Ireland v New Zealand predictions & free T20 cricket betting tips: Lockie is key

Free cricket tips, best bets and analysis for Wednesday's second T20 international between Ireland and New Zealand.

Where to watch

BT Sport 1, 4pm Wednesday

Best bets

Lockie Ferguson to take over 1.5 wickets
2pts 10-11 bet365

Match preview

Ireland's rugby players came from 1-0 down to seal a famous 2-1 series victory over New Zealand and their Twenty20 cricketers are aiming to follow suit against the Kiwis at Stormont.

New Zealand won Monday's opening match by 31 runs but they were struggling to set a competitive target until Ireland's Mark Adair conceded 19 runs off the final four legitimate balls of the innings.

Glenn Phillips's late blitz dragged the Black Caps to 173-8 and Ireland lost their top four batsmen within the first six overs of the chase, leaving their gutsy lower-middle-order players with too much to do.

New Zealand paceman Lockie Ferguson demonstrated all his T20 wiles, picking up 4-14 thanks to a couple of well-directed bouncers, a smart slower ball and a toe-crushing yorker.

Ferguson's changes of pace are particularly effective as he is one of the world's fastest bowlers and he can extend the excellent start to his Twenty20 international career in which he has claimed 29 wickets at a rate of one every 11.8 balls.

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