Canterbury Kings vs Otago Volts, PS, Today Match Prediction 28 October 2023

CANT vs OV Match Prediction & Analysis

Canterbury will be taking on Otago at their home venue in Christchurch after starting the season on a losing note. They’ve got a good home record to boast of and will be confident of making a comeback in this match.

And it will take a special effort to bounce back. They were bowled out for less than 200 runs in both innings against Wellington. Chad Bowes, Henry Nicholls, and Tom Latham are missing from the Canterbury squad this year.

They need new match-winners this time around and the likes of Leo Carter, skipper Cole McConchie, and Matthew Boyle will be crucial in the middle-order.

Otago are also missing some of their key players from last year. And their performance in the opening game was disappointing, to say the least. Dale Phillips, Dean Foxcroft, and Max Chu will have the bulk of the scoring responsibility.

Jacob Duffy continues to lead the bowling attack for Otago and will be their best hope in giving them the edge over the home team.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

CANT

L

WELL

325/10 in 104.5 3.1

PS

Wellington Firebirds beat Canterbury Kings by 129 runs 20 Oct 2023

CANT

185/10 in 54.5 3.37

OV

L

ND

376/9 in 88.2 4.26

PS

Northern Districts beat Otago Volts by 32 runs 20 Oct 2023

OV

0/0 in 0.0 0

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Canterbury Kings Preview

The hosts will be keen on bouncing back from their dismal performance in the opening match and what better venue to do so than their home ground in Christchurch.

Last year, Canterbury defeated Otago by an innings and 29 runs playing at this venue. The McConchie-led team was second in the points table last year with 4 wins and just one loss in their Plunket Shield campaign.

The new opening duo of Zakary Foulkes and Dylan Hunter is a huge change in their batting lineup. Neither of these two were seen batting at such crucial positions in the last few seasons. 

It doesn’t look like a sound strategy to have two of the most inexperienced players open the innings. Chad Bowes opened the innings for Cantebry season after season and his exclusion from the squad is a big blow to the team.

In addition to the key batters from last season, Canterbury will also be missing Ish Sodhi and Matt Henry both of whom are part of the NZ World Cup Squad. 

Ed Nuttall, Fraser Sheet, and Michael Rippon will be leading the bowling attack for Canterbury this season. The 21-year-old right-arm fast-medium bowler Foulkes who opened the innings for Canterbury was impressive with the ball in the last Test picking up 7 wickets for his side.

Canterbury Kings Predicted Playing XI:

Zakary Foulkes, Dylan Hunter, Cole McConchie (c), Leo Carter, Matthew Boyle, Mitch Hay (wk), Michael Rippon, Angus McKenzie, Fraser Sheat, Michael Rae, Ed Nuttall

Canterbury Kings Actual Playing XI:

Leo Carter, Matthew Boyle, Mitchell Hay, Zakary Foulkes, Cole McConchie, Michael Rippon, Angus McKenzie, Fraser Sheat, Michael Rae, Henry Nicholls, Kyle Jamieson

Otago Volts Preview

Otago finished last with just 1 win from 8 Tests in the last Plunket Shield season. They’ve started the new season with a crushing defeat against Northern Knights and will now be up against Canterbury in another away match.

It was Max Chu’s 80-run knock at number 7 in the 1st innings of their opening match of the season that allowed Otago to cross the 250-run mark. The left-arm orthodox bowler Ben Lockrose also played a handy knock of 40 runs at number 8.

Former skipper Hamish Rutherford is no longer part of the Otago squad and neither do they have bowling all-rounder Michael Rippon who ed Canterbury this year.

Glenn Phillips is part of the NZ World Cup Squad while right-arm fast-medium bowler Michael Rae is part of the Canterbury squad as well. This will surely affect the balance of Otago’s XI as they prepare to face Canterbury following a dismal performance in their last match.

Dean Foxcroft has played many great knocks for Otago in the past and will be the most crucial figure in this lineup at number 4. Dale Phillips will also be expected to return to form and deliver a more impactful innings at number 3.

Luke Georgeson is a promising batting all-rounder and will be a key batter in the top order. There are some promising players in this side but they will be facing more challenges than opportunities.

Matthew Bacon and Jacob Duffy are reliable wicket-takers and will be ones to watch out for with the ball in this side.

Otago Volts Predicted Playing XI:

Luke Georgeson, Jacob Cumming, Dale Phillips, Dean Foxcroft (c), Thorn Parkes, Jamal Todd, Max Chu (wk), Jake Gibson, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Bacon, Jarrod McKay

Otago Volts Actual Playing XI:

Dale Phillips, Thorn Parkes, Dean Foxcroft, Jacob Cumming, Luke Georgeson, Max chu, Jacob Duffy, Jake Gibson, Jarrod McKay, Matthew Bacon, Jamal Todd

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch offers help for both batters and bowlers. There is enough pace and bounce on the surface for all days of the Test match and it will be an even contest between bat and ball. It will be a clear and sunny day with a high of 15 degrees Celsius in Christchurch.

CANT vs OV Pitch Report

Hagley Oval in Christchurch will be the venue for this match. It is the home ground of Canterbury where they defeated Otago last year by a huge margin. With both pacers and batters expected to find help from the surface, we reckon a 1st innings score of 350 or more will be a highly competitive total. 

Toss: To Bat

Though both teams have struggled to get going in their opening games, the pitch conditions here would be just what their batters need to make a comeback and find their rhythm going ahead in the Plunket Shield. Batting first and scoring anything over 320 will put the team batting first in a strong position.