Argentina vs Bermuda, ICC Mens T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier 2023, Today Match Prediction 26 February 2023

arg vs ber Match Prediction & Analysis

The T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier 2023 kicked off with Panama taking on Argentina at the Belgrano Athletic Club Ground.

Bermuda and Argentina played a 2-match T20I series in preparation for the sub-regional qualifier. These two teams have a good idea of what to expect as they meet once again.

Kamau Leverock, who missed his fifty by a couple of runs in Bermuda’s game against the Cayman Islands, will be a key player in this fixture. The left-handed opener had scored 97 runs in their last match against Argentina.

Another batsman to have a huge impact on the game for Bermuda is Delray Rawlins in the middle order. These two can put Argentina on the backfoot with their current form and big-hitting abilities. In their last 3 outings, Argentina have crossed the 100-run mark only once.

Argentina’s Alejandro Ferguson will be responsible for staging a comeback for the team in this tournament. He scored his career-best 86 runs against Belize in the 2021 Qualifier.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Argentina Preview

Argentina began their T20 international journey by winning the South American Championships in 2019. The South American nation won all of their 5 matches in that tournament to be crowned the champions.

Since then, Argentina have won just 2 of the 9 matches they’ve played. These two wins came against Belize and Panama in the 2021 Americas Regional Qualifier. 

In 2023, Argentina scored 100+ total only once and that was while chasing a massive 227-run target against Bermuda. Though opener Pedro Baron was the top run scorer for the side with a 57-run knock, he scored at an awfully slow rate. 

Apart from Alejandro Ferguson who scored the highest individual knock for Argentina in the 2021 Qualifier, Ramiro Escobar also emerged as a match-winner.

The wicket-keeper batsman scored 41 off 31 balls at number 6 against Panama in that tournament and was promoted to open in the next match. He then scored a fifty to help Argentina to yet another win.

At the moment, none of Argentina’s batters is in form and shows no promise of a comeback, especially against Bermuda. However, skipper Hernan Fennell will be key with the ball.

He picked 3 for 17 in their opening match of the 2023 Qualifier against Panama. His career best of 6 for 18 also came against Panama back in 2021. In addition to Fennell, Santiago Rossi and Tomas Rossi will be the key bowlers to watch out for.

Argentina Predicted Playing XI:

Pedro Baron, Lautaro Musiani, Alejandro Ferguson, Ramiro Escobar (wk), Alan Kirschbaum, Tomas Rossi, Santiago Rossi, Agustin Rivero, Pedro Arrighi, Hernan Fennell (c), Agustin Husain

Bermuda Preview

Bermuda kicked off their 2023 Americas Qualifier on a winning note with their key batters once again delivering their best. Not just that, but their bowlers also joined the party with yet another outstanding performance.

Before the start of the series, Bermuda had outplayed Argentina in a T20I series where the bowlers completely dominated the opposition.

They continued that as Bermuda restricted the Cayman Islands to just 77 for 9 while defending a 173-run total. Opening batsman Kamau Leverock who scored 48 runs followed it up with bowling figures of 3 for 15 from 4 overs.

The top 4 in this batting lineup hold the key to success for Bermuda. While the lower order of Malachi Jones and Justin Pitcher can also contribute, their strike rates aren’t as impressive.

Leverock and skipper Delray Rawlins hold the right positions in this batting order and will make the biggest impact. The two also deliver with the ball and with the support from others like Zekko Burgess and Derrick Brangman, they can be a formidable side in this tournament.

While Bermuda have a great record against Argentina and are coming here on the back of a win, they must not take Argentina's bowling lightly. The opposition’s captain is in good touch and on this ground, others can also make an impact with the ball.

Bermuda Predicted Playing XI:

Kamau Leverock, Tre Manders, Delray Rawlins (c), Terryn Fray, Malachi Jones, Zeko Burgess, Jacob Daniel Theunis Albertze, Dominic Sabir, Sinclair Smith (wk), Justin Pitcher, Derrick Brangman

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

It is a bowling pitch here at the Hurlingham Club Ground where scoring runs will not be easy. The bowlers will have a great time while the batters need to contend with low-scoring rates and focus on singles and doubles. The weather will be clear with periodic clouds and a high of 21 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

Belgrano Athletic Club Ground will be the venue for this match. The ground has hosted just one T20 international so far with Bermuda scoring over 200 runs batting first against Argentina. 

Toss: To Bat

It seems to be a great venue for batting with Bermuda’s skipper scoring 91 off 33 balls against Argentina. The hosts have only their bowlers to rely on and as such chasing will not be a good idea. Batting first and putting on a competitive total is the way to go for both teams.