CS vs AA Match Preview
Dane Cleaver and Will Young are in excellent batting form for the Central Districts and are 1st and 3rd on the list of top-scorers for this season respectively. Brad Schmulian scored a brilliant half-century in the match against the Aces on Tuesday and put up a 97-run opening stand along with Cleaver. However, the middle-order batsmen, including Ross Taylor and Tom Bruce are yet to strike form.
Seth Rance has picked up 11 wickets from his 4 appearances so far and is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament.
George Worker, Mark Chapman, and Robert O’Donnell, who were in excellent form in the previous season for the Aces, have failed miserably to carry forward their form. Martin Guptill has featured in just 1 match so far, while Glenn Phillips is missing from the squad this time around. Young Adithya Ashok, who made his List-A debut earlier this year, is the top wicket-taker in the squad with 6 wickets.
Weather Report
The weather is expected to be quite windy and humid, with showers forecast throughout the day. This may lead to some delays, aiding the teams batting second.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Pukekura Park is a good one to bat on. However, the bowlers too will find some assistance due to the presence of green patches. The average first innings score here in domestic matches is around 220, but the team batting first will like to reach closer to the 250-run mark.
Notable stats
Dane Cleaver's sublime form
Cleaver has been in excellent form this season, and is the top run-getter of the tournament so far. In the last 4 matches, he has scored 197 runs at a strike rate of 98, including two half-centuries.
Doug Bracewell's all-round performance
Doug Bracewell has been a decent contributor with both, the bat as well as the ball for the Central Districts. In this season, he has scored 60 runs from 2 innings and has also picked up 6 wickets.
Team News
We expect the same team that played in the previous match to take on the field on Thursday as there are no reports of any fresh injuries from either squad.
CS vs AA Probable 11
CS Playing 11
- Dane Cleaver (Wk)
- Brad Schmulian
- Doug Bracewell
- Will Young (C)
- Ross Taylor
- Tom Bruce
- Ajaz Patel
- Brett Randell
- Blair Tickner
- Seth Rance
- Josh Clarkson
AA Playing 11
- Ryan Harrison
- George Worker
- William O’Donnell
- Robert O’Donnell (C)
- Ben Horne (Wk)
- Adithya Ashok
- Mark Chapman
- Louis Delport
- Ben Lister
- Danru Ferns
- Simon Keene
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing the Central Districts to win this match. They were excellent in the latest match against Auckland on Tuesday, and with the kind of form their players are in, will be looking to put up a repeat performance. The Aces are off to the worst possible start and are seen struggling at the moment with both, the bat as well as the ball.
Top Picks
Seth Rance: Seth Rance has the highest number of wickets in this tournament, with 11 dismissals in 4 matches. His record against the Aces is good too, as he picked up 2 wickets against them on Tuesday.
Robert O’Donnell: O’Donnell is the only Auckland batsman who seems to have found some form this season. He has scored 145 runs in his 4 innings and has also scored 2 half-centuries.
Will Young: Young has been excellent at the number 3 spot for the Central Districts. His 180 runs in this tournament include a superb century in the match against Otago.
CS vs AA Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: D Cleaver (C)
Batters: R Taylor, G Worker, R O Donnell, W Young
All-rounders: D Bracewell, B Schmullan
Bowlers: S Rance (VC), B Tickner, W Somerville, A Shok
