New Zealand v West Indies betting tips, prediction & odds; 1st T20 Preview
THE enigmatic men from the West Indies will begin their tour of New Zealand on Friday in the first international T20 of the summer.
The three-match series will mark the first time either side has played the shortest format at the international level for more than 10 months.
While the Windies come into the series as back-to-back T20 World Cup winners and with a reputation of being dangerous in the format, the reality of their most recent form paints a bleaker picture.
The Kiwis have been installed favourites in the betting at $1.65, but the Windies are seeing some love, priced at $2.25 to cause an upset.
More: Cricket betting guide
The Windies have proven to be an easy-beat in recent years, falling to ninth in T20 rankings, just ahead of lowly Afghanistan.
In the search for some credibility and a rare win away from home, the men from the Caribbean, led by Keiron Pollard, will be sniffing an upset against a New Zealand side missing some key names through management and injury.
The Kiwis will be without Kane Williamson (rested), Trent Boult (rested) and Neil De Grandhomme (injured), meaning veteran quick Tim Southee will captain his country for the first time.
For cricket fans holding out for some international cricket to savour, this is an excellent place to start ahead of a busy summer.
Read on for our free New Zealand v West Indies betting tips, prediction and odds analysis for their first T20 being played at Eden Park on Friday.
NZ v WI odds & fixture details – 1st T20
| Start: | 7pm NDT, November 27 |
| Venue: | Eden Park, Auckland |
| Head-to-head odds: | New Zealand ($1.65) v West Indies ($2.25) |
Top batsman NZ odds:
$3 Martin Guptill
$3.75 Glenn Phillipps
$5 Devon Conway
Top wicket-taker NZ odds:
$3.50 Lockie Ferguson
$4 Trent Boult
$4 Ish Sodhi
Top batsman WI odds:
$4 Andre Fletcher
$4.50 Nicholas Pooran
$4.33 Brandon King
Top wicket-taker WI odds:
$3.75 Sheldon Cotterrell
$4 Oshane Thomas
$4.50 Kesrick Williams
For more odds check out Williamhill.com.
New Zealand v West Indies tips
Here are our top New Zealand v West Indies tips for the first of their three match series.
Nicholas Pooran to top score
Make no mistake, this guy can bat.
Such is Nicholas Pooran’s talent and form over the last two years, the clean-hitting left-hander is probably the only player in the Windies’ outfit that could honestly lay a claim to making it into the best XI of every other international team.
Pooran can graft out runs on a tricky deck, then explode in a boundary-hitting flurry with the very best of them.
After quality returns in the Caribbean Premier League and Indian Premier League, Pooran is a proven commodity for punters and should be batting at number three or four, meaning he’ll see more than enough deliveries to justify this bet.
The $4.50 is more than generous, especially when you factor in the lack of talent surrounding him.
Tim Southee to take most wickets for NZ
With his new-ball partner Trent Boult sitting this one out and the responsibility of captaincy on his shoulders, Kiwi veteran Tim Southee will set himself to deliver with the ball against a suspect Windies top order.
When calculating most wickets betting, you need someone proven to deliver at the level and bowling when the game gets hot – Southee ticks both of those boxes.
The captain will certainly open with himself when the ball is swinging and if the game is tight, expect him to close out the innings when wickets are at a premium.
New Zealand v West Indies winner prediction
While you’d typically select New Zealand with confidence on their home deck against the Windies, we’re sensing an early upset. New Zealand’s key omissions open the door for a Windies outfit that has more match-hardened players, who have been playing more cricket in the IPL and CPL. It’s a rare occurrence, but we’re expecting a sharper Windies outfit. Our final New Zealand v West Indies prediction? We’re taking the West Indies’ $2.60 in close one.
NZ likely XI: Tim Southee (c), Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor, Mitchell Santer, James Neesham, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Glenn Phillips (t), Ish Sodhi, Daryl Mitchell, Hamish Bennett
Windies likely XI: Keiron Pollard (c), Andre Fletcher, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (t), Keemo Paul, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh, Brandon King, Sheldon Cottrell, Rovman Powell, Fabian Allen
7PM NZDT, 27/11/2020
West Indies: Flow Sports; New Zealand: Sky Sports
Friday, November 27, 2020: New Zealand v West Indies, 1st T20, Eden Park, Auckland, 7pm (local time)
Sunday, November 29: New Zealand v West Indies, 2nd T20, Bay Oval, Tauranga
Monday, November 30: New Zealand v West Indies, 3rd T20, Bay Oval Tauranga
Check out the top International betting sites, or read our guide to NZ betting online.
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