Antigua & Barbuda Falcons v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots CPL Tips: New boys underrated

• Falcons are Jamaica in disguise

• North Sound surface could be flat

• Patriots overrated

• Read the CPL team guide HERE

• Read the CPL winner preview HERE

Antigua & Barbuda Falcons v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots
Friday 30 August, 00:00
TV: live on TNT Sports

Falcons v Patriots team news

Falcons have replaced Tallawahs as a new franchise. Not surprisingly they have seven of their former squad. Imad Wasim is the glue that holds it all together but they are a bit of a top and tail team. Fakhar Zaman and Brandon King up front are superb, Mohammad Amir as a pacer likewise. Not so much in the middle.

Possible XI: King, Fakhar, Greaves, Billings (wkt), Bishop, Primus, Allen, Imad, Springer, Walsh, Amir

Patriots finished bottom last term and they have had late disruption losing Wanindu Hasaranga and and Nuwan Thushara. Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi are good replacements but the main concern is the poor domestic batting of last term. The likes of Evin Lewis and Andre Fletcher need to improve.

Possible XI: Lewis, Fletcher (wkt), Mayers, Stubbs, Rossouw/Raza, Rutherford, Smith, Shamsi, Nortje, Drakes, Permaul

Falcons v Patriots CPL pitch report

This is the first CPL game to be played at North Sound for ten years. But we have ground form from the T20 World Cup this year. Seeing past mismatches is key and we suspect it was pretty flat. England against Namibia, Australia against Namibia and the Scots against Oman were able to bat aggressively and easily. That suggests it's flat. Overs 165.5 on the par line might prove to be cheap.

Falcons v Patriots CPL match prediction

Patriots are 1.645/8 favourites for the opener. They shouldn't as short to beat anybody and there is no evidence they have the nous to be as skinny.

Remember this is essentially Pats versus a Tallawahs team that came fourth last season and won the title in 2022. Antigua can give a good account of themselves this season and are probably underrated across the markets. They at least trade favourites in this contest. The 2.486/4 is fine to let run, though.

There is some light drizzle forecast but we don't expect overs to be lost.

Falcons v Patriots CPL player bets

Andre Fletcher has a two-year return rate of 37% on top bat so the 4/15.00 he top scores for pats is value. King is the most reliable of all batters in the tournament with a rate of 41%. He is 11/43.75. Your bowler pick is Mohammad Amir at a generous 16/54.20. He wins at 28%.

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