out of hand till he arrives so it is the top-order that will have to conjure up something against pace batteries Boult and Southee. These are the top batters for Namibia during Super 12s:

• David Wiese: 85 runs at an average of 42.5. Highest: 43.
• Craig Williams: 64 runs at an average of 21.1. Highest: 40.
• Stephan Baard: 55 runs at an average of 18.3. Highest: 29.
• JJ Smit: 34 runs at an average of 17.0. Highest: 32*.

Great beginnings for the bowlers, difficult time finishing

Ruben Trumpelmann has fetched eyeballs with his beautiful swing bowling, despite being taken for 36 runs in the last game, he bowled a gorgeous maiden over. David Wiese is once again a huge factor with the ball, as his slower bowlers, and deceptive lines and lengths put some Paksitani batters in trouble too. Jan Frylinck offers both speed and striking abilities but JJ Smit took a 50 run beating against Pakistan. Namibians are lacking a viable spin option like Scotland’s Mark Watt so they rely majorly upon their seamers. How will the Left-arm heavy pace attack tackle the New Zealand batters? Peak bowlers in the Super 12s for Namibia are given below:

• Ruben Trumpelmann: 5 wickets at 7.25 runs per over.
• Jan Frylinck: 3 wickets at 6.81 runs per over.
• David Wiese: 2 wickets at 7.08 runs per over.
• JJ Smit: 2 wickets at 8.36 runs per over.

Sharjah has not been the easiest wicket to bat. Scoring in the first ten overs has been difficult even the English team which is in the immense form right now struggled in the first ten overs versus Sri Lankan spinners. Spinners have been a factor on the pitch but fast bowlers throughout the tournament have shown that they can’t be underestimated. Lankans and South Africa also saw a hard time with the bat. One way to counter that could be to settle in first like Jos Buttler and then go big. In that case, Namibia can hold itself before a flurry, building partnerships first and then leaving it to the likes of Wiese and Smit to finish. New Zealand has a batting lineup that can hit big and also sneak singles and doubles so they may have an edge anyway. What kind of track will the groundstaff lay this time around?

Here are some quick notes regarding the match-up:

• New Zealand hit 8 sixes in the last game, seven of them came from Martin Guptill;
• David Wiese has top-scored for the Namibians twice in the last three innings;
• Michael van Lingen has been the opening batter for Namibia but that may change here;
• Trent Boult has taken 5 wickets in the last two matches;
• Ish Sodhi has taken 4 wickets in the last two matches;
• Ruben Trumpelmann can pose troubles at the start with his new-ball bowling;
• Ben Shikogo played in the last game for Namibia but it will be interesting to see if the teams play him again;
• Adam Milne has taken one wicket in the last two matches;
• With the lack of spin option, Namibia struggles to curb the run flow in middle overs.
• Although he has only two wickets, Mitchell Santner has been an effective spin option and may run among wickets soon.

• To Take 2+ Wickets, Tim Southee for 2.10;
• David Wiese, Performance Points TO(29.5) for 1.832;
• Batsman Matches (Most Runs) D Wiese vs CG Williams: 1 for 1.90.