Twenty20 / Andrew Hughes / 20 October 2009 / Leave a comment

The Champions League is down to the last four and in Wednesday's second Semi-Final, the young guns of Trinidad and Tobago take on the hardened Cape Cobras. Andrew Hughes previews a fascinating clash.

"The Aussies might quibble, but Trinidad & Tobago are the team of the tournament so far and are certainly the neutrals’ favourites."

Match Conditions

The pitches used so far at Hyderabad have been rock hard, enabling batsmen to play through the line with confidence and, unusually for India, giving little assistance to spinners. Of the three grounds used in the Champions League, the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium tops the list for runs scored per over and average first innings totals and although quick bowlers have enjoyed the bounce, it is definitely a batsman-friendly venue. There is no obvious advantage in batting first or second here.

Team News

The Cape Cobras have struggled to find an adequate replacement for front line paceman Charl Langeveldt but youngster Francois Plaatjies impressed with an economical spell when drafted in for their last game, against Delhi Daredevils and his extra pace may be preferred to Stiaan van Zyl. They are bound to stick with Herschelle Gibbs, despite his acute lack of form.

Trinidad & Tobago have been the most settled team of the tournament. They drafted in Adrian Barath and Navin Stewart for the dead game against the Diamond Eagles, and the youngsters did so well, they are likely to keep their places. Darren Bravo hasn't really fired in this tournament so can't complain if he doesn't get back in and Stewart's fast-medium bowling could be more effective on this pitch than Samuel Badree's legspin.

Match Odds

The Cobras eased through their group, disposing of Bangalore and Otago and did well to beat Victoria despite the disruption caused by a bomb scare and two of their players preferring to remain at their hotel. Perhaps that experience has unsettled the squad because they were woeful in their last game against Delhi and although the result didn't matter, the manner of the performance will have dented their confidence. Batting is their strong suit, with J P Duminy, captain Andrew Puttick and Henry Davids all making contributions. If Gibbs also performs well, they could pass 200. But then they may have to. Their bowling, in the absence of Langeveldt, has been inconsistent and much, possibly everything will depend on Monde Zondecki making early breakthroughs.

The Aussies might quibble, but Trinidad & Tobago are the team of the tournament so far and are certainly the neutrals' favourites. They have prepared well for the competition and have perhaps the most balanced squad of all. A host of hard-hitting young batsmen such as Keiron Pollard, Lendl Simmons and William Perkins are held together by the experience of Darren Ganga and the attack is led by internationals Dwayne Bravo and Ravi Rampaul, with canny spin bowling from Dave Mohammed and Sherwin Ganga. They are bang in form, having racked up 215 against the Diamond Eagles in their last game and have played three of their four games at this ground. It is not hard to see why they are [1.77] to reach the final with the Cobras on [2.26]

Top Batsman

For the Cobras, the question has to be: do you back Gibbs to hit form? At likely skinny odds, there are more appealing options elsewhere, notably Puttick, who has already notched the competition's only century. If you can get [4.0] or better, he is worth backing. For Trinidad & Tobago, the choice is particularly tricky, with any of their first seven capable of hitting big runs and quickly. But it could pay to side with young opener William Perkins. He has been a consistent run scorer throughout this competition, gets his runs quickly and is a brave competitor who should be able to cope with the added pressure of a semi-final. He is worth considering at [4.5] or better.

Featured Market

Betfair offer many interesting markets on these games and one that caught my eye was the Gibbs versus Puttick match-up. Gibbs has managed just a solitary run in three outings and has to be opposed against his more reliable fellow-opener and captain. Back Puttick with a -0.5 run handicap at [2.0] or better.

Tags: Champions League cricket, Herschelle Gibbs, Hyderabad, J P Duminy, Twenty20 betting