Canterbury Kings vs Otago Volts, Super Smash 2018/19, Today Match Prediction 02 Feb 2019

ck vs ov Match Prediction & Analysis

Canterbury Kings will be looking to end their season on a good note when they take on Otago Volts in the 26th game of the Super Smash competition in Christchurch on Saturday.

Kings have endured a tough time this season and managed to win only one game out of eight played in the competition. Captain Cole McConchie will be focused to make sure that Kings can produce a better game with bat and ball.

On the other hand, Otago Volts are currently lying fifth in the table with 12 points from 8 matches played in the competition. Volts will need to win their remaining two games in order to secure their place in the playoffs of the competition.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Canterbury Kings Preview

Cole McConchie and co. will be looking to end their Super Smash season on a decent note. The side is currently lying at the bottom of the league table and has no chance of making to the next round. The franchise has lacked firepower in the batting and bowling department in this year’s competition. They haven’t been able to produce any sort of consistency with the bat and ball.

McConchie has topped the batting charts for the side this season but has found no support from the batting lineup. Stephen Murdoch and Chad Bowes have not been in the best of form and produced repeated failures in the competition. 

Wicket-keeper Cam Fletcher’s only notable came in the previous game against Auckland Aces played in Christchurch. The lower-order duo of Henry Shipley and Kyle Jamieson also scored crucial runs to push Canterbury’s score to a modest one.

Kyle Jamieson has been a standout performer in the bowling department for Canterbury Kings with 15 wickets in 8 matches at an average of 15.73. The rest of the bowlers has been below-par this season. Ed Nuttall and Todd Astle bowled well in the previous game played in the competition.

Canterbury Kings Predicted Playing XI:

Cole McConchie (c), Tom MacRury, Cam Fletcher, Chad Bowes, Stephen Murdoch, Andrew Ellis, Ed Nuttall, Kylie Jamieson, Will Williams, Henry Shipley, Todd Astle.

Canterbury Kings Actual Playing XI:

Jeremy Benton, Will Williams, Henry Burton Shipley, Tom Macrury, Chad Bowes, Cameron Fletcher, Stephen Murdoch, Andrew Ellis, Cole McConchie, Ed Nuttall, Kyle Jamieson

Otago Volts Preview

The side has suffered back-to-back defeats in the competition and will be looking to turn things around in order to be in race for a place in the playoffs. Jacob Duffy and co. will be determined that they can produce their best game with bat and ball in this contest.

Volts will be hoping that the likes of Hamish Rutherford, Neil Broom and Anaru Kitchen to do the bulk of the scoring. The opening duo of Rutherford and Broom added 100-run stand in the previous game. Broom played well in the previous game and scored 65 runs off 34 balls while Rutherford also contributed with 44 runs.

Anaru Kitchen has also contributed with decent scores for the side in this year’s competition. He is leading run-scorer for the Volts so far this season with 174 runs in 7 matches. Brad Wilson also a produced fiery innings in the previous game played against Wellington.

The major concern has been their bowling, which has lacked firepower in comparison to other sides in the competition. Captain Jacob Duffy has claimed 10 wickets in 7 matches while the rest have been fairly ordinary.

Christi Viljeon also has not done that well in the recent couple of games played in the competition. Anaru Kitchen bowled economically in the previous game. Volts will certainly looking towards the likes of Jacob Duffy, Anaru Kitchen and Christi Viljeon to provide breakthroughs with the ball. Volts will certainly need to improve their bowling in order to stay relevant in this year’s competition.

Otago Volts Predicted Playing XI:

Jacob Duffy (c), Ben Raine, Anaru Kitchen, Hamish Rutherford, Neil Broom, Ben Cox (wk), Michael Rippon, Brad Wilson, JJ Tasman Jones, Nathan Smith, Christi Viljeon.

Otago Volts Actual Playing XI:

Nathan Smith, Hamish Rutherford, Ben Cox, Jacob Duffy, Joshua Finnie, BS Wilson, Anaru Kitchen, C Viljoen, NT Broom, Tasman Jones, Michael Rippon

Weather Conditions

The pitch has witnessed low-scoring games in this year’s tournament. Expect another low scoring game between Kings and Volts. The weather for the game on Saturday is expected to fair and sunny.

Venue

The Hagley Oval, Christchurch has been on the slower side in this year’s competition. Kings have lost their recent games played at the venue.

Toss: To Bowl

Both the teams will be looking to bowl first and make early inroads with the new-ball. Batting second is the preferred choice at this venue.