WF vs NK Match Preview
After the loss in their last game, the Wellington team will be looking to quickly turn around their fortunes with a win here. It was a poor batting performance in the previous contest. Half the team was dismissed for 72 runs after they opted to bat first against the team of Central Districts. Adding Muhammad Abbas to the team has proved to be a terrific change. His half-century against Central Districts took them to a four-wicket victory early in the season. He also scored a 35 in his last game when most of the other top-order batters failed to get going.
But the Wellington Firebirds batting line-up runs deep, and they have the likes of Callum McLachlan and Troy Johnson in their lower middle order, and even Logan van Beek can be a handy batter. In the Firebird's last match, Beek hit a not-out 41 from 24 balls while batting in the number eight position. The great depth in the Wellington batting order is a big plus point for the Firebirds. If this top order gets going, they can score a big total in this match. The key batters in the Wellington top order are the skipper Nick Kelly and Nick Greenwood. Tim Robinson will be back in the playing eleven for this match.
From now on, the Northern Knights team must win all their lasting games in the league stages. If they can raise 16 points in the remaining four matches, they will have an excellent chance of reaching 20 points. However, all this depends on the performance of other teams. The Northern Knights batters have struggled to score runs consistently. Even when the batters did a reasonable job, they ended up on the losing side. Tim Seifert, one of their key batters, will not be available for this game as he is doing national duties.
Katene Clarke will open the innings with Henry Cooper. The skipper, Jeet Raval, will have a significant role to play in the number three position. He doesn’t appear to be in good touch in recent matches. Tim Seifert will not be a part of this team as he will be doing national duties for New Zealand against Pakistan. Northern Districts will need a good contribution from Scott Kuggeleijn if they harbor any hope of beating the Wellington team. Unfortunately, their bowling attack appears to be out of sorts as well. But they do have sufficient firepower in it.
Weather Report
Drizzle is expected during this game in Wellington. The temperatures during this contest will be close to 17 degrees. The conditions are likely to be humid during the day. There is every possibility of having a cloud cover during the match. The D/L equation may come into the picture.
Pitch Report
This venue has a reputation for producing sporting surfaces. Although the batters have enjoyed playing on this track, bowlers have not done too poorly over the years either. There will be some life on the track for the bowlers. You can expect a close contest between bat and ball.
Notable stats
Tim Robinson has an excellent strike rate to average ratio.
Tim Robinson is scoring his runs with a strike rate of 181.76 and an average of 51.5 from his last ten appearances for Wellington.
Peter Younghusband has an excellent bowling strike rate for Wellington in recent games.
Peter Younghusband has picked up 15 wickets from his last ten games with a strike rate of 13.2.
Team News
Although there are no injury updates for this game, a few players, such as Devon Conway and Tim Seifert, will miss this contest. They are away on national duties for New Zealand.
WF vs NK Probable 11
WF Playing 11
- Devon Conway
- Tim Robinson
- Nick Kelly (C)
- Muhammad Abbas
- Michael Bracewell
- Callum McLachlan (Wk)
- Nathan Smith
- Logan van Beek
- Ian McPeake
- Peter Younghusband
- Michael Snedden
NK Playing 11
- Henry Cooper
- Katene Clarke
- Jeet Raval (C)
- Joe Carter
- Brett Hampton
- Peter Bocock (Wk)
- Scott Kuggeleijn
- Tim Pringle
- Kristian Clarke
- Frederick Walker
- Neil Wagner
Dream11 Prediction
The Wellington Firebirds had to endure an unexpected loss in their last contest. They are still ranked numero uno in the points table despite this loss. On the other hand, the Northern Districts are having an entirely forgettable tournament and are unlikely to provide much of a contest to the table-toppers. We will be with the Wellington Firebirds to win this game.
Top Picks
Tim Robinson: Robinson has been in exceptional form this year in Super Smash. He has collected 309 runs from his last seven games with a strike rate 181.76.
Peter Younghusband: Younghusband has picked up 15 wickets from his last ten matches with a strike rate of 13.2.
Neil Wagner: Neil Wagner has picked up 15 wickets from his last nine matches with a strike rate of 13.4.
Nathan Smith: Nathan Smith has collected 15 scalps from his last ten games with a strike rate of 15.13.
WF vs NK Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: C McLachlan
Batters: J Raval, N Kelly, T Robinson (VC)
All-rounders: M Bracewell, L van Beek (C), S Kuggeleijn, B Hampton, P Younghusband
Bowlers: N Wagner, T Pringle
