Lions vs Cape Cobras, Momentum One Day Cup 2020, Today Match Prediction 16 Feb 2020

lions vs cobras Match Prediction & Analysis

It’s been a tournament where no team has really dominated. Both Lions and Cape Cobras have had their moments and have won two games each. The former have played just three and the Cobras have played four.

Lions started the tournament really well. They won two games in a row, including a bonus-point win. It was their batsmen who set things up with successive scores in excess of 300 batting first. They faced their first defeat in the last game as the batting failed to deliver for the first time in three games. They are currently third on the points table with nine points.

Meanwhile, Cape Cobras have blown hot and cold. They’ve won and lost alternately for four games now. They started the tournament with a win against the Warriors by 31 runs and even won a rain-affected game against Dolphins. Their two losses have been by big margins. They will want to have some consistency in the upcoming games.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Lions Preview

The Lions batting has delivered in two out of the three games so far. And it is Ryan Rickelton who has led the charge from the top of the order. He has got 292 runs from three innings and has been the best batsman for Lions. He has scores of 92, 157 and 43 in this tournament so far.

Dominic Hendricks and Kagiso Rapulana haven't converted their starts while Wihan Lubbe has been good in the middle order. He has a good strike-rate (102.08) as well. Delano Potgieter was good in the last game as he got a 62 and top-scored for the Lions.

The bowling has done decently as well. Unlike the batting where Rickelton has dominated, it’s been a more collective effort. Eldred Hawken and skipper Aaron Phangiso have been the leading wicket-takers. Hawken has picked up five wickets from three games while Phangiso has taken four. Both of them have gone to an economy of under 5. Malusi Siboto has chipped in well too.

Lions Predicted Playing XI:

Ryan Rickelton, Dominic Hendricks, Kagiso Rapulana, Nicky van den Bergh (wk), Wihan Lubbe, Delano Potgieter, Nono Pongolo, Malusi Siboto, Eldred Hawken, Aaron Phangiso (c), Johannes Diseko

Lions Actual Playing XI:

Nono Pongolo, Aaron Phangiso, Reeza Hendricks, Johannes Diseko, Ryan Rickelton, NJ Van den Bergh, Wihan Lubbe, Delano Potgieter, Eldred Hawken, Kagiso Rapulana, MP Siboto

Cape Cobras Preview

Pieter Malan has been good at the top for Cape Cobras. He’s got one hundred and a fifty already in this tournament. In both games that Malan has scored big, the Cobras have won.

Meanwhile, Janneman Malan featured in his first game of the tournament against the Titans and was out for a duck. Skipper Zubayr Hamza has been in brilliant form. The Cobras No. 3 has scored 301 runs which included two half-centuries and one ton. Jason Smith and George Linde round up what looks a strong top-five and they’ve been in good form too, scoring 162 and 144 runs respectively from four games.

Not only with the bat, but Smith and Linde have also contributed really well with the ball too. They’ve picked up four wickets each. Ntini is the leading wicket-taker for the Cobras. He has taken seven wickets and is striking once almost every 27 deliveries. Rory Kleinveldt has been good as well. Cape Cobras look a well-rounded unit and seem strong on paper.

Cape Cobras Predicted Playing XI:

Pieter Malan, Janneman Malan, Zubayr Hamza (c), Jason Smith, George Linde, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Aviwe Mgijima, Rory Kleinveldt, Mihlali Mpongwana, Nandre Burger, Thando Ntini

Cape Cobras Actual Playing XI:

Thando Ntini, George Linde, Zubayr Hamza, Dane Piedt, Jonathan Bird, Rory Kleinveldt, Dane Paterson, Janneman Malan, Pieter Malan, Aviwe Mgijima, Kyle Verreynne

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Potchefstroom is set to experience a hot and sunny day. The peak temperature for the day is going to be around 31 degrees. The pitch at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom has something in it for everyone. The new ball nips around but the pitch will flatten out as the game progresses.

Venue Details

The Senwes Park in Potchefstroom recently hosted the Under-19 World Cup final which turned out to be a thriller. It is one of the common white-ball venues in South Africa, especially for domestic cricket. But it will host only two games in the Momentum One-Day Cup and this is the first.

Toss: To Bat

Both teams have won their games batting first. They’ve batted first, batted big and defended it well. Both Lions and Cape Cobras will want to bat first and make first use of the conditions at the Senwes Park in Potchefstroom if they win the toss.