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CLAIM NOWToss Winner - Otago Volts won the toss and chose to bat first
Central Stags beat Otago Volts by 5 wickets
Otago Volts had finished as the wooden-spooners of the last season.
Expect the Central Stags to register a win.
Tournament: Super Smash 2021-22 | Format: T20 | Venue: University Oval, Dunedin, New Zealand | Toss: To Bowl
Bet NowOtago Volts will have a lot to prove as they begin the new season of the Super Smash. They finished at the bottom of the table last season with just 2 wins and 8 losses. Their first assignment will be against a strong Central Stags. The Stags couldn’t reach the finals last season but had ended their journey at the 2nd spot on the table with 6 wins and 4 losses. They have also had a dominating record against Otago in recent times and would be eager to build on that.
The first thing the Otago Volts would need to do is to not reflect on their previous season. They had lost 7 matches in a row and were poor all around. Captain Jacob Duffy will be hoping that his batting unit delivers this time. Last season, Neil Broom led their batting charts with 292 runs at a strike rate of 137. The opener is likely to start with Hamish Rutherford who had a forgettable last season. Nick Kelly is a solid bat at No.3. Anaru Kitchen who struck 229 runs last season at 142 will be another batsman to watch out for as he possesses the ability to change games down the order.
On the bowling front, the Volts will sorely miss the services of Mitchell McClenaghan who was their leading wicket-taker last time. Captain Jacob Duffy would have to lead the pack this time. Right-arm medium-fast bowler Nathan Smith, who finished with 9 wickets, and left-arm spinner Michael Rippon, who had 10 wickets at 7.24, will be the bowling mainstays for the team.
Hamish Rutherford, Nick Kelly, Neil Broom, Anaru Kitchen, Mitch Renwick (wk), Dale Phillips, Michael Rippon, Jacob Duffy (c), Jarrod McKay Michael Rae, Nathan Smith
Jacob Duffy, Neil Broom, Jake Gibson, Nick Kelly, Anaru Kitchen, Michael Rippon, Matthew Bacon, Hamish Rutherford, Joshua Finnie, Max chu, Dale Phillips
Central Stags will be confident coming into the new season. Yes, they didn’t make the finals last time but they had a solid season and were only knocked out in the Elimination Final by Canterbury. Will Young, who smashed a brilliant 101 off 47 balls in that knockout game, will be sorely missed by the team as he is in India currently for the Test series. In his and Ross Taylor’s absence, the onus will lie on the likes of opener George Worker who had an incredible last season with 424 runs at a strike rate of 138, along with skipper Tom Bruce and Josh Clarkson.
Fast-bowling allrounder Doug Bracewell is going to be a sure starter for the Stags. But their eyes will be on Blair Tickner who was their leading wicket-taker last season with 17 scalps. Joey Field will also be useful while Jayden Lennox will have a bigger role as Ajaz Patel is unavailable.
George Worker, Dane Cleaver (wk), Greg Hay, Tom Bruce (c), Josh Clarkson, Jack Boyle, Doug Bracewell, Christian Leopard, Adam Milne/ Ray Toole, Blair Tickner, Jayden Lennox
Dane Cleaver, Greg Hay, Ben Smith, Jayden Lennox, Doug Bracewell, Bayley Wiggins, Christian Leopard, Blair Tickner, Ben Wheeler, Tom Bruce, Seth Rance
There have been 15 matches played so far in the University Oval, Dunedin. It has proven to be a typical New Zealand surface that is more suited for the batters but does offer some assistance for the seam bowlers as well. It will be interesting to see whether the fresh surface also offers purchase to spinners.
The weather at Dunedin on the day of the game is expected to be cloudy with a couple of showers. We should get a full game, however.
The highest total at the University Oval, Dunedin, is 223/5 by the Central Stags. The average score batting first on the venue is 166. However, since this will be a fresh, hard, pitch, expect the team batting first to get a total of around 180 runs.
Teams batting second have won 10 of the 15 games played on this venue. Thus, it’s likely that the captain winning the toss would choose to chase.
The Central Stags have won the last 4 of the 5 games they have played against Otago Volts. They have a strong batting unit and a well-balanced bowling department. Otago, on the other hand, still looks weak on the bowling front and that’s an area the Stags would look to exploit. Otago will have the home advantage but the Central Stags should prevail in this encounter.
Expect the Central Stags to register a win.
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