MATCH ANALYSIS IN BRIEF
| Date | Friday 3rd November 2023 at 14:00 (IST) and at 08:30 (UK) |
| Venue | Netherlands vs Afghanistan will take place at Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, India |
| Weather | Conditions are expected to be hot with sunshine and temperatures reaching 31c as play begins, but decreasing as the match goes on due to consistent light winds and the setting of the sun come evening time |
| TV & Streaming | Viewers in India: you can watch this match live on Star Sports channels or stream it via the Disney+ Hotstar app. |
| Viewers in Pakistan: you can watch this match live on both PTV Sports and A-Sports or stream it through the PTVFLIX App. | |
| Viewers in Sri Lanka: you can watch this match live on Maharaja TV or stream it on Sirasatv. Lk. | |
| Viewers in Afghanistan: you can watch this match live on Ariana TV. | |
| Viewers in Bangladesh: you can watch it on Gazi TV or stream it through Rabbithole. | |
| Viewers in the UK: you can watch this match live on Sky Sports or stream it via the Sky Go App. | |
| Viewers in Australia: you can watch this match live on Fox Sports or stream it via the Foxtel or Kayo Sports app. | |
| Viewers in South Africa: you can watch this match on SuperSport channels or stream it via the SuperSport app. | |
| Viewers in the USA and Canada: you can watch this match live on Willow TV, whilst viewers from the USA can also stream it via the ESPN+ app. |
KEY BETTING STATS
- Afghanistan has beaten the Netherlands in seven of their nine previous official ODI matches – To Win the Match
- Rahmat Shah has scored over 26.5 runs in each of Afghanistan’s last four 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup matches – Batter Match Runs
- Netherlands have added under 22.5 runs for the first wicket in four of their last five 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup matches – Team – Opening Partnership Total
BETTING ANALYSIS For NETHERLANDS
Despite their hopes of reaching the semi-finals being remote in the extreme, the Netherlands still have plenty to play for with ICC Champions Trophy qualification up for grabs. Their most recent 87-run win over Bangladesh saw them bowl the Tigers out for just 142 and they’ll be looking to put in a similar showing with the ball here in Lucknow, where bowlers have dominated across the tournament.
With that in mind, investment in Paul van Meekeren looks very much warranted. The right-arm pace bowler ripped through Bangladesh, taking 4/23 and boosting his overall wicket-tally across the group stage so far to ten. With that in mind, back the 30-year-old to pick up over 1.5 match wickets (2.75) here.
However, Bas de Leede who currently leads the wicket-taking charts for the Netherlands as it stands, having gained 11 wickets in six matches, and a stake on him to finish as Netherlands’ top bowler (4.50) against Afghanistan offers good value. De Leede’s batting offers an additional source of investment, but due to his poor recent form which includes scores of 17, 4, 6, and 2 across his last four innings, it’s worth backing him to accrue under 21.5 runs (1.83).
With batting likely to prove extremely tough early on in Netherlands’ innings on a tough Lucknow pitch against the new ball, it would be no surprise to once again see their openers fail to put together a sizeable partnership for the first wicket. Back the Netherlands to record an opening partnership under 22.5 runs (1.90) for the fifth time in their last six games.
BETTING ANALYSIS For AFGHANISTAN
The stability of Afghanistan’s batting has been the catalyst to their success in recent matches. We know their bowlers are capable of competing against the best in the world, but their top order making large contributions in terms of runs scored has taken them to the next level and they arrive in Lucknow on the back of consecutive wins.
The main question regarding Afghanistan’s team is whether they will opt to field the extra spinner in Noor Ahmad or play an additional quick bowler in Fazalhaq Farooqi. On a ground that saw England left-armer David Willey take 3/45 against India on Sunday, the likelihood is that Farooqi will play, especially when taking into account his recent 4/34 last time out against Sri Lanka, earning him the ‘Player of the Match award. Back Farooqi to take advantage of the expected bowling conditions and pick up 2+ wickets (1.90).
Another bowler worthy of investment is Rashid Khan, who hasn’t taken as many wickets as he’d have liked across Afghanistan’s last three games, picking up just two scalps over that period. But while form is temporary, class is permanent, and on a pitch potentially susceptible to turn, Rashid could be afforded plenty of joy against an associate batting line-up, so back him not only to take over 1.5 wickets (1.80) but also to finish as Afghanistan’s top bowler (3.50).
On the back of having racked up 175 runs over the course of his last three innings, two of those seeing him pass fifty, Rahmat Shah heads into this latest match in excellent form and a key component of Afghanistan’s top order. Such weight of runs cannot be ignored but when considering the potential difficulty of the pitch, play things safe by just backing Rahmat to score 30+ runs (2.00).
CRICKET 8’S EXPERT PREDICTION
The most recent encounter to be played at Lucknow during this World Cup saw England bowled out for just 129 chasing 230 to beat India. In each of the four games to have been contested at the BRSABVE Stadium across the group stage so far, one team has been bowled out with a minimum of 15 wickets taken in each contest and only one score of 300+. This suggests that the bowlers will dominate for the most part between the Netherlands and Afghanistan and plenty of wickets are expected.
With that in mind, not to mention the fact that the Netherlands have been bowled out in five of their six group matches so far, Afghanistan looks well-placed to profit, specifically Rashid Khan. Mitchell Santner (5/59) and Adam Zampa (4/8) are spin-bowlers who have already enjoyed huge success against the Netherlands across the group stage and it would be no surprise to see Rashid join that list in Lucknow, a ground that should play to his strengths.
TIP
RASHID KHAN TO TAKE 2+ WICKETS (1.80)
