MI Emirates v Sharjah Warriors
Sunday 2 February, 10:00
TV: live on Sky Sports
MI Emirates v Sharjah Warriors team news
MI Emirates will secure a top-two berth with a win in their final game. They could lose and hold on by dint of net run rate. Their five-wicket success over Giants on Friday meant they have the best run rate in the competition. Nic Pooran's 58 from 37 balls was instrumental.
Possible MIE XI: Fletcher, Waseem, Banton, Kusal (sub: Salamkheil), Pooran, Jacobs, Shepherd, Akeal, Joseph, Farooqi, Rohid
Sharjah need an impossibly large win to usurp MIE in second but still need the points to make sure of qualification for a play-off. They have won their last two with Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Johnson Charles forming a destructive opening partnership.
Possible Sharjah XI: Kohler-Cadmore, Charles (sub: Madushanka), Mustafa, Roy, Seifert, D'Souza, A Agar, Harmeet, Milne, Zampa, Southee
MI Emirates v Sharjah Warriors pitch report
There is no historical toss bias in night matches at Abu Dhabi with a fifty-fifty split over four years (40 matches not including ADKR v Giants on Saturday). But this is a day game and the tried and trusted chase bias is in play with 13 of the last 18 won by the side batting second. The run rate in the first is 7.6 so we really shouldn't be expecting big runs. There is a lot to like about Sharjah's bowling personnel and they could tame the MI batting if par lines get above their station in that 160 region.
Emirates are hot favourites for this one with an early show pricing them at 1.574/7. That cannot be justified on the basis of the importance of the toss. So we have to consider Sharjah as the value.
Eight of Sharjah's nine matches have gone to the team batting second, including on the head-to-head when Emirates won by nine wickets. Tournament-wide the toss has made mugs of teams and the opposite. It is a great leveller and 2.305/4 Sharjah in the chase is the bet.
Back Warriors batting 2nd
MI Emirates v Sharjah Warriors pitch report
Kohler-Cadmore is having an excellent season for Sharjah with 256 runs at 139. He had a win rate of 35% on top bat at the start of the tournament but has only one win in seven. He keeps getting squeezed out despite good scores. Sportsbook's 23/103.30 that balance redresses is an fair option.
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