The second matches in Group A of the 2017 Champions Trophy
Monday 5th June
Australia v Bangladesh (The Oval)
Australia were up against it at 53-3 chasing 233 in 30 overs to beat New Zealand in a rain interrupted match in their first game at Edgbaston before the match was abandoned with one point each for both teams. With England still to come,this is absolutely a must win game
There were some encouraging signs in the first game. New Zealand were motoring at 254-3 and subsided to 299 all out on a good pitch with Josh Hazlewood taking six wickets. The Australian pace foursome is going to cause some problems this tournament and on very good pitches extreme pace may well be a good strategy compared to accurate medium pace which is very hittable under these regulations
There is some concern about the batting order which still looks very reliant on Warner and Smith, but this is an ideal opportunity to build some confidence ahead of what should be tougher tests ahead
Bangladesh did well to score 300 against England on a perfect Oval pitch with Tamim scoring an excellent hundred. That 300 never looked enough once England were batting though, with the bowling attack looking toothless in the conditions.
With outright odds for this game of Australia 1/6 and Bangladesh 4/1 there is not much to go at in terms of finding a winner for the game. It is the Australian top order against the Bangladesh bowling that interests me in the Top Australian batsan sub-market
Here Bet365 have David Warner 100/30 second favourite. Warner will open the batting and as a fast scorer on what should be a perfect pitch will have first chance to compile a big total. As one of the most destructive one day batsmen in the world the 100/30 is good value here among our green listed bookmakers.
Tuesday 6th June
England v New Zealand (Cardiff)
England chased down 300 comfortably to beat Bangladesh with Root making a big hundred and the result of the no result between Australia and New Zealand in their first game is that England can qualify for the semi finals with a win here. The win came at a cost with the loss to the tournament through injury of Woakes but England remain a strong team with lots of batting and plenty of all rounders providing batting depth
New Zealand were ahead of Australia and well placed to win when the rain came in Birmingham. This is the first game of the tournament in Cardiff which may be slower and take more spin than the other two venues. Nevertheless New Zealand are a dangerous team with plenty of batting and experienced bowling options
It’s not surprising to see them underdogs here, England are 1-2 favourites, New Zealand 2-1 and they are a tempting bet as underdogs.
However my preference is for Kane Williamson in the top New Zealand batsman market. Williamson scored a hundred against Australia and is one of the best batsmen in the world in all formats. Here he is 11/4 at William Hill which looks like a solid bet
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