Central Hinds vs Wellington Blaze, WSS_T20, Today Match Prediction

CH-W vs WB-W Match Prediction & Analysis

Central Hinds will take on Wellington Blaze in the 7th match of Women’s Super Smash 2024-25 at Saxton Oval, Nelson, on 4th January 2025 at 5:10am IST. Women's Super Smash is New Zealand's premier domestic women's T20 cricket competition. It features six teams: Auckland Hearts, Canterbury Magicians, Central Hinds, Northern Brave, Otago Sparks, and Wellington Blaze. The tournament is played in a round-robin format, followed by playoffs and a final.

Wellington Blaze won their first game against Northern Brave whereas Central Hinds lost theirs against Otago Sparks. Central Hinds have 0 wins in their last 5 games and last 5 head-to-head games against Wellington Blaze. Wellington must feel confident to defeat Central Hinds in this game.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

CH-W

L

OS-W

92/9 in 19.5 4.64

WSS_T20

Otago Sparks beat Central Hinds by 1 wickets 31 Dec 2024

CH-W

89/9 in 20.0 4.45

WB-W

W

NBW-W

146/9 in 20.0 7.3

WSS_T20

Wellington Blaze beat Northern Brave by 4 runs 01 Jan 2025

WB-W

150/3 in 20.0 7.5

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Central Hinds Preview

Central Hinds have been a below-par team in women's Super Smash over the years. The first and only trophy came back in 2009-10 season. Last year they finished third, but in the previous two seasons, Central Hinds finished near the bottom of the table. They have no wins in the last five matches (one no result) and their head-to-head history in the last five games against Wellington Blaze reads 0-5 in favor of the Blaze.

In this season, in their first game against Otago Sparks, Central Hinds batted first after winning the toss. By the end of 20 overs, Central Hinds managed to score just 89 runs. Hollie Armitage was the top scorer with 32 runs. She remained not out till the end. It was a sorry batting performance from Central Hinds.

Defending such a small total, central hands did really well to take the match to the 20th over, taking 9 wickets off Otago Sparks. They lost by 1 wicket with 1 ball remaining. Hannah Rowe was the top bowler with 3 wickets for 13 runs. Rosemary Mair on Ocean Bartlett took 2 wickets each. All 5 bowlers took at least 1 wicket.

If only central hands had put more runs on the board, they would have had a great chance of winning this match. This encounter is against Wellington Blaze, against whom they have traditionally not done well in head-to-head contests. Let's see if the Hinds’ batters can up their performance to match their bowling unit.

Key players: Hollie Armitage, Thamsyn Newton, Hannah Rowe, Mikaela Greig

Central Hinds Predicted Playing XI:

Emma McLeod, Hollie Armitage, Thamsyn Newton, Hannah Rowe, Mikaela Greig (c), Kerry-Anne Tomlinson, Flora Devonshire, Rosemary Mair, Kate Gaging (wk), Claudia Green, Ocean Bartlett

Central Hinds Actual Playing XI:

Emma McLeod, Flora Devonshire, Mikaela Greig, Georgia Atkinson, Thamsyn Newton, Kate Gaging, Claudia Green, Hannah Rowe, Ocean Bartlett, Rosemary Mair, Hollie Armitage

Wellington Blaze Preview

Wellington Blaze is the most successful team in Women’s Super Smash, securing eight titles since the start of the competition in 2007. They are the currently the defending champions. They are up against the Hinds, against whom their head-to-head record is phenomenal. They haven't lost a single game against Hinds in the last five encounters. 

Wellington Blaze started this season with a win against Northern Brave in their first encounter. Against the Braves, batting first after winning the toss, Wellington Blaze managed to score 150 runs for 3 wickets in 20 overs. Captain and opener Amelia Kerr and Jess Kerr scored valuable 60s to help Wellington Blaze get to a very good score.

In defense, Captain Amelia Kerr stepped up again to take 4 wickets for just 18 runs in 4 overs. Leigh Kasperek took 2 wickets for 18 runs in her 4-over spell. While the rest of the bowlers were not that economical, the work done by these two made sure that the defending champions started the season with a win by 4 runs. Wellington Blaze currently look heavily dependent on Amelia Kerr as was demonstrated in the first game. However, given the history and their batting might this should be an easy contest for the Wellington Blaze against Central Hinds.

Key players: Amelia Kerr, Ellyse Perry, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr

Wellington Blaze Predicted Playing XI:

Amelia Kerr (c), Ellyse Perry, Rebecca Burns, Leigh Kasperek, Jess Kerr, Kate Chandler, Jessica McFadyen †, Caitlin King, Xara Jetly, Hannah Francis, Natasha Codyre

Wellington Blaze Actual Playing XI:

Caitlin King, Kate Chandler, Rebecca Burns, Amelia Kerr, Hannah Francis, Leigh Kasperek, Jessica McFadyen, Jess Kerr, Natasha Codyre, Xara Jetly, Ellyse Perry

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The weather on the match day at Saxton Oval, Nelson is expected to be cloudy there will be sun at the start of the day but the day later on is mostly cloudy. However, there is minimal chance of rain making it unlikely to affect the game temperature would range between 21°C to 11°C.

CH-W vs WB-W Pitch Report

The venue of the match is Saxton Oval, Nelson. Established in 2009, the venue was developed by the Nelson Cricket Association. It has hosted a few T20 and One Day International games - notably three matches in 2015 Cricket World Cup. The venue also hosts domestic matches from Plunket Shield and Super Smash tournaments. The venue has a seating capacity of 6,000 spectators.

Toss: To Bowl

A total of 2 T20 internationals have been played at this venue and both have been won by the teams batting first. Looks like a bat first wicket with assisatnce to bowlers in the later stages. The team winning the toss should bat first here.