Nelson Mandela Bay Giants vs Paarl Rocks, Mzansi Super League 2018, Today Match Prediction 30 Nov 2018

nmbg vs pr Match Prediction & Analysis

Mzansi Super League (MSL) has received a record television viewership and is becoming the most followed league in South Africa. The league seems to have an uninvited guest in though in the form of rain. The rain interruptions and DL method have a huge impact in every passing match of the tournament. Last match at St. George`s Park was washed away without a ball being bowled. Nelson Mandela Bay Giants have won 3 matches and are placed second in the table. They settled down for two points after their last encounter against table toppers Cape Town Blitz was cancelled due to rain.

They were also lucky to win a rain-truncated match in 5.1 overs against Tshwane Spartans. They would be hoping to play a match with full quota of 40 overs which looks unlikely. Giants top order with Marais, Skipper Smuts and Englishmen Duckett have been among the runs and they must be supported by Rudi Second and Chris Jonker in the middle order. They need their pace bowling all-rounders Morris Magala and McLaren to fire with the bat during end overs.  CJ Dala has been opening pace bowler supported by spin stalwarts Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso.

Paarl Rocks have been raised from their defeats and won back to back matches to book themselves a place in top half of the table. Their team has been high on morale and are led by the experienced Faf du Plessis, whose inspired performance against Cape Town Blitz changed their team`s fortunes and form.

Their batting order with likes of Henry davids, Markram, Faf du Plessis, Van Waarsweld and keeper Mosehle has been scoring runs consistently. All-rounders David Wiese and Kruger would need to provide finishing touches with the bat and control the run flow while bowling. Pace bowlers Fortuin and Paterson are among the top wicket-takers and will continue their good form. T20 specialist Chinaman Shamsi will wield his magical wrists to bamboozle the opponent’s batsmen.

 NELSON MANDELA BAY GIANTS PREVIEW

Expected Playing XI: JJ Smuts (C), Marco Marais, Ben Duckett, Wihan Lubbe, Chris Jonker, Rudi Second (Wk), Cordi Le Roux, Chris Morris, Imran Tahir, Sisanda Magala, CJ Dala

They are expected to go with an unchanged playing XI. Cordi Le Roux may retain his position after taking prized scalp in the only ball he bowled so far. Ryan McLaren might sit out.

KEY PLAYERS

Marco Marais – Marais has scored valuable 40+ runs at top and would like to score a fifty to boost his team total. 

Chris Morris – Morris, one of the international stars is yet to fire with the bat. His bowling has been good and economical. He shares new ball duty with CJ Dala.

CJ Dala – Dala has been the pace spearhead for Giants and he needs to provide early breakthroughs to hold the opponents’ batting. Opening bowlers become more important with rain threat looming at stage of the match.

Missing player: Nil 

STATS FROM RECENT MATCHES

Ben Duckett – 122 runs at strike rate 133 (HS -75)

JJ Smuts – 89 runs at strike rate 102 (HS – 62*) & 4 wickets at an economy of 6 RPO (BB -3/20)

CJ Dala – 4 wickets at economy of 6.4 RPO (BB – 2/16)

PAARL ROCKS

Expected Playing XI: Faf du Plessis (C), Henry Davids, Aiden Markram, Van Jaarsweld, Mangaliso Mosehle (Wk), Patrick Kruger, David Wiese, Bjorn Fortuin, Tambraiz Shamsi, Tshepo Moreki, Dane Peterson

Paarl Rocks would not want to change their winning combination and are expected to go in with same playing XI.

KEY PLAYERS

Faf du Plessis – SA skipper is back to his best scoring runs with responsibility. He is one of a kind of batsmen who can bat according to match situation. 

Henry Davids – The explosive opener set the tone for their victory in last match with an aggressive start. He would like to continue the same and his high scoring rate may aid in case DL score revision like the last match.

Bjorn Fortuin – Fortuin is outstanding with the ball and getting wickets in every match. His ability to take wickets at start of the innings may disrupt the batting set up of opposition. 

Missing player: Dawid Malan, Samuel Badree, Mohammed Nawaz

STATS FROM RECENT MATCHES

Henry Davids – 119 runs at strike rate 168 (HS - 60)

Bjorn Fortuin - 6 wickets at an economy of 7 RPO (BB – 4/15)

Weather Conditions

St.George's Park is one of the slowest pitches in South Africa. The ball might not come onto the bat owing to the slow nature of the pitch. And run-scoring becomes difficult. The weather has already abandoned a match and is expected to make its appearance. Both teams would be aware of rain threat and would like to place their best foot forward. It is hard to catch up because rains even shorten the shortest format of the game. Any score around 150- 160 runs is good to go.

TOSS

Rains are predicted and captains would love to know the chasing score so would prefer to Bat second. Bowling after rain interruptions may become tough due to the wet outfield and the ball is hard to grip. 

Toss: To Bowl