Otago Volts vs Central Stags, FT, Today Match Prediction 30 October 2024

OV vs CD Match Prediction & Analysis

Whenever the bottom two in any league or sport go head to head there is usually an element of sniggering from journalists, experts and opposition fans, but Otago Volts and Central Stags will be determined to win this game and start to move up the table.

Both sides have some real white ball talent in their squads and it would be a surprise if both ended the season as the bottom two and did not cause any problems for the teams currently further up the table.

Confidence in the final stages of the innings will be low for both teams so do not be surprised to see a few risks taken early on to get on top. Therefore the opening 10-15 overs of this match could well prove crucial to the final result in what we expect to be a very exciting game in Dunedin.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

OV

L W L L W

AUCK

285/6 in 49.1 5.8

FT

Auckland Aces beat Otago Volts by 4 wickets 26 Oct 2024

OV

283/9 in 50.0 5.66

ND

141/10 in 38.4 3.65

FT

Otago Volts beat Northern Districts by 175 runs

20 Oct 2024

OV

316/9 in 50.0 6.32

CD

580/10 in 169.3 3.42

PS

Central Stags won by an innings and 40 runs

24 Mar 2024

OV

0/0 in 0.0 0

WELL

421/10 in 128.4 3.27

PS

Wellington Firebirds beat Otago Volts by 42 runs 16 Mar 2024

OV

0/0 in 0.0 0

OV

188/10 in 63.0 2.98

PS

Otago Volts beat Canterbury Kings by 9 wickets 08 Mar 2024

CANT

138/1 in 30.2 4.55

CD

L L W L L

CD

344/8 in 44.0 7.82

FT

Northern Districts beat Central Stags by 8 runs 23 Oct 2024

ND

352/8 in 44.0 8

CD

205/10 in 45.2 4.52

FT

Auckland Aces beat Central Stags by 39 runs

20 Oct 2024

AUCK

244/6 in 50.0 4.88

CD

580/10 in 169.3 3.42

PS

Central Stags won by an innings and 40 runs

24 Mar 2024

OV

0/0 in 0.0 0

CD

340/10 in 111.3 3.05

PS

Auckland Aces beat Central Stags by 41 runs 16 Mar 2024

AUCK

140/10 in 45.3 3.08

AUCK

247/5 in 48.5 5.06

FT

Auckland Aces beat Central Stags by 5 wickets 18 Feb 2024

CD

243/10 in 49.4 4.89

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Otago Volts Preview

Taking a quick look through the top half of Otago's batting order, it is a surprise to see them struggling in this year's Ford Trophy as the likes of Dean Foxcroft and keeper-batter Max Chu have plenty of talent and have shown it in countless games at this level.

However, it is Dale Phillips, Leo Carter and captain Luke Georgeson who come into this match in the best form with the bat after they made scores of between 40 and 72 between them in the tight defeat to Auckland in Match 7.

With the ball, Travis Muller will lead the attack in Dunedin and is likely to be well backed up by Matthew Bacon along with Dean Foxcroft. Ben Lockrose can often be very economical but if he could add some wickets to his analysis in this game then he could well swing the game in the favour of his side.

Otago Volts Predicted Playing XI:

Thorn Parkes, Dale Phillips, Llew Johnson, Dean Foxcroft, Leo Carter, Luke Georgeson (c), Max Chu (wk), Ben Lockrose, Andrew Hazeldine, Travis Muller, Matthew Bacon

Otago Volts Actual Playing XI:

Max chu, Leo Carter, Dale Phillips, Thorn Parkes, Llew Johnson, Dean Foxcroft, Luke Georgeson, Jake Gibson, Matthew Bacon, Andrew Hazeldine, Ben Lockrose

Central Stags Preview

Central Stags may well still be looking for their first win of the competition, but they could certainly claim that they were well on their way before bad weather in Wellington ended their game against Wellington in Match 8 of the tournament on Saturday.

Instead, Jayden Lennox and his side must take the positives of their 22.4 overs batting which saw them lose only two wickets whilst hitting a very competitive 93. Opener Curtis Heaphy will be keen to carry on where he left off after amassing 41 runs from 71 balls and still being unbeaten when the rain arrived. However, his opening partner, Brad Schmulian, will be desperate to put the record straight after being dismissed for an eight-ball one!

With the ball, there is plenty of talent in this side with captain Lennox, Blair Ticker and Raymond Toole likely to cause the most damage for the opposition batters. Josh Clarkson is another powerful player with bat and ball at this level.

Central Stags Predicted Playing XI:

Brad Schmulian, Curtis Heaphy, Jack Boyle, Dane Cleaver (wk), Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, William Clark, Brett Randell, Blair Tickner, Jayden Lennox (c), Raymond Toole

Central Stags Actual Playing XI:

Jack Boyle, Brad Schmulian, William Clark, Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Jayden Lennox, Dane Cleaver, Curtis Heaphy, Blair Tickner, Brett Randell, Raymond Toole

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The forecast is for plenty of cloud cover in Dunedin on Wednesday but we are not expecting any rain to put a halt to the action during this game. Humidity levels will be above 50% throughout and could well reach 70%+ by the end of the match. Temperature wise, it will be no higher than 15 degrees at the peak of the day.

OV vs CD Pitch Report

The University Oval often produces a pitch which gives pace bowlers plenty of assistance and we expect to see something similar in this game on Wednesday. The best form of defence is likely to be attack for the batters on both sides and we expect the winning side to be able to post or chase down a total of around 280 in this game.

Toss: To Bowl

With the ball likely to move around all day, the humidity levels and consequential dew levels on the pitch could be key at the toss. We predict that neither team will want to bowl or field in moist conditions so we predict that both captains will choose to field first if they win the toss.