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Central Stags vs Wellington Firebirds, PS, Today Match Prediction
CD vs WELL Win Probability
Toss Winner - Central Stags won the toss and choose to bowl first
Match Drawn
Can Wellington end their losing streak?
- Central Stags’ Brad Schmulian has scored two fifties and a hundred in the second innings in last three matches.
- The team batting first won the only match played at this venue this season.
- Liam Dudding has picked up 10 wickets in the last 3 matches for Wellington.
Central Stags to win
| Tournament: | Plunket Shield 2025-26 |
| Format: | test |
| Venue: | Mclean Park, Napier, New Zealand |
| Toss Prediction: | To Bat |
| Weather: | 16.4°C|Sunny |
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CD vs WELL Betting Odds
| Bookie | Central StagsCD | Wellington FirebirdsWELL |
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CD vs WELL Match Prediction & Analysis
A winless Wellington will face Central Districts for the second time this season. In their previous encounter, CD came out on top with an 8-wicket victory at Basin Reserve in Wellington.
Can the Firebirds avenge their loss as they come to Mclean Park, Napier, the Stags’ home venue? The visitors have been winless for four games so far this season, and despite some promising individual performances, victory has eluded them.
Central Districts, on the other hand, bounced back strongly after a losing start to the season and have won 2 and drawn one of their last three matches. The hosts have an advantage at this venue, where they defeated Canterbury in the 9th match of the Plunket Shield.
Dean Foxcroft and Curtis Heaphy will be the key players to watch out for in the home team’s batting lineup, while Nick Kelly and Tim Robinson are expected to lead the batting effort for the Firebirds.
RECENT PERFORMANCE
CD
W
W
W
W
W
CD
302/7 in 50.0 6.04
303/4 in 47.5 6.33
349/5 in 50.0 6.98
138/10 in 32.2 4.27
276/8 in 50.0 5.52
254/10 in 49.0 5.18
164/5 in 39.5 4.12
163/10 in 50.0 3.26
289/8 in 36.0 8.03
307/4 in 36.0 8.53
WELL
L
W
L
W
W
WELL
349/5 in 50.0 6.98
138/10 in 32.2 4.27
281/7 in 50.0 5.62
163/10 in 36.1 4.51
69/2 in 11.5 5.83
68/10 in 22.2 3.04
240/8 in 50.0 4.8
243/5 in 43.5 5.54
213/10 in 45.5 4.65
FT 2025-26
Wellington Firebirds beat Otago Volts by 56 runs
269/9 in 50.0 5.38
HEAD TO HEAD
Last 10 Matches
Show More Show Less
188/7 in 20.0
SST20 2025-26
Central Stags beat Wellington Firebirds by 46 runs142/10 in 17.5
201/6 in 39.2
199/10 in 40.5
TEAMS PREVIEW
Central Stags Preview
In their last outing, back in December, the Central Stags were not at their best, trailing by 192 runs at the end of their first innings. However, they bounced back in the second innings with impactful knocks from Curtis Heaphy, Brad Schmulian, and skipper Dane Cleaver.
Dean Foxcroft is a key batsman in the middle order to watch out for. He scored 94 runs at number 4 in the first innings as CD were bowled out for 226. In their previous encounter against Wellington, he scored an unbeaten 53 in the first innings.
Another reliable batter in the lineup with the right red-ball temperament is the opener Curtis Heaphy. He scored a patient century against Canterbury in the last home game for Central Districts and was the top batter in the first innings. And when it comes to absorbing pressure, the hosts will rely on all-rounder Tom Bruce in the middle order.
However, with Dane Cleaver coming into the XI and taking over the captaincy, Bruce hasn’t featured in the side for the last two matches. The wicket-keeper batsman played a captain’s knock in their last outing against Otago to stage a comeback in the second innings.
He fits the role of a reliable middle-order batsman and is worth watching in this match.
