Note: Starting March 30, we are using the data of the second round of the tournament of World T20 2014 only for predicting the match outcomes, instead of using the data from 2012 onwards, as we were doing previously.
England vs Netherlands
Prediction: England (59%) expected to beat Netherlands (41%).
So far, none of the teams that had to play in the first round of the tournament (the so called “minnows”) have caused an upset in the tournament. The closest anyone came was Netherlands in their contest against South Africa, but don’t expect lightning to strike twice. Netherlands would surely want to salvage some pride in this dead rubber, but they are unlikely to pose a tough challenge to England.
On the other hand, England must be feeling a bit unlucky for not making it to the semi-final stage of the tournament, as they lost their first game to New Zealand because of D/L rule despite being in a strong position throughout that game, and later lost to South Africa in a close match. Hopefully, rain should not be a factor in this match, and England should be able to finish the tournament on a high note.
New Zealand vs Sri Lanka
Prediction: Sri Lanka (53%) expected to defeat New Zealand (47%) in a tight contest.
The virtual quarter final no. 1. Whosoever wins this match advances to the semi-finals. Our model gives a slight advantage to Sri Lanka going into this match, but it should still be an interesting contest between two very good teams. Sri Lanka’s bowling hasn’t been as penetrative as it was expected to be, and they would be hoping for a better performance from their spinners. Captain Dinesh Chandimal has been suspended for this match, but that shouldn’t hurt the team as they have a very good depth to choose from.
On the other hand, New Zealand’s top order has played pretty well in this tournament, and they will be looking to attack the suspect bowling attack of Sri Lanka in this match. If their batting clicks, they have a good chance of defeating Sri Lanka. Effectively this contest will come down to New Zealand’s batting vs Sri Lanka’s bowling.
Cricmetric’s current prediction score: 12/16 (75%)