Kuwait vs Saudi Arabia, GCT20IC, Today Match Prediction 13 December 2024

KUW vs SDA Match Prediction & Analysis

Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are set to face off in the second match of the Gulf Cricket T20I Championship. Recent meetings between the teams have been real nail-biters, and all signs point to another barnburner of a game this Friday at Dubai's ICC Academy Ground.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Kuwait Preview

Kuwait are finding a lot of success in T20Is, notching up three wins in their four most recently concluded games. They were strong contenders in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier A, where they wrapped up in the second spot, having secured four victories out of six matches. One must also for a match they didn't finish, which was called off.

Usman Patel has been their in-form batter and will be relied upon to get the big runs in this game. Patel topped the batting charts for Kuwait in the World Cup Asia Qualifier, notching up 186 runs in 5 innings, which also included an unbeaten hundred. 

Another batter to keep an eye on is Clinto Anto, who racked up 168 runs in 6 innings in the same tournament.

Ravija Sandaruwan and captain Mohammed Aslam have also been among the runs.

Yasin Patel was Kuwait’s standout bowler in the World Cup Asia Qualifier, taking 15 wickets in 6 innings at an economy of 7.66. Mohamed Shafeeq, Shiraz Khan, and Mohammed Aslam are also handy options to depend on.

Kuwait Predicted Playing XI:

Usman Patel (wk), Clinto Anto, Ravija Sandaruwan, Meet Bhavsar, Mohammad Amin, Bilal Tahir, Mohammed Aslam (c), Mirza Ahmed, Shiraz Khan, Yasin Patel, Mohamed Shafeeq

Saudi Arabia Preview

Saudi Arabia are also coming in with some respectable form, having grabbed three wins from their five most recent T20Is. They participated in the recent ICC Men's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier B, where they finished in fourth position, having won three and lost three games.

Faisal Khan was their star batter in the tournament, amassing 224 runs in 6 innings at an average of 37.33 and a strike rate of 191. Abdul Waheed wasn't far behind, scoring 208 runs in 6 innings at an average of 34 and a strike rate of 146. These two will look to dominate, as they did previously.

There's a good chance we'll see some action from skipper Waji Ul Hassan and Abdul Waheed, as both have been hitting the ball pretty well recently.

On the bowling front, keep an eye on Ishtiaq Ahmad, who led Saudi Arabia's attack in the Asia Qualifier with 8 wickets in 6 innings, maintaining an economy of 8.21. Usman Najeeb and Zain Ul Abidin are also solid bets to pick up a wicket or two in this contest.

Saudi Arabia Predicted Playing XI:

Abdul Waheed Ghaffar, Faisal Khan, Sidharth Sankar (wk), Waji Ul Hassan (c), Usman Khalid, Hisham Sheikh, Abdul Manan Ali, Zain Ul Abidin, Usman Najeeb, Abdul Wahid, Ishtiaq Ahmad

Weather Conditions

The ICC Academy Ground in Dubai typically offers a balanced T20 track. While there's usually some assistance for spinners in the latter stages, the surface tends to be good for batting throughout. Pace bowlers can find some movement early on, but it's not excessively challenging. The outfield is fast, and batsmen can score freely once set.

The weather during the game will be hot and sunny. 

KUW vs SDA Pitch Report

The average first innings score at the ICC Academy Ground is 156. the highest total posted at the venue is Papua New Guinea’s 197/7 against Namibia in 2019. they won that match by 81 runs. The team batting first here will be looking to set a score of around 160 runs. 

Toss: To Bowl

Three of the five T20Is played at the ICC Academy Ground have been won by the chasing side. This suggests that the venue favors the side fielding first.