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Northern Brave vs Wellington Firebirds, PS, Today Match Prediction 13 December 2025
ND vs WELL Win Probability
Toss Winner - Wellington Firebirds won the toss and choose to bat first
Northern Brave beat Wellington Firebirds by 28 runs
Can Wellington end their losing streak?
- Northern Brave are coming off a huge 113-run win
- Wellington’s batting struggles continue to hurt their chances
- Northern Brave have reliable players in their middle order
Northern Brave to win
| Tournament: | Plunket Shield 2025-26 |
| Format: | test |
| Venue: | Cobham Oval (New) Cricket Ground, Whangārei, New Zealand |
| Toss Prediction: | To Bat |
| Weather: | 20.6°C|Patchy rain nearby |
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ND vs WELL Betting Odds
| Bookie | Northern BraveND | Wellington FirebirdsWELL |
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ND vs WELL Match Prediction & Analysis
Northern Brave will take on Wellington at the Cobham Oval in Whangarei in the 10th match of the Plunket Shield 2025-26. The hosts look very promising after their recent win.
They will pose a tough challenge to Wellington, who have lost 3 matches in a row and are struggling to find consistency with the bat. Northern Brave delivered a strong bowling performance in the second innings of their recent game, bowling Otago out for 240.
Zak Gibson, James Naylor, and Tim Pringle are the key wicket-takers in this bowling attack to watch out for. The batting lineup looks pretty solid with the likes of Bharat Popli, Joe Carter, and Rober O’Donell in the middle order.
Wellington, on the other hand, failed to even cross the 250-run mark in the first innings of their recent game, but their bowlers also conceded 350 or more in both innings. In their previous outing, too, the bowlers failed big time in the second innings, picking up just 2 wickets while defending 363 runs.
Nick Kelly will be under pressure after Wellington’s consecutive losses and will expect a strong comeback, especially from his bowlers.
RECENT PERFORMANCE
ND
W
L
L
L
W
ND
248/10 in 87.4 2.83
PS
Canterbury Kings beat Northern Brave by 5 wickets
371/5 in 93.1 3.98
210/8 in 50.0 4.2
211/4 in 39.3 5.34
233/10 in 46.3 5.01
234/7 in 43.3 5.38
156/9 in 42.4 3.66
271/8 in 49.0 5.53
WELL
L
L
L
L
W
WELL
350/9 in 89.0 3.93
323/10 in 100.4 3.21
354/9 in 87.3 4.05
365/2 in 83.1 4.39
224/10 in 57.1 3.92
PS
Otago Volts beat Wellington Firebirds by 7 wickets
96/3 in 22.0 4.36
232/9 in 50.0 4.64
286/9 in 50.0 5.72
228/6 in 46.2 4.92
227/10 in 49.5 4.56
HEAD TO HEAD
Last 10 Matches
Show More Show Less
102/10 in 18.3
105/3 in 15.3
TEAMS PREVIEW
Northern Brave Preview
Jeet Raval will be happy with his team’s recent comeback. They kicked off the season with a 5-wicket loss against Canterbury while defending a 350+ total.
In the second match, the bowlers were impressive, and the batting lineup made a strong comeback in the last innings, scoring 429 for 6 as the game ended in a draw.
While the skipper scored a hundred at the top, his opening partner, Henry Cooper, was unbeaten on 206. Northern Brave were bowled out for 152 in the first innings of that match.
However, since then, they have been powerful with their batting performances. In their recent win, Joe Carter scored 52 and 119 not out at number 4. Most of their key players in the top 4 look in fine rhythm and will be crucial for putting Northern Brave ahead in the contest.
In the lower middle order, Robert O’Donnell and Brett Hampton bring in a lot of experience and will be crucial in a run chase. The right-arm medium pacer Kristian Clarke, who was the top bowler for Northern Brave in the first innings agaisnt Auckland, is also handy with the bat lower down the order.
Tim Pringle, Joshua Brown, and Zak Gibson are all key players in the bowling attack and will be expected to put Northern Brave on top of the game with regular breakthroughs.
Northern Brave Predicted Playing XI:
Jeet Raval (c), Henry Cooper, Bharat Popli, Joe Carter, Robert O’Donell, Brett Hampton, Ben Pomare (wk), Kristian Clarke, Tim Pringle, Joshua Brown, Zak Gibson
Northern Brave Key Players From Previous Game Of Plunket Shield 2025-26
Northern Brave Actual Playing XI:
Josh Brown, Joe Carter, Henry Cooper, Zak Gibson, Brett Hampton, Robert O'Donnell, Ben Pomare, Bharat Popli, Tim Pringle, Jeet Raval, James Naylor
Wellington Firebirds Preview
Skipper Nick Kelly must find a way to stop the losing streak. Wellington have now lost each of their 3 matches played so far in the 2025-26 season of the Plunket Shield.
They are struggling in all aspects of the game, with their bowlers not finding wickets and the batters failing to put on a competitive total. They’ve got some promising players in the top order, like Nick Greenwood and Michael Snedden, opening the innings for the side.
The middle order features more experienced players like Nick Kelly, Tim Robinson, and Callum McLachlan. The batting order is quite deep with the likes of Peter Younghusband coming in at 7.
The 35-year-old all-rounder who bowls leg-break scored a fifty in the first innings of the last match, while McLachlan was the best performer for Wellington, scoring 89 and 85 runs.
Wellington’s strength lies in the middle and lower middle order, and the likes of Tim Robinson and Callum McLachlan will play a key role in this match. In the bowling attack, Peter Younghusband will lead the spin-bowling attack while Liam Dudding holds the key to pace bowling for Wellington.
Dudding was the top bowler against Auckland in the last game, picking up a fifer in the first innings. Nick Greenwood and James Hartshorn are other key players to watch out for in the bowling attack.
Wellington Firebirds Predicted Playing XI:
Nick Greenwood, Michael Snedden, Gareth Severin, Nick Kelly (c), Tim Robinson, Callum McLachlan (wk), Peter Younghusband, James Hartshorn, Liam Dudding, Yahya Zeb, Jesse Tashkoff
Wellington Firebirds Key Players From Previous Game Of Plunket Shield 2025-26
Wellington Firebirds Actual Playing XI:
Liam Dudding, Nick Greenwood, Nick Kelly, Callum McLachlan, Sam Mycock, Tim Robinson, Gareth Severin, Michael Snedden, Peter Younghusband, Yahya Zeb, Elliot Seddon
PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS
Weather Conditions
There will be light rain early in the day and in the afternoon on day 1 of the Test. The weather is likely to stay the same for the first 3 days of the match. This might affect the outcome of the match, and we are likely in for a drawn game.
ND vs WELL Pitch Report
Cobham Oval in Wangarei will host this match. It offers a bowling-friendly venue where the average first innings score in the last 10 one-day domestic matches is 203 runs. Teams batting first in these games have successfully defended low totals, and we expect the bowlers to have a great time in this match too.
Toss: To Bat
While there have been no Tests at this venue either this or the previous season, the team batting first has won 3 of the last 5 one-day domestic matches played here. It hasn’t been a great venue for the batters, and as such, chasing here will not be a great idea.
ND vs WELL
Winning Prediction
The weather doesn’t look very promising for any result other than a draw. However, in the best-case scenario, where rain doesn’t play spoil sport, it will be the Northern Brave who will start with the upper hand going into this game. They have a superior overall squad with reliable players in both departments, while Wellington seem to be dependent on a select few players in the lower middle order and have no consistent performers in the bowling attack.
Northern Brave to win
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