Australia vs New Zealand 3rd Test Match
Adelaide Oval
Friday November 27th, 2:00pm local time
The third and final match of the Australia vs New Zealand Test series will commence this Friday afternoon, and regardless of the result, history will be made. This match will be the first-ever day-night Test match and all the talk has centred around the shiny pink ball.
Will it swing under lights? Will it deteriorate? Can it be seen at night?
The questions still remain largely unanswered despite the numerous trials held at first-class level. Whatever happens, there’s no doubt the added variables are going to throw up a new dynamic. It may create a few surprises, but above all, I’m sure Cricket Australia are just hoping that it draws big crowds live and even bigger television audience around the country during prime time viewing.
The second Test at the WACA in Perth ended up being a bit of a dud affair. Despite our pre-series prediction of batsmen struggling this series, the roads that have been produced at the two grounds so far have not offered any assistance for bowlers, and led to Mitchell Johnson calling stump on his career effective immediately.
While the result was dull, it has set things up nicely for our pre-series bet of a 2-0 result for Australia this series, if they can finish the job in Adelaide.
James Pattinson is the man who has been recalled to the squad to replace Johnson and he’ll be battling with Peter Siddle, and quite possibly Steve O’Keefe, for the final bowling spot. Pattinson is the aggressive play, but Cricket Australia would not want to risk any sort of injury for their key quick, so Siddle appears the safe option. There is also a chance they both play if Josh Hazelwood is rested. O’Keefe is a chance if the pitch looks dry, but the curator has already declared that there will be grass on the wicket to protect the vulnerable pink ball, so that appears to rule out the chance of two spinners.
Usman Khawaja was another hard-luck story from Perth with his hamstring popping once again. He’ll be replaced by Shaun Marsh who appears to be having his last opportunity to prove himself at the highest level.
The Kiwis will be desperate to try and level the series in Adelaide. They proved they can match the Australians fire power with the bat, with Kane Williamson scoring another hundred and Ross Taylor returning to form with a magnificent 290. The Aussies will have to come up with a new game plan, and perhaps the change in bowling personnel is what they require.
While the Kiwi batting looks sound, their bowling attack has battled through injury. Key strike bowler Tim Southee was under an injury cloud but got through the match in Perth, while reports are that Trent Boult has suffered a back injury and is in doubt. Neil Wagner appears the likely replacement if Boult cannot get up for this match.
Verdict: You would have to think that a grassy wicket, and potential hooping pink ball will mean we’ll see a result in this one. It’s probably a great opportunity for the Kiwis to cause an upset under the conditions and with the players missing from the Aussie side. At $4.50 at Bet365 they look the value compared to the $1.60 at CrownBet for Australia.
There’s not a lot of value in the Australia leading batsmen market with Dave Warner and Steve Smith dominating the market. Can you really take anything outside of those two? Probably not. For the Kiwis, Kane Williamson is again the obvious choice at $3.50 at Ladbrokes as he looks a class above the rest. Brendon McCullum is probably also due and he’ll enjoy batting in Adelaide with Sportsbet offering a generous price of $7 for the Kiwi skipper to lead the run scorers.
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!
