Northern Cape vs Eastern Cape Iinyathi, CSAKC, Today Match Prediction

NCAPE vs ECI Match Prediction & Analysis

Northern Cape will take on Eastern Cape in the 11th match of the CSA T20 Knock-Out Competition 2024 at Diamond Oval, Kimberley on 2nd October at 4:30 pm. CSA T20 Knock-Out Competition consists of 7 teams that will play each other once. The points accumulated after the league stage will determine the semi-finalists.

The Northern Cape, after a win and a loss in the first two games, are in the 4th position in the points table. Eastern Cape, on the other hand, have suffered two consecutive defeats and are at the bottom of the points table. Can they break the streak of defeats or would the Northern Cape get their second win of the season? We will know at Kimberley on October 2nd.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Northern Cape Preview

Northern Cape started the season with a close encounter against the current table-toppers, Eastern Storm. It was a nail-biter, and the Northern Cape lost by just one run. It's a heartbreaking way to start the season, but in their defence, they were against a top team.

In that game, bowling first after winning the toss, Northern Cape conceded 171 runs against Eastern Storm. Hanu Viljoen and Basheeru-Deen Walters both took two wickets for Northern Cape. Needing over 8.5 runs per over, Northern Cape started well and were on par with the asking rate at the midpoint of the chase. Modiri Litheko was guiding the batting well towards the target. But Northern Cape lost a few quick wickets towards the end and fell short of the target by just 1 run. Modiri Litheko scored a well anchored 79, but it went in vain.

In the second game, Northern Cape batted first against Mpumalanga Rhinos and scored 202, losing 4 wickets. Four of the top 5 batters made 30+ runs. Opener Jonathan Vandiar top scored with 50 runs at a strike rate of about 150.

In defence, Northern Cape bowlers did well after a big partnership between Muhammed Mayet and Jurie Snyman threatened to take the game away. Northern Cape eventually won by 18 runs. Northern Cape’s batting looks well-settled, and their key bowlers are in form. We ca expect them to beat underconfident Eastern Cape.

Key players: M Litheko, Ernest Kemm, Basheeru-Deen Walters, Hanu Viljoen

Northern Cape Predicted Playing XI:

Jonathan Vandiar, Ernest Kemm, Ronan Hermann, Ruan Haasbroek (c), Zakhele Qwabe, Modiri Litheko (wk), Hardus Viljoen, Romano Terblanche, Tshepo Ntuli, Basheeru-Deen Walters, Christoffel Klijnhans

Eastern Cape Iinyathi Preview

Eastern Cape have suffered two defeats in two games so far. They have the thirds worst NRR of the season at -0.775 and are at the bottom of the table with 0 points. Their two defeats have come against Limpopo and Tuskers.

In the game against Limpopo, Eastern Cape conceded 188 for 2 in the 20 overs. The chase was going decently well but they were always behind the asking rate. Christopher Gleaves provided the needed momentum batting down the order. But despite his efforts of 59 runs off just 24 balls (four 4s and five 6s), Eastern Cape fell short by 22 runs.

The bowling effort was slightly better in the second game where Eastern Cape restricted the Tuskers for a meagre 132. Nico van Zyl and Jason Niemand took 2 wickets each. Eastern Cape batting however proved to be a disaster. They could not even chase 133 and eventually fell short by 9 runs. No one other than captain Jason Niemand (45 runs) could make an impact.

Eastern Cape’s bowling looks really out of form. They have taken just 8 wickets in 2 games and have conceded the only century of the season so far against Limpopo. It looks like a difficult match for them if the bowling doesn’t turn up against a well oiled Northern Cape batting lineup.

Key players: Jason Niemand, Christopher Gleaves, Nico van Zyl, Chad Classen

Eastern Cape Iinyathi Predicted Playing XI:

Jerome Bossr, Nathan Roux, Jason Niemand (c), Marco Marais, Mncedisi Malika (wk), Christopher Gleaves, Jade de Klerk, Aphiwe Mnyanda, Chad Classen, Nico van Zyl, Tladi Bokako

Weather Conditions

The weather on match day at Kimberley (Diamond Oval) is expected to be pleasant. The temperature will range between 25°C and 13°C. It will be partly cloudy, but rain is not likely. It will be a great day to play cricket.

NCAPE vs ECI Pitch Report

The venue of the match is Diamond Oval, Kimberley. It is a prominent cricket stadium in South Africa and the home ground of Northern Cape. It has hosted many ODIs and T20Is matches, as well as first-class matches in SA. The stadium has a seating capacity of 11,000 spectators.

Toss: To Bowl

Out of the 7 completed matches so far (1 washout), the team batting first have won 5 games in the CSA T20 Knock-Out Competition 2024. Looks like the conditions are deteriorating in the second half of the innings. Thus, looking at the trend, the team winning the toss should bat first here.