A betting preview and tips for the 2026 T20 World Cup matches taking place on the 21st and 22nd February including New Zealand v Pakistan, England v Sri Lanka and India v South Africa
TIME TO GO TO WORK
The fun and games are over and it’s time to get to the business end of proceedings. To make absolutely sure of a safe passage, winning three from three is the way to go. Alternatively, a team needs to collect two victories and ensure that you maintain a good net run rate should two or more teams be dead- locked on points. Regardless of how you end up getting the job done, the fact of the matter is that it is time to roll up the sleeves and get to work!
PAKISTAN v NEW ZEALAND, Colombo (RPS) (Saturday)
Even before the morning coffee has the time to get functioning the first task is already on top of the “IN” tray for these sides -and it’s certainly a tricky task at that.
Pakistan have coasted through the group stages without really looking like winning Employee of the Month. Yet, they are still here and haven’t received a formal complaint from Management yet - is sitting around with your feet on your desk all day really such a contravention? And despite being extremely non-pc, HR have also somehow lost their interest in issuing the Pakistanis with a final written warning.
The men in black are like that co-worker who is always in a good mood and keen to help out. Whether it is doing the coffee run or ordering new toner for the printer, the Kiwi is the colleague to call on.
But will it be a case of nice guys finishing last or can the office-awarded MVP rise to this occasion as well?
The Paki’s have relied heavily on Sahibzada Farhan at the top and there has been little assistance for the tournament’s leading run scorer. With the ball their spinners have gotten into the comp as things have progressed, the unorthodox Usman Tariq proving very efficient of late. New Zealand relies on a more balanced approach despite also having a power-couple at the top of the order.
Pakistan Top Bowler – U Tariq @ 4.00 with Pokerbet
The Pakistan spinners have gotten into the comp as things have progressed, the unorthodox Usman Tariq proving very efficient of late.
New Zealand Top Batter – GD Phillips @ 6.00 with Pokerbet
The power couple are going well at the top of the order, but Phillips is a class act and against the spin-heavy attack of their opponents he is the one I’m backing to work for us.
SRI LANKA v ENGLAND, Pallekele (Sunday)
The Sri Lankans slipped going down the stairs on the way home out of the office building so have lost some of their imaginary cool factor amongst their co-workers (sorry lads, you’re in IT – no cool there in the first place). The Poms are one of the senior managers of the company and whilst they have the only designated parking spot in the lot, they somehow prefer to keep leaving their fancy BMW in the handicapped parking spot right in front of the entrance.
Is the quiet, well-mannered IT guy finally going to lose his cool and give the Beemer a scratch? Or will they take it even further (and be more devilish) by changing their password and locking them out of the system entirely?
England Total Sixes – Over 7.5 @ 1.84 with Pokerbet
The nature of the Poms mean they will always keep swinging. Zimbabwe managed 7 big ones against this Sri Lanka attack, and I would venture to say England have more fire power across the board. Pallekele has seen a 220 scored and 180 chased down in 18 overs – both efforts by the hosts by the way.
Player of the Match – D Wellalage @ 13.00 with Pokerbet
One third of the spin trio in use by the Lankans. In the absence of Hasaranga every player is asked to put in a shift and a half – Dunith has shown the willingness to roll up his sleeves. In good bowling form and capable of adding the finishing touches to an innings with some lusty blows. I also give the home team a decent chance of picking up the victory against an English team short of confidence and form and as such I am happy having a Sri Lankan on board.
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INDIA v SOUTH AFRICA, Ahmedabad (Sunday)
It’s the battle of the boardroom big shots in this one.
The Indians will face a proper test on this first outing in the Super 8. It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the home team. Star batter, Abhishek Sharma is in danger of being retrenched with an unbelievable contribution of 0 in three visits to the crease in the tournament. A shocking negative return on investment for the suit wearers.
The Proteas have shown their willingness to work overtime to get the job done (against Afghanistan). They might not always do it pretty but have looked efficient for the most part. Their bowlers are sure to get a proper test against class batters in blue.
Player to Score Most Sixes – A Markram @ 13.00 with Pokerbet
Not the biggest six-hitter in the match but the South Africans are sure to target a positive start, and the SA skipper is a man in form. At the price his potential ROI looks good.
Player of the Match – V Chakravarthy@ 12.00 with Pokerbet
Varun can boast with a bowling average of 6.8 in the tournament to date. He is destined to climb his way to the top of the corporate ladder (leading wicket taker charts) and I see him starting his climb against the Saffas.
Note, odds are subject to change