OV vs NK 30th Match Prediction

OV vs NK Team Previews

Otago Volts

The Otago Volts have been rather inconsistent in their performance this season, managing to win just 3 matches so far. They were a bit unlucky as well as two of their fixtures, including the latest one against Wellington, were washed away, forcing them to share points with the opposition. However, we are likely to see them go all-out to win this virtual knockout contest.

The team will be depending on its opening pair of Hamish Rutherford and Max Chu to give them a good start. Rutherford has been the most consistent batsman in the squad, scoring 3 half-centuries in 7 innings, and has a batting average of 39.66. Max Chu and Dale Philips have given him decent support but have failed to play a big inning so far.

All-rounder Dean Foxcroft, who has been very impressive in the Super Smash, has struggled with the bat as well as the ball here. The lower middle-order to has been quite underwhelming in their performance, with the likes of Llew Johnson, Nick Kwant, Josh Finnie, and Jake Gibson struggling to score runs. Michael Rippon was excellent with his left-arm wrist spin at the start of the season but since his departure, the spin department appears to have considerably weakened as Ben Lockrose and Foxcroft have struggled to pick up wickets.

The seamers, Matthew Bacon and Michael Rae have done a decent job so far, picking up 17 wickets. 

Northern Knights

Just like their opponents, the Northern Knights have had some ups and downs in their journey so far. Nevertheless, they have played well enough to make it to the second place on the points table, thanks to a better NRR compared to the Canterbury Kings. While a win here will take them to the qualifiers, a loss will make them dependent on the result of the Central Districts vs Canterbury Kings match.

Tim Seifert and Katene Clarke have played well at the top of the order, giving their team many a good start and the middle order consisting of Jeet Raval, Henry Cooper, and Joe Carter have got some runs under their belt. Kane Williamson has just joined the squad after his international stints, and was quite impressive from the word go, scoring 43 in the match against the Central Districts.

The seamers have done an excellent job for the Northern Knights this season, with the likes of Neil Wagner, Scott Kuggeleijn, and Kristian Clarke managing to pick up wickets at regular intervals. Tim Pringle and Frederick Walker have done a decent job in the middle overs by making the batsmen work hard for their runs and building pressure on them.

Overall, the Knights have a much better balance in their squad compared to the opposition.