Preview:
Valletta Cup 2021 is scheduled to be held between the 21st and 24th of October. The hosts Malta, Gibraltar, Bulgaria and Switzerland are the four teams featuring in this tournament. It’s a round-robin tournament, where the top 2 teams directly qualify for the finals.
Malta will take on Gibraltar in the first match of the tournament. Malta last played their T20I in September, where they finished 4th in the Continental Cup 2021 after losing to Hungary in the third-place play-off. Gibraltar, on the other hand, featured in the Portugal Tri-Series in August, where they lost all the 4 matches they played. They are still amateurs at the international circuit, and it will be interesting how they going to perform in this tournament.
Match Details:
Malta vs Gibraltar, Match 1
Venue: Marsa Sports Club, Marsa
Date & Time: 21st October, at 5:30 PM IST and 2:00 PM Local Time
Pitch Report:
The wicket is expected to be a neutral one. Having said that, the batters will get a better edge over the bowlers. Since it’s the first match of the tournament, the teams will be in dilemma, and hence, bowling first is a better option.
Also Read: ‘Terrific’ Indian side favourites to win T20 World Cup 2021: Steve Smith
Probable Playing XIs for MAL vs GIB:
Malta
Basil George, Bikram Arora (c), Zeeshan Khan, Niraj Khanna, Varun Prasath Thamotharam, Samuel Stanislaus, Muhammad Bilal, Samuel Aquilina (wk), Amar Sharma, Washeem Abbas, Zoheb Malik/Jojo Thomas
Gibraltar
Luke Collado, Nikhil Advani, Kenroy Nestor, Balaji Pai (c), Louis Bruce, Chris Delany, James Fitzgerald, Patrick Hatchman, Morgan Peters, Richard Cunningham, Andrew Reyes
Top Picks for MAL vs GIB Dream11 Match:
Top Picks – Malta
Varun Prasath Thamotharam has featured in 15 T20Is where he has scored 314 runs at an average of 26.16, with the highest score of 104*. He has also scalped 10 wickets at an economy of 7.69.
Bikram Arora is the captain of the ship for Malta. He has represented Malta in 16 T20Is, where he has scored 363 runs at an average of 30.25, with the highest score of 66*. Arora has picked up 4 wickets as well.
Top Picks – Gibraltar
Chris Delany is a confident batter, who is known for hitting boundaries. In his 8 T20I matches, he has scored 188 runs at an average of 26.85. He has picked up a wicket as well.
16-year-old Louis Bruce is the player to watch out for Gibraltar. He has got an excellent start to his career. In his only 4 T20Is, he has scored 132 runs at an average of 33, with the highest score of 60.
MAL vs GIB Must Picks for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
| Player | T20I Statistics |
| Varun Prasath Thamotharam | 314 runs and 10 wickets |
| Bikram Arora | 363 runs and 4 wickets |
| Washeem Abbas | 26 wickets and 80 runs |
| Chris Delany | 188 runs and one wicket |
| Louis Bruce | 132 runs |
Suggested Playing XI No.1 for MAL vs GIB Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Heinrich Gericke, Kenroy Nestor, Chris Delany, Zeeshan Khan, James Fitzgerald, Bikram Arora, Varun Prasath Thamotharam (c), Louis Bruce (vc), Muhammad Bilal, Washeem Abbas, Morgan Peters
Suggested Playing XI No.2 for MAL vs GIB Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Heinrich Gericke, Kenroy Nestor, Chris Delany (c), Nikhil Advani, Niraj Khanna, Samuel Stanislaus, Varun Prasath Thamotharam, Louis Bruce, Muhammad Bilal, Washeem Abbas (vc), Richard Cunningham
Today’s MAL vs GIB Probable Winners:
Malta are expected to win this match.
