This Wednesday, New Zealand and Pakistan will square off in the first two semifinals at the T20 World Cup 2022. The Black Caps have qualified top of their group after an emphatic win over home favorites Australia, while Pakistan has navigated a poor start to squeak through thanks to other results going their way late in the tournament.
Who will win out of these two evenly matched sides? We break down the betting odds and offer our expert picks and predictions on the winner of this clash, as well as all the best proposition bets to make along the way.
| Tournament: | ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup 2022, Semifinal One |
| Venue: | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia |
| Date: | Wednesday, 9 November at 4:00 AM ET |
Here’s a look at the overall outright odds for the first semifinal of the T20I World Cup 2022 between New Zealand and Pakistan:
Looking at the odds on cricket Twenty20 WC 2022 from the best bookies for cricket, we can see that this one is almost neck-and-neck when it comes to a favorite. The Kiwis are slightly ahead with odds of 1.80 (4/5), but essentially bookmakers are saying this match-up is a coin flip. Let’s dig a little deeper into each team’s path through the tournament before we look at some of the best bets to make on this game.
Here’s a look at each side’s journey through the tournament so far:
The Black Caps began their T20 World Cup campaign with a bang, essentially destroying the hopes of the host team and tournament favorites Australia. Since then, New Zealand have built nicely, suffering just one defeat to claim the top spot in Group 1. Here’s a look at the Kiwis’ results in this tournament:
These results put New Zealand on seven points, ahead of England and Australia on the net run rate in Group 1.
The Men in Green have taken a very different path to the knockout phase of this tournament.
After two matches, Pakistan was winless in the T20 World Cup 2022, having suffered final ball defeats to India and Zimbabwe on most bookmakers in their opening two games. However, three strong wins in a row, including over the inform South Africa, saw Pakistan claim the final spot in Group 2 and move through to the semifinals.
Here are their results so far:
These results took Pakistan to six points, two points behind first-placed India but one point clear of South Africa to claim second place in Group 2.
Looking ahead to some of our ICC Men’s T20 WC 2022 predictions, here are some of our expert picks for online betting on this Twenty20 cricket match:
Rewind the clock three days, and the media was out for Kane Williamson’s blood.
Despite having 2357 T20I runs to his name and being a once-in-a-generation talent, plenty thought Williamson did not deserve his place in the Black Caps side. Admittedly, the skipper had been underperforming, struggling to get his strike rate above 100 or scores above 30. However, this was emphatically turned around in the Kiwi’s must-win match against Ireland, where Williamson plundered 61 runs from 35 balls, proving the difference between the two sides.
We think Kane Williamson is coming into form at just the right time. Cometh the hour, cometh the man, as they say—remember that the last time the Black Caps played knockout cricket, their captain stood tall and scored 85 from 48 in the final against Australia. With betting odds of 5.00 (4/1) for Williamson to top score, this is an excellent bet.
Pakistan has a head of steam up and is the form team of the competition, having strung together three consecutive wins.
While they are slight underdogs in this match, Pakistan has historically proven dangerous when they are written off and will love heading into knockout cricket in this position. Their killer bowling attack could be exactly what is required to silence the fierce batting of Devon Conway and Finn Allen at the top for New Zealand. Spearheading that bowling attack is their premier fast bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi. Just last week, when Pakistan toppled group leaders South Africa, Afridi led the charge with three wickets in three overs at an economy of 4.7.
Shaheen Shah Afridi is built to step up in big moments and doesn’t come any bigger than this. If he performs, there’s a good chance his team will win, so take this safe Pakistan bet option at 6.50 (11/2).
For those who like a lucrative bet, here’s our bonus, high return prediction on this match:
Both teams have fiery openers in Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Finn Allen and Devon Conway. These pairs will be looking to provide strong platforms for their bowlers to defend and won’t be afraid of taking it to the opposition immediately.
This is a perfect bet—a run-a-ball in T20 cricket is not unreasonable, particularly in the powerplay phase. With a combo Pakistan and New Zealand betting odds at 15.00 (14/1), this is a bet to take any day of the week.
In 48 hours, we’ll know one of the teams walking out on the weekend in the T20 World Cup 2022 final. This Wednesday, two evenly matched sides will face off, possessing strong bowling lineups and fiery opening batsmen. Expect New Zealand’s middle order to be the difference on the day and the Kiwis to advance in a tight one.
