Central Districts vs Otago Volts, Plunket Shield 2022-23, Today Match Prediction 21 March 2023

cd vs ov Match Prediction & Analysis

The third-ranked team in the Plunket Shield, Central Districts will be out to lay their claim on the top spot when they meet Otago in Palmerston North.

Central Districts have won 4 of their 6 matches so far. This is the highest number of wins by any team this season. Otago, on the other hand, trail at number 5 with 1 win and 2 losses from 7 Tests. Otago’s last 3 consecutive Tests ended in a Draw.

3 of their top 5 batters scored a fifty in their last game against Auckland while Dale Phillips scored a hundred at number 5. Josh Clarkson’s heroics in the last match pulled Central Districts out of their rut and propelled them to their 4th win of the season.

Other key players like Will Young, Greg Hay, and Brad Schmulian need to find their rhythm. The batting performances haven’t been consistent for Central Districts and in spite of a strong batting order, they have struggled to put runs on the board.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Central Districts Preview

This is an all-important game for Central Districts as the race to the top spot gets even closer. While others in the top 3 places have just one game left, Central Districts have two more.

Grey Hay and his men have a good chance of finishing as the champions. And for that, the key batsmen in this lineup need to find their form. Openers Ben Smith and Greg Hay have been poor at the top while there has been a hundred came from Schmulian at number 4 against Northern Knights.

Tom Bruce was the second-highest scorer in that innings with 67 runs as Central Districts were bowled out for just 245 runs. Hay needs to lead from the front with a captain’s knock. 

Whereas, Will Young and Dane Cleaver need to help build partnerships alongside Schmulian and Bruce. Central Districts also have Dough Bracewell in their squad, a right-arm fast-medium bowler who is handy in the lower order.

The bowlers were quite expensive against Northern Knights where they conceded over 500 runs in the 1st innings. They were back in form in the last Test as Central Districts bowled out Canterbury for 186 runs.

Brett Randell and Raymond Toole will lead the bowling attack. These two are crucial in delivering breakthroughs. Schmulian, Clarkson, and Ajaz Patel are other bowlers to watch out for in this squad.

Central Districts Predicted Playing XI:

Greg Hay (c), Ben Smith, Brad Schmulian, Will Young, Tom Bruce, Dane Cleaver (wk), Josh Clarkson, Bevan Small, Brett Randell, Ajaz Patel, Raymond Toole

Otago Volts Preview

Though they haven’t won a single Test since their opening match, Otago have looked in great shape recently. Their batters have been outstanding in their recent outings.

Not only have the top and middle order delivered significant knocks, but even Max Chu and Jacob Duffy have delivered in the lower order. Glenn Phillips, Dale Phillips, and Foxcroft are among the more consistent batters in this side.

Each of these three has scored a hundred in the last 3 Tests. Skipper Hamish Rutherford can rely on the middle order to deliver crucial partnerships. With the last 3 consecutive games ending in a draw, Rutherford will be hoping for a win here. And what they would need is a better bowling performance.

The opposition has struggled in the batting department in their recent outings. And that’s where Otago can hurt the opposition the most. Jacob Duffy, Michael Rippon, and Michael Rae have wicket-taking responsibility in this side.

Duffy was among the most successful bowlers for Otago in previous seasons and led the wicket-takers chart consistently. He hasn’t been able to make a big impact lately and also lacks support from others in the bowling attack. Once Otago get their bowling back on track with consistent wickets, they would gain the upper hand in the contest.

Otago Volts Predicted Playing XI:

Hamish Rutherford (c), Thorn Parkes, Dean Foxcroft, Glenn Phillips, Dale Phillips, Jake Gibson, Michael Rippon, Max Chu (wk), Travis Muller, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rae

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch looks decent for batting and we can expect a 300+ score in the first two innings of the Test. The weather forecast for day 1 of the match is that of rain followed by cloudy days ahead.

Venue Details

Fitzherbert Park in Palmerston North will host this Plunket Shield match. It is a great venue for batting and teams batting first should be aiming at 320+ score in the 1st innings to ensure they don’t trail by a lot after the other team finishes their 1st innings.

Toss: To Bat

There have been very few games played on this ground. It looks like a good batting venue going by the couple of domestic T20s played here. Central Districts haven’t got a reliable batting lineup to chase down a total against an in-form Otago. And they would naturally opt to bat first and back their bowlers to put them ahead in the game. Otago would also prefer to bat first and put a massive 1st innings score riding on the form of their key players.