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CLAIM NOWWellington Firebirds vs Northern Districts, SST20, Today Match Prediction 15 January 2024
Toss Winner - Northern Districts won the toss and choose to bowl first
Northern Districts beat Wellington Firebirds by 7 wickets
Table toppers Wellington take on the bottom-placed Northern Knights
- Northern Knights have lost 5 matches in a row since their win in the opening game
- Wellington lost their recent home game against Central Districts
- Knights have been disappointing with the bat so far
Wellington Firebirds to win
| Tournament: | Super Smash, 2023-24 |
| Format: | t20 |
| Venue: | Basin Reserve, Wellington, New Zealand |
| Toss Prediction: | To Bat |
| Weather: | 17.0°C|Partly cloudy |
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WELL vs ND Match Prediction & Analysis
Wellington Firebirds will take on Northern Knights in their 4th home game of the season. They kicked off their Super Smash campaign at this venue with a big win against Otago and their next game here was washed out.
And as they returned to Basin Reserve as table toppers facing Central Stags in their last outing, they found themselves on the back foot very early in the game. With just two more games remaining, the Firebirds will give it their all to maintain their position in the points table.
Northern Knights haven’t had a great season so far with constant batting failures. However, there was an exception recently where they scored 169 runs against Canterbury Kings though in a losing cause.
This was one of their best scores in this season. They fell 33 runs short in that game as they suffered 4th straight loss. In the next game, they were bowled out for 121 runs against Auckland and ended up losing by 8 wickets.
Now, with 5 losses on the trot, can the Knights make a comeback and beat the hosts? With 4 more games left for them in their campaign, there are 16 more points on the table to play for. A turnaround from here can give them a chance to get into the top 4 and reach the Finals.
RECENT PERFORMANCE
WELL
L W W L W
WELL
147/8 in 20.0 7.35
148/4 in 16.5 8.79
163/7 in 20.0 8.15
184/5 in 20.0 9.2
158/7 in 20.0 7.9
160/6 in 19.1 8.35
192/6 in 20.0 9.6
139/10 in 18.3 7.51
154/8 in 20.0 7.7
177/8 in 20.0 8.85
ND
L L L L L
ND
121/10 in 19.0 6.37
126/2 in 16.3 7.64
202/3 in 20.0 10.1
169/9 in 20.0 8.45
154/8 in 20.0 7.7
177/8 in 20.0 8.85
HEAD TO HEAD
Last 3 Matches
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TEAMS PREVIEW
Wellington Firebirds Preview
Wellington need to quickly turn things around after a disappointing performance with the bat in the last outing. They lost half of their side for just 72 runs after opting to bat first against Central Stags.
Muhammad Abbas, a batting all-rounder came into the side this season and has been a great find. His 72 off 38 balls at number 4 led the Firebirds to a 4-wicket win over Central Stags earlier in this season.
He scored 35 in the last outing while the rest of the top-order batters failed to get going. This batting lineup is quite deep with Troy Johnson and Callum McLachlan in the lower order followed by Logan van Beek who’s a very handy batter.
Beek scored an unbeaten 41 off 24 balls at number 8 in the last game. The depth in the batting lineup is a huge plus point for Wellington. If they can get their top-order back in form, they should be able to put up a much bigger score in this game.
Nick Greenwood and skipper Nick Kelly will be the key players in the top order. While Devon Conway won’t feature in this side as of now since he’s part of the Blackcaps squad for the Pakistan series, Wellington should get Tim Robinson back in the side for this match.
Michael Bracewell is another player who should be back in the XI if the Firebirds are to finish at the top of the points table. The bowlers are in good form and should be able to dominate the struggling Northern Knights lineup.
Wellington Firebirds Predicted Playing XI:
Devon Conway, Tim Robinson, Nick Kelly (c), Muhammad Abbas, Michael Bracewell, Callum McLachlan (wk), Nathan Smith, Logan van Beek, Ian Meake, Peter Younghusband, Michael Snedden
Wellington Firebirds Key Players From Previous Game Of Super Smash, 2023-24
Wellington Firebirds Actual Playing XI:
Muhammad Arslan Abbas, Nick Greenwood, Nick Kelly, Jesse Tashkoff, Logan van Beek, Michael Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Peter Younghusband, Rachin Ravindra, Callum McLachlan, Iain Meake
Northern Districts Preview
Knights can still turn things around and stand a chance to finish at the top if they win every game from here. With 16 more points from the remaining 4 matches, they would finish with 20.
And though it depends on the performances of other teams, they will have a chance to finish in the top 2 with those points. However, that will not be easy given their current form.
Their batters have struggled to find form and have failed consistently. The only good score from the Knights was against Central Stags when they were chasing a 203-run target.
The best from the Knights so far saw them lose the game by 33 runs. And when they’ve batted first, it has been worse. Tim Seifert, who was a key player at the top, has ed the Blackcaps for the Pakistan series.
And now Katene Clarke will open the innings alongside Henry Cooper who previously batter much lower in the order. Skipper Jeet Raval has a huge role to play at number 3. However, he hasn’t looked in good touch recently.
He came in to bat at number 4 in the last match while sending Scott Kuggeleijn at number 3. Both were out for 0 and 6 runs respectively.
Joe Carter and Brett Hampton looked promising at 5 and 6 but overall the Knights have lacked a consolidated effort from the batters. Though there are some big names in this bowling attack, without any good total on the board, the bowlers haven’t found many opportunities to make an impact.
Northern Districts Predicted Playing XI:
Henry Cooper, Katene Clarke, Jeet Raval (c), Joe Carter, Brett Hampton, Peter Bocock (wk), Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Pringle, Kristian Clarke, Frederick Walker, Neil Wagner
Northern Districts Key Players From Previous Game Of Super Smash, 2023-24
Northern Districts Actual Playing XI:
Henry Cooper, Jeet Raval, Katene Clarke, Kristian Clarke, Peter Bocock, Frederick Walker, Matthew Fisher, Tim Pringle, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn
PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
Weather Conditions
It is a balanced wicket with something for everyone. Batters can score big in the first innings but bowlers can also find some help from the surface and challenge the chasing team. The weather forecast is for light rain on the match day with a high of 20 degrees Celsius.
WELL vs ND Pitch Report
Basin Reserve in Wellington will be the venue for this match. It is one of the most iconic venues in New Zealand that has hosted many international matches as well. The average 1st innings score here is 160 runs but for a match-winning total, the team batting first should be looking at something over 185-190.
Toss: To Bat
Teams batting first have won 21 of the 39 matches played here. And though the hosts lost their last game after opting to bat, we reckon they would still consider batting first here.
WELL vs ND
Winning Prediction
The hosts will have the upper hand going into this game. They’ve got a strong overall side with a deep batting lineup and variety in the bowling attack. The visitors are struggling with the bat and haven’t managed to score a competitive total in a long time. Wellington Firebirds will start as clear favorites in our match prediction.
Wellington Firebirds to win
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