NOR vs WRW Match Preview
Northamptonshire made a disastrous start to their campaign this year in the T20 Blast. However, the Steelbacks outfit has finally succeeded in getting on the board during their last encounter with Derbyshire. The performance and the poor results have drawn a lot of criticism from everyone. Their supporters were questioning the capabilities of the head coach John Sadler after the terrible start to the season. However, an excellent all-round display from the top players saw them chasing the Derbyshire total down with 6 wickets to spare.
Four out of the five batters contributed 20 or more runs although no one could reach the half-century mark. However, the Northampton team management will be keen to get a big inning out from their batsmen such as Chris Lynn. Lynn has not fired so far in the same manner as he did last season for his club. However, there are as many as 11 games yet to be played in the league stages of the competition so there is time for better performances. It was David Willey who made a valuable contribution during this win in the last match scoring 31 runs and bowling economically with an economy rate of 5.25.
Birmingham Bears on the other hand have been the side to beat this season. They were really up against Lancashire in their last game. But they pretty much hammered the Lancashire team by a solid margin of 7 wickets. This victory has meant that they are now just a couple of teams in North Group that have remained unbeaten with a 100% record. Many people expected the formidable Lancashire batting line-up to score big runs again. But the Birmingham spinners had other ideas. They skittled the Lancashire team out for 98 within 14.5 overs.
All the 13 wickets that fell during the match were picked by spinners. Danny Briggs was the most successful bowler in the match picking up 4 wickets. His teammate Dan Mousley picked up 3 wickets in the match. The Warwickshire batting line-up chased the target easily with seven wickets to spare. This resounding win against a powerful side will be anticipated when we reach the business end of the competition. This win against Lancashire is the most impressive one from the Bears this season so far.
Weather Report
We are likely to get temperatures in the region of 13 to 15 degrees during the match. You can expect some cloud cover during the game but there are no chances of rain coming down during the game. There is less than a 5% chance of players perspiring during the game.
Pitch Report
Although this ground is a batting paradise for T20 games people have witnessed some evidence of spinners benefitting from the track. During one of the county games played here a few years ago, Monty Panesar and Jason Brown picked up all 20 wickets. But for the T20 game, we are likely to get more assistance for batters. Many teams have scored more than 170 runs on this track. As many as 47 T20 games have been played at the venue. The team batting first has won 27 and the team batting second has won 20.
Notable stats
Bears have a clear lead in recent head-to-head between the two teams.
If you look at the head-to-head between the two teams for the last five games, you will find that Birmingham Bears have won 4 out of their 5 matches. They lead the head-to-head 4- 1.
Sam Hain has had a terrific average and strike rate in recent games.
Sam Hain has scored 404 runs in his last 10 games with an average of 67.33 and a strike rate of 169.03.
Team News
There do not seem to be any serious injury worries for both these teams. So, the entire sides will be available for selection.
NOR vs WRW Probable 11
NOR Playing 11
- Ricardo Vasconcelos
- Chris Lynn
- David Willey (C)
- Saif Zaib
- Josh Cobb
- Lewis McManus (Wk)
- Tom Taylor
- Andrew Tye
- Graeme White
- James Sales
- Freddie Heldreich
WRW Playing 11
- Rob Yates
- Alex Davies (C)
- Glenn Maxwell
- Sam Hain
- Dan Mousley
- Ed Barnard
- Chris Benjamin
- Danny Briggs
- Craig Miles
- Henry Brookes
- Jake Lintott
Dream11 Prediction
The Warwickshire team has had much better fortunes during the competition we have observed so far. Whether they can make it 4 in a row remains to be seen though. The Northamptonshire outfit on the other hand had mixed fortunes so far. After having to endure losses in the first couple of matches, they went on to record a win in their last match. But all-in-all, the Bears are favorites to win this game.
Top Picks
Sam Hain: Sam Hain has been in excellent form this year with the bat. He has scored 404 runs from his last ten appearances with an average of 67.33 and a strike rate of 169.03.
Danny Briggs: Danny Briggs has bowled well for Warwickshire this year. He has picked up 15 wickets from 9 games with a strike rate of 12.73.
Saif Zaib: Saif Zaid was in excellent form for Northamptonshire in the last game. You can expect him to keep up the good work.
Chris Lynn: Lynn has not fired yet in the competition. But he has all the credentials to do well in this game. He was one of the leading run-getters last year.
NOR vs WRW Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: A Davies , R Vasconcellos
Batters: C Lynn, S Hain, S Zaib, D Mousley
All-rounders: G Maxwell (C), D Willey (VC)
Bowlers: D Briggs, A Tye, H Brookes
