Nepal One Day Cup, Prediction, Fantasy Cricket Tips, Dream11 Team

As we rapidly approach the end of the year, our minds naturally turn to the festivities as we spend more time with our loved ones, exchanging gifts and enjoying lavish meals. It is a time when our normal schedules get put on hold, as we take time out of work and even sports events operate on a different timetable.

Although we have just a couple of weeks to go, that doesn’t mean that sport has to stop. And cricket is certainly no exception to this rule, with plenty of matches to take you through to the new year and into January.

Cricket can be a great way to escape some of the madness of the festive period, letting you relax while others stress about what kind of wrapping paper to use, or whether they have enough chairs. Like with many other sports, cricket fans also choose this time of year to place wagers on matches through online sports betting sites like SkyBet as a way to add an additional element of excitement, especially with some blockbuster matches scheduled for the next few weeks, including Australia vs New Zealand and  South Africa vs England.

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Here are some of the cricket matches we can look forward to this 2019.

WTC – Australia vs New Zealand

As part of the World Test Championship, Australia will be taking on New Zealand at the Perth Stadium from the 12th to the 16th of December. The home side will be captained by wicket-keeper/batsman, Tim Paine, who has 28 Test Matches already under his belt and has a strong record of success. The Kiwis will be captained by Kane Williamson, who has double the Test Match experience of Paine and is a veteran of English County Cricket and the Indian Premier League.

Australia and New Zealand face off regularly in Test Matches. Before the World Test Championship, the Trans-Tasman Trophy was the name of this regular battle. Australia has a strong record against their Oceanic rivals, with New Zealand only winning Test Match series against the Aussies since 1945. So based on history, it seems like this Test will be Australia’s to lose.

The two sides will then come together again from 26th to 30th December in the second Test at the legendary Melbourne Cricket Ground, before a third Test in early January.

Plenty of Cricket left in 2019
Indian Cricket Team

ODI – United States of America vs Scotland and United Arab Emirates vs Scotland

Taking place on consecutive days on 14th and 15th December, two One Day International matches will be played at the ICC Academy in Dubai as part of League 2 of the ICC Cricket World Cup. Scotland will be taking part in both matches, leaving them no time to rest in between.

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Scotland doesn’t have a great record in One Day Internationals, winning only four since 1999. In previous matches against the United Arab Emirates, Scotland has lost more matches than it has won in recent years.

Meanwhile, the United States beat Scotland earlier in the month and have been on form for most in 2019. Of the 7 One Day International matches played so far, the team has only lost two.

WTC – Pakistan vs Sri Lanka

The second Test match of the series will see Pakistan and Sri Lanka go head to head at the National Stadium in Karachi. The last time these two sides came together in a Test, Sri Lanka came out on top. Sri Lanka has also managed to pick up more wins than Pakistan in Test Matches over the last decade.

The home side will be captained by Azhar Ali, an opening batsman with 75 Test Matches under his belt. He has strong experience developed through 10 years playing for the Pakistan National Team, as well as in both the Pakistan Super League and the English County Championship.

Sri Lanka will be captained by Dimuth Karunaratne, another opening batsman but with slightly less experience in Test Matches, having played 62. Despite a 142 km/h blow to the head during a Test Match earlier in the year that left him lying motionless on the ground, Karunaratne appears unscathed and his performance unaffected. 

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Plenty More

These are just a handful of matches left to play in December, with several other One Day International matches on the cards. January will also be a busy period for cricket with several other World Test Championship matches, including more Australia vs New Zealand and South Africa vs England.