Lahore Badshahs v Hyderabad Heroes




Sunday 16th November 2008 14:00 GMT

1st Final: Hyderabad Heroes v Lahore Badshahs at Ahmedabad - Nov 13, 2008
Lahore Badshahs won by 4 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
Hyderabad Heroes 170/5 (20/20 ov); Lahore Badshahs 174/6 (19.1/20 ov)

2nd Final: Hyderabad Heroes v Lahore Badshahs at Ahmedabad - Nov 15, 2008
Hyderabad Heroes won by 8 runs
Hyderabad Heroes 158/7 (20/20 ov); Lahore Badshahs 150 (19.1/20 ov)

It has been a thrilling final series so far and has not been short of controversial issues so far, namely the stunning Kemp catch that was followed by a heated debate over whether six runs should have been awarded because he touched the rope after the catch. In my personal opinion it was an incredible catch and was far, Inzamam should have been the better man and accepted this with grace but instead the Badshahs acted like spoilt children and somewhat ruined the spectacle.
Hyderabad are seen as pretty large outsiders again, namely by Paddy Power who have chosen to make them a tasty price of 2..38 and in a tight series you would have to be sorely tempted by that.
With the Pakistani side perhaps being a little distracted by their ill feelings yesterday it is probable that the more focused Hyderabad unit could follow up and win over their counterparts again in an ICL final. After last nights appalling lack of sportsmanship shown by Lahore, this would be the popular outcome no doubt.

In Rana Naved, Imran Nazir, Saqlain Mustaq and Azhar Mahmood the Badshahs have four very dangerous match winners in their team. Perhaps the inclusion of an overweight and out of practice Inzamam coupled with Mohammed Yousuf who is more accustomed to the longer formats can bog down the Badshahs middle order somewhat though and this can be taken advantage of.
Hyderabad have a pretty solid lineup throughout and probably have the edge on Lahore in terms of batting. Stuart Binny is a terrific performer in this format and definitely one to watch out for with his middle order hitting and innocuous looking but oddly effective medium pacers.
In a bit of a coin-toss match, I give the edge to Hyderabad as they now have the momentum from last night and given the ill-feeling shown by the Pakistani side they may really want to give cricket the right result. Of course most importantly, 2.38 is terrific value.

RECOMMENDATION - 3 Points Stake on Hyderabad Heroes @ 2.38 (Paddy Power)

Crafty Stan