Interesting Stats
Josh Clarkson picked 6 wickets in the last home game for CD
Brad Schmulian scored an unbeaten 167 against Wellington in their previous meeting
Central Stags Predicted Playing XI:
Curtis Heaphy, Taylor Bettelheim, Brad Schmulian, Dean Foxcroft, Dane Cleaver (c) (wk), Josh Clarkson, William Clark, Ajaz Patel, Oscar Mabin, Tyler Annand, Raymond Toole
Central Stags Key Players From Previous Game Of Plunket Shield 2025-26
Central Stags Actual Playing XI:
Tom Bruce, Josh Clarkson, Dane Cleaver, Toby Findlay, Dean Foxcroft, Curtis Heaphy, Jayden Lennox, Brett Randell, Brad Schmulian, Raymond Toole, Will Young
Wellington Firebirds Preview
The best bowling side of the last season has found itself at the bottom of the points table with no wins from 4 matches so far in the Plunket Shield 2025-26 season. In their last game before the tournament halted for a break, Wellington suffered an innings defeat at the hands of Northern Knights in the away game.
Skipper Nick Kelly’s hundred was the highlight performance in that match for the Wellington Firebirds. There have been some other impactful performances from Tim Robinson and Liam Dudding in the side, and yet the Firebirds continue to look for their first win.
In the last season, Wellington had the best bowling average for any team in the tournament at 24.8. What should have been their strongest points coming into this season, headlining their campaign, turned out to be their Achilles’ heel.
The Firebirds conceded 500+ runs in their opening match against Otago, 700+ across two innings against Auckland, and 500+ in the sole innings agaisnt Norther Knights in the last match. Liam Dudding was wicketless in the last game, but he is a key wicket-taker in the side to watch out for.
He was the top bowler for Wellington with 7 wickets for 106 in their match against Auckland. Peter Younghusband and Michael Snedden are other key bowlers in this squad who can deliver crucial breakthroughs for the side.
Interesting Stats
Tim Robinson has scored two centuries in the season, including one against CD
Peter Younghusband scored 35 and 66 against ND at numbers 7 and 8, while also showing resilience with the ball
Wellington Firebirds Predicted Playing XI:
Sam Mycock, Nick Greenwood, Gareth Severin, Nick Kelly (c), Tim Robinson, Callum McLachlan (wk), Peter Younghusband, Michael Snedden, Liam Dudding, Yahya Zeb, Elliot Seddon
Wellington Firebirds Key Players From Previous Game Of Plunket Shield 2025-26
Wellington Firebirds Actual Playing XI:
Muhammad Arslan Abbas, Nick Greenwood, James Hartshorn, Nick Kelly, Callum McLachlan, Tim Robinson, Gareth Severin, Nathan Smith, Michael Snedden, Jesse Tashkoff, Peter Younghusband
PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
Weather Conditions
Day 1 will be cloudy with a high of 17 degrees Celsius. However, on the remaining three days of the match, there is a chance of light rain in the afternoon, and we may lose some game time on Days 2 and 3. This will certainly affect the outcome of the match, and we could be staring at a draw unless the game moves faster in the first two days.
CD vs WELL Pitch Report
It is a batting-friendly wicket where Central Stags scored 300+ in the second innings of their last outing here. It is the most batting-friendly venue in New Zealand with an average of 39.45 runs per wicket, higher than any other ground in the world that has hosted more than 5 Test matches. The overall average first innings score at this venue is 495 runs.
However, in recent years, the wicket has changed, and we haven’t seen as many high-scoring ecnoutners with an average first innings score of 208 runs in the last 4 matches. In this game, if the team batting first can put 300+ runs on the board and pick up early wickets when they come out to bowl, they will be in a solid position to win the match.
Toss: To Bat
It is a straightforward choice at McLean Park — bat first. It is a batters’ paradies and the captain winning the toss will prefer to make most of the conditions on Day 1. However, results are hard to come by, with the team batting first winning 30% of the Tests played at this venue. The usual weather conditions in Napier also play a role in most matches ending in draws at this venue. The toss will be crucial in this match, given how important a win is for the visitors. If CD bat first, they will most likely bat Wellington out of the game with a massive total on the board.
CD vs WELL
Winning Prediction
Central Stags have the home advantage. Wellington’s got some fine individual performances in recent outings, but they are struggling to put up a consolidated effort. The hosts also have a stronger bowling attack and a great home record, which will make it difficult for the visiting side to find the upper hand in the contest. The weather conditions can impact the outcome of the game, but if the hosts can wrap Wellington’s first innings quickly enough, we can still have a result despite some light rain on Days 2 and 3.
Central Stags to win
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