NYS vs MSA Match Preview
The New York Strikers lost their opening fixture against the Deccan Gladiators but have turned things around since then. With 5 wins, they are currently at the top of the points table, thanks to an excellent NRR.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been pretty consistent this season and has scored 119 runs at a strike rate of 165.27. He will look to give the team yet another brisk start. He was joined by Niroshan Dickwella at the top of the order in the last match, but the latter was out for a golden duck.
He will be eager to turn things around here. The middle order consists of Muhammad Waseem, Asif Ali, Mark Deyal, and Kieron Pollard. Waseem is the leading run-scorer for the team with 132 runs. However, the performance of other batsmen has been a bit inconsistent.
Coming to the bowling, Chamika Karunaratne is the leading wicket-taker for the team with 9 wickets. He is likely to lead the attack alongside Mohammad Amir. Amir bowled a brilliant spell of 4 wickets for 7 runs in the last match and will hope to put up a similar performance.
They will be supported by Jawadullah, who has 7 wickets against his name. The Strikers are also home to a quality spin attack consisting of Akeal Hosein and Sunil Narine. The duo has picked up 11 wickets between them.
Just like the New York Strikers, the Morrisville Samp Army too lost its opening fixture and has been unbeaten ever since. They are occupying the 2nd place on the table.
Faf du Plessis and Andries Gous are the top two run-scorers for the team and will open the batting for them. Gous is the leading run-scorer with 125 runs scored at a strike rate of 173.61, while du Plessis has scored 112. The duo will be followed by Najibullah Zadran and Ibrahim Zadran, both of whom can be devastating with the bat.
The Samp Army is home to some quality all-rounders like Moeen Ali and Karim Janat. They put up a 46-run partnership in less than 3 overs in the last match to lend their team a 5th consecutive win. Karim Janat has also picked up 6 wickets so far, while Moeen has 5.
The seam attack has been brilliant with Salman Irshad and Jason Holder picking up 19 wickets between them. Irshad is the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 10 wickets. He is joined by Qais Ahmed, who also has 10 wickets.
Weather Report
The weather in Abu Dhabi will be clear and there is no chance of rain. While there will be some humidity, the temperature is likely to remain pleasant at under 25 degrees. The dew is likely to be a factor throughout the match.
Pitch Report
The pitch at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium has slowed down a bit and it is not as easy to score runs as it was earlier in this tournament. The seamers have enjoyed plenty of success on this surface and it will likely be the case once again. There are plenty of rough patches that have formed on the pitch and the spinners can exploit them to get some turn.
The team batting first will look to score over 100 runs to put the opposition under pressure.
Notable stats
Karunaratne: Bowling at His Best
Chamika Karunaratne has been excellent with the ball and is the leading wicket-taker for the New York Strikers this season. He has picked up 10 wickets in his last 7 outings and has a bowling strike rate of 7.50.
Team News
There are no updates regarding injuries from either side.
NYS vs MSA Probable 11
NYS Playing 11
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Wk)
- Muhammad Waseem
- Mark Deyal
- Asif Ali
- Kieron Pollard (C)
- Odean Smith
- Sunil Narine
- Akeal Hosein
- Jawadullah
- Mohammad Amir
- Chamika Karunaratne
MSA Playing 11
- Andries Gous (Wk)
- Faf du Plessis
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Najibullah Zadran
- Moeen Ali (C)
- Karim Janat
- Qais Ahmed
- Salman Irshad
- Jason Holder
- Muhammad Irfan
- Basil Hameed
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing the Morrisville Samp Army to win this match. While both the teams have played extremely well so far, we feel that the Samp Army has an edge thanks to its stronger bowling attack. That said, the New York Strikers are a quality team and will put up a strong fight and we can expect a close encounter.
Top Picks
Qais Ahmed: Qais Ahmed is the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 10 wickets. He has a bowling average of 8.90 and a strike rate of 6.60.
Moeen Ali: A quality all-rounder, Moeen Ali has scored 99 runs at a strike rate of 165.00 and has also picked up 5 wickets.
Muhammad Waseem: Muhammad Waseem is the leading run-scorer for the New York Strikers. He has scored 132 runs at a strike rate of 178.37.
NYS vs MSA Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: R Gurbaz
Batters: F du Plessis, W Muhammad, S Narine
All-rounders: M Ali (VC), J Holder (C), K Janat, C Karunaratne
Bowlers: M Amir, Q Ahmad, S Irshad
