Champions League Twenty20 Betting – Caribbean kings plan conquest of NSW in final
by Juris Graney
Cricket Betting Odds:
NSW Blues vs. Trinidad and Tobago
Friday, September 23, 10am
NSW Blues N/A
Trinidad and Tobago N/A
The final of the inaugural Champions League Twenty20 will showcase the barbarous nature the shortened form of the game has come to represent.
A large sign should be hanged over the entrance of Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium at Hyderabad plainly stating “Bowlers Beware” because as the NSW Blues have experienced first hand, Trinidad and Tobago has the most aggressive and biggest hitting batsmen going around.
Fans of Twenty20 will undoubtedly be excited at the prospect of a big score that the Hyderabad pitch will offer up.
The last time these two teams met, Trinidad chased down NSW’ 170. In the semi-final they chased down Cape Cobras’ 175 with balls and wickets to spare while only several days before this, they posted a tournament high 4/213 against the Diamond Eagles.
The thing that has been so impressive about Trinidad is that no one batsman has been relied on to save their team.
Adrian Barath scored a match high 63 against the Eagles while the six foot five giant Kieron Pollard blasted 54no off just 18 balls against NSW in their earlier match to help his team cruise to victory.
Then in the semi final, Dwayne Bravo helped himself to 58 not out off 34 balls to lead his team home.
All around these big scores have been substantial scores from the other batsmen, Lendl Simmons, Darren Ganga and William Perkins have all contributed to the team’s success.
The pride of the Caribbean is a shining light on the international scene and with the West Indies cricket fraternity in tatters, in fighting over contracts destroying a once gleaming nation, Trinidad has stood tall and no matter if they win this tournament, they have done themselves and their country proud.
Whether they can win will be out of their hands. Why? Because the NSW bowlers will be the ones who dictate play in the final.
While NSW’ own master blasters in David Warner and Phillip Hughes have scored big, it’s the bowlers which is their real strength.
Warner and Hughes lead the way with the bat scoring 188 and 199 tournament runs respectively.
Captain Simon Katich can call on Brett Lee, Doug Bollinger, Stuart Clark and Moises Henriques or toss the ball to spinners Nathan Hauritz or Steven Smith but it is the pace barrage at the start of the innings that will be hard to combat.
Henriques however will be very nervous when tossed the ball in the final after being murdered by Kieron Pollard in their last clash.
Our pick is for a Caribbean conquest over NSW.
