Asia Cup

[kevshat]

The 50 over Asia Cup competition starts in Bangladesh on Tuesday and unlike previous stagings I believe this one is available on Sky 783 so is available for viewing. With the World T20 coming up in Bangladesh next month this will be a decent opportunity to check both how the Asian squads are looking and how the wickets are playing in what is likely to be a fairly competitive tournament. Schedule: [TABLE=width: 630]

[TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%]Tue Feb 25 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 1st Match - Pakistan v Sri Lanka Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] 17 - 31° C [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Wed Feb 26 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 2nd Match - Bangladesh v India Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] 17 - 30° C [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Thu Feb 27 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 3rd Match - Afghanistan v Pakistan Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] 18 - 31° C [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Fri Feb 28 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 4th Match - India v Sri Lanka Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] 18 - 29° C [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sat Mar 1 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 5th Match - Bangladesh v Afghanistan Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium, Fatullah [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sun Mar 2 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 6th Match - India v Pakistan Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Mon Mar 3 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 7th Match - Afghanistan v Sri Lanka Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Tue Mar 4 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 8th Match - Bangladesh v Pakistan Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Wed Mar 5 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 9th Match - Afghanistan v India Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Thu Mar 6 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] 10th Match - Bangladesh v Sri Lanka Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=width: 630, bgcolor: #FFFFFF, colspan: 4][/TD] [/TR] [TR=class: FixOdi] [TD=width: 25%] Sat Mar 8 (50 ovs) 08:00 GMT | 14:00 local 08:00 GMT [/TD] [TD=width: 50%] Final - TBC v TBC Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur [/TD] [TD=width: 20%] N/A [/TD] [TD=width: 5%, align: right] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

[kevshat]

Re: Asia Cup Some outrights for the tournament. 3pts Pakistan to win Asia Cup 9/4 Boylesports I like Pakistan in this tournament. Along with Sri Lanka they can winning momentum into this tournament with them but the wiped Sri Lanka out in the UAE over Christmas so for me Pakistan are the side to beat in this event providing they can put up enough runs which with Misbah anchoring them and the likes of Hafeez, Shehzad, Khan and Mahsood going well I think they will. Their bowling attack is the best in the tournament by quite some way even without Mohammad Irfan and that can be the difference here. India are on a losing run at the minute and Dhoni's absence isn't ideal while Sri Lanka are still finding out about players outside the big three and probably didn't find much out in a one sided series against Bangladesh. Bangladesh deserve respect as hosts but they should be outclassed more often than not and Afghanistan are making a massive step but are just making up the numbers here. For me it all points to Pakistan. 2pts ew V.Kohli Top Tournament Batsman 7/1 Stan James (1/4 1-3) Virat Kohli will have added responsibility on his shoulders as the Indian captain for this tournament but that hasn't troubled him in the past. He averages over 66 as captain of the ODI side and in Bangladesh he averages a quite ridiculous 122 so it is fair to say Kohli is going to enjoy conditions in this series. For me Kohli is by far the best ODI batsman going around today and I would expect India to push for the final so I expect Kohli to get maximum batting opportunities. Kohli loves putting the minnows to the sword so despite a lot of talented batsmen in this tournament I would be surprised if India's captain isn't right near the top of the run charts when the medals are handed out in this competition. 2pts M.Hafeez Top Pakistan Tournament Batsman 4/1 Stan James All the hype is around Misbah and the incredible 2013 he had but Mohammad Hafeez finished that year in sublime form and in Asian conditions few are better than the all rounder. Hafeez seems to have found his role at number three in this Pakistan line up and he enjoys laying a platform and then going mental later in the innings like all the best number three's do. Misbah aside this is still a young Pakistan batting line up and the man they'll all bat around is Hafeez and given that Hafeez will bat two places higher than the obvious danger I like him in this market. 2pts M.Rahim Top Bangladesh Tournament Batsman 9/2 Stan James Experience can count for a lot in these tournaments and with Tamim Iqbal missing from the tournament and Shakib-al-Hasan in dire form Bangladesh's captain is going to have to step up to the plate if his side are to be competitive. That shouldn't be a problem because he's a really good batsman and over the four matches I think he'll be the one to score the most runs for Bangladesh. He plays seam and spin equally as well and paces innings lovely. In fact he's such a good player it is a shame he's playing in this weak Bangladesh side but that isn't a shame in terms of this bet where he is very attractively priced to deliver Bangladesh's most runs in the tournament.

[kevshat]

Re: Asia Cup Game One bets. 4pts Pakistan to beat Sri Lanka 5/6 Unibet Pakistan beat Sri Lanka 4-1 in an ODI series in the UAE over Christmas and I think they'll continue their winning run against a slightly experimental Sri Lanka side. Sri Lanka will be without a couple of key players with Dilshan and Kulasekera missing and while Perera is an able replacement at the top of the order Sri Lanka could miss Kulasekera's bowling. Pakistan are missing Mohammad Irfan but in Junaid Khan they have a man who is all over Sri Lanka at the minute and I see no reason why that won't continue here. Pakistan look stronger with bat and ball and can open up their tournament with a win here. 4pts Pakistan Most 6s Evs Boylesports One of the trends in that ODI series over Christmas was how Pakistan regularly hit the most sixes and that's no surprise because they have the bigger hitters in their ranks. One of Sri Lanka's bigger hitters is missing in Dilshan while Kulasekera can give it a decent biff too so those two being out won't help Sri Lanka much. Pakistan have Afridi playing in this series and the likes of Hafeez, Misbah, Umar Akmal and Shehzad can all smash a long ball too. Most importantly there is no weak link in the Pakistan attack and they generally don't go for many sixes so they can lay the foundation for their batsmen to hit the most sixes of these two sides in this one. 1pt T.Perera Top Sri Lanka Batsman 16/1 Boylesports 16/1 looks a touch big on a Thisara Perera who won Sri Lanka an ODI with the bat against Bangladesh last week. He'll come in down the order but he can hit a long ball - one of few Sri Lankan's who naturally hit big, but he is a good enough batsman to play a rebuilding role if he needs to play that too. When he gets going though nobody on this side will score quicker and with Pakistan having the attack to get stuck into the top order it wouldn't be a surprise if Perera is called upon to win another match with the bat here. At 16/1 he's worth a punt given he shouldn't be much more than 10/1 with decent form behind him coming into the tournament.

