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CLAIM NOWImperial Lions vs Western Province, CSAFS, Today Match Prediction 28 February 2024
Toss Winner - Western Province won the toss and choose to bowl first
Imperial Lions beat Western Province by 99 runs
Can the Western Province carry their momentum into the Final?
- Western Province reached the final with a huge win in their last Test
- Lions have lost just one Test this season
- Western Province bowlers are in great form
Lions to win the Final
| Tournament: | CSA 4- Day Franchise Series, Division 1, 2023-24 |
| Format: | test |
| Venue: | Hollywoodbets Kingsmead Stadium Cricket Ground, Durban, South Africa |
| Toss Prediction: | To Bat |
| Weather: | 25.7°C|Sunny |
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IML vs WPR Match Prediction & Analysis
Lions will be taking on the Western Province in the Final match of the CSA Four-Day Series Division One 2023-24 in Johannesburg. Lions and Western Province went head-to-head in the 2nd match of the tournament.
And it was the Lions who came out on top with a 106-run win over Western Province. However, Western Province have been in great touch since then winning 3 of their last 4 Tests.
Their bowling has been top-notch and the main reason behind them securing the final berth. The last time the Lions played a match at this venue in Johannesburg was against Boland, where they were 252 runs ahead after the 1st innings.
The match ended in a draw, however, as Boland bounced back in their second innings. The pitch here seems to offer help for both batters and bowlers and we expect an even contest in this match.
RECENT PERFORMANCE
IML
IML
WPR
W L W
WPR
592/6 in 148.4 3.98
0/0 in 0.0 0
480/10 in 156.4 3.06
CSAFS
Rocks beat Western Province by 8 wickets
72/2 in 11.4 6.17
HEAD TO HEAD
Last 0 Matches
TEAMS PREVIEW
Imperial Lions Preview
Lions have also been in great touch with the ball. Except for their game against Boland at The Wanderers, where they failed to dominate in the second innings, the Lions have been exceptional with the ball.
In the last game, they bowled out the Titans for 227 in the 1st innings bowling first and then securing a small lead of 66 runs. Though the lead wasn’t that big or substantial, the bowlers were at it again as they bowled out Titans for 226 runs this time setting themselves a target of just 161 runs.
Codi Yusuf, Lutho Sipamla, Delano Ptogeiter, and skipper Bjorn Fortuin are all wicket-taking bowlers crucial to the Lions’ success. They are in good rhythm and are delivering consistent breakthroughs.
And though the Lions weren’t exceptional with the bat in the last outing, they’ve been brilliant in Johannesburg. They scored 478 in the first innings against the Titans and 435 runs against Kwazulu-Natal Inland at this venue.
Wiaan Mulder and Mitchell van Buuren have been the pillars of this batting lineup in the middle order. There is also Ryan Rickelton and Temba Bavuma who’ve made significant contributions in the middle-order.
Bavuma was dropped from the last Test and it needs to be seen what the Lions think of the South African skipper for the Final. Opening batters Dominic Hendricks and Joshua Richards have both scored a hundred each in the last two outings.
It is a strong overall squad with depth in the batting lineup and variety in the bowling attack. They are coming here with momentum and consistency in the form and will be a tough team to beat.
Imperial Lions Predicted Playing XI:
Joshua Richards, Dominic Hendricks (c), Wandile Makwetu, Ryan Rickelton (wk), Wiaan Mulder, Mitchell Van Buuren, Delano Potgieter, Codi Yusuf, Malusi Siboto, Lutho Sipamla, Bjorn Fortuin
Imperial Lions Key Players From Previous Game Of CSA 4- Day Franchise Series, Division 1, 2023-24
Imperial Lions Actual Playing XI:
Zubayr Hamza, Tshepo Moreki, Joshua Richards, Dominic Hendricks, Ryan Rickelton, Temba Bavuma, Wiaan Mulder, Delano Potgieter, Bjorn Fortuin, Malusi Siboto, Codi Yusuf
Western Province Preview
Western Province will be looking to settle scores with the Lions and make it 1-1 with a win here in the Final. While Lions will have the home advantage on their side having already played 3 Tests here this season and won 1, WPR will back themselves to carry their winning momentum into this contest.
3 of their batters scored a hundred in their last Test in Newlands to take the total to 592 runs in the 1st innings. And then Nandre Burger and Bueran Hendricks ensured a huge lead for WPR as they restricted the opposition to just 202 runs.
They enforced the follow-on and bowled out the Dolphins for 131 runs which resulted in a huge win and propelled the Western Province into this final.
Tony de Zorzi and Daniel Smith at the top along with Gavin Kaplan and skipper Kyle Verreynne in the middle-order are among the key players in this batting lineup to watch out for.
The bowlers have been so exceptional that even though WPR were bowled out for 141 and 203 in the 1st and 2nd innings in their previous Test at St George’s Park, they ended up winning the Test by 64 runs.
Wesley Bedja, Onke Nyaku, and Kyle Simmonds are among the other key bowlers in this squad. Their last win came after two consecutive Tests where Western Province failed with the bat.
The recent win should have boosted their confidence as 3 of their batters reached triple figures. They will be hoping to carry that momentum in this game and deliver another impressive performance on this batting-friendly wicket in Johannesburg.
Western Province Predicted Playing XI:
Tony de Zorzi, Daniel Smith, Yaseen Vallie, Gavin Kaplan, Kyle Verreynne (c & wk), Valintine Kitime, Onke Nyaku, Kyle Simmonds, Beuran Hendricks, Nandre Burger, Wesley Bedja
Western Province Key Players From Previous Game Of CSA 4- Day Franchise Series, Division 1, 2023-24
Western Province Actual Playing XI:
Edward Moore, Dane Paterson, Mihlali Mpongwana, Mthiwekhaya Nabe, Tony de Zorzi, Daniel Smith, Mohammad Yaseen Vallie, Kyle Verreynne, Kyle Simmonds, Beuran Hendricks, Gavin Kaplan
PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
Weather Conditions
It is a batting-friendly wicket that will also offer some help to the bowlers as the match progresses. However, in the first two innings, the batters should be looking to make most of the pitch conditions and get as many runs as possible. The weather will be mostly cloudy with a high of 24 degrees Celsius in Johannesburg on the match day.
IML vs WPR Pitch Report
Pitch Condition
Batting Conditions
Pace Bowling
Spin Bowling
The Wanderers in Johannesburg will host the Final match of CSA Four-Day Series Division One 2023-24. It is a high-scoring venue with an average of 300+ runs in the 1st innings. Lions, however, have scored 400+ in their last two matches while batting second in the 1st innings. Considering the batting strengths of both teams, we reckon a 350+ 1st innings score should be a competitive total.
Toss: To Bat
Teams winning the toss have opted to bat first in all of the 3 Tests played here so far this season. There are a lot of runs on offer in the first two innings and the team batting first will have the advantage if they post a competitive 1st innings total.
IML vs WPR
Winning Prediction
Though Western Province bounced back in their last couple of matches, we reckon the Lions will have the edge coming into this match. Western Province had just the one game where their batters shined truly. Lions have been more consistent in every aspect of the game and are well aware of the playing conditions at the venue. The Lions will start as favorites in our match prediction.
Lions to win the Final
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