[Marshland]

Re: Asia Cup Kev I think you are spot on regarding Mushfiqur mate. He is someone I rate really highly, even more so since he hit that double ton against Sri Lanka last year. Has got that Misbah-sort-of-quality of being consistent and less susceptible to brain fade at the wrong moment than his teammates. Was top runscorer for Bangladesh in the ODI series vs SL just finished and second-top in the NZ series before Christmas. I know players like Mominul Haque and Shamsur Rahman have been in the runs but I think this is a cracking bet at 9/2, especially absent Tamim and Shakib. I feel the cream rises in international tournament cricket, and this guy is it for Bangladesh. I went round in circles trying to solve the tournament winner puzzle, with no real success. Pakistan 7/2 after today's game, there could be some value in that because they have Afghanistan next up and without taking anything for granted that could be points on the board, all their top 6 got starts to some degree today and perhaps they can kick on. They lost one of their matches ( v India ) in the previous edition of this comp and still went in to win it. The big unknown is what India turns up, Dhoni leaves a hole of course but apparently Kholi has won 7 of 8 matches as stand in skipper. So many imponderables. Wish you, and everyone else, the best of luck. :)

[kevshat]

Re: Asia Cup Giving the Bangladesh vs India game a miss. Too many ponderables. I've a gut instinct Bangladesh might do ok here but not enough of one to fire at it. Unless an in running opportunity springs up I'll let the outrights run for this game and hopefully come back with something on Thursday.

[kevshat]

Re: Asia Cup Think Mushfiqur confirmed our thoughts Marshy :ok One for Thursday. 4pts S.Afridi's Performance Pts - 41&Over 5/6 Bet365 Points are scored as follows: 1pt per run, 10pts per catch & 20pts per wicket. I like this line on Afridi's performance. In the only ODI these two have played in the past Afridi took five wickets and that doesn't surprise me because we've always seen when Pakistan come up against the associate nations in whichever competition it is be it the World Cup or the World T20 that the batsmen on those sides can't read his spin and they all get done up by that quicker ball he bowls. Afridi has some ridiculous figures against the minnows of international cricket and I would expect him to take three wickets in this match if he is on at a decent time in the innings. I don't expect him to have to bat but you never know he could do. If he does he'll only need two wickets here maximum but given I'm confident he can cover this with the ball in these conditions I'm happy to take the overs here.

[Marshland]

Re: Asia Cup That was a nice start wasn't it ! Although i understand he injured his shoulder fielding, believe he went off the field. Got a scan today according to cricinfo, have to keep fingers x-ed he is ok. Good luck with Boom Boom. I did consider Ajmal top wicket taker, following a similar line of thinking around top-grade spinners causing these guys problems, but in the end passed that one over. Hopefully Hafeez can also put up some runs for you. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kevshat]

Re: Asia Cup 3 for today's game. 4pts India to beat Sri Lanka 4/5 BetVictor I like India in this match. Only Pakistan will know how they threw the game away against Sri Lanka earlier in the tournament. For 95 of the 100 overs they were cruising the match and then a collapse that seemingly only Pakistan can deliver came along and before you know it Sri Lanka have won. I didn't think much to them particularly with the ball and with this Indian batting line up looking formidable in Asian conditions these days I would worry that Sri Lanka don't have the strength they need with the ball. With the bat they should be ok but there isn't a total which worries this Indian side and that is a problem for whoever plays them. By and large India's attack is decent enough and so I expect them to run out winners in this match. 3pts M.Shami Over 1.5 wickets 6/5 Ladbrokes Mohammad Shami is a bowler I've liked for a while. In his last 18 ODI matches he has taken two or more wickets on no fewer than 11 occasions so he is a man who gets wickets at this level. We shouldn't be too surprised at that because he bowls in what I call the danger overs which is the start, the powerplay and at the death so he'll always get cheap wickets as the batsmen look to take advantage of the fielding restrictions. Shami laid a marker down for this tournament in India's opening match when he took four wickets and with the form he's been in recently I'd expect at least a couple more from him in this one. 1pt A.Mathews Top Sri Lanka Batsman 8/1 Stan James I like Angelo Mathews as a batsman. He reminds me a lot of Dhoni and I wouldn't be surprised if he models his batting around him. He often takes his time to get in but when he's in he can manipulate any bowling and catch up if he is behind with his strike rate. Like Dhoni no run rate seems to worry him and he has tremendous self belief that he will chase a total down. He made a very good half century in the opening match of the tournament despite a bit of carnage going on around him and with India having the bowlers to sort the top order out fairly cheap it could be left to Sri Lanka's captain to pick up the pieces down the order.