Victoria vs Western Australia, Sheffield Shield, Today Match Prediction 17 October 2022

vic vs wesaus Match Prediction & Analysis

Victoria would face a massive challenge as they take on Western Australia in the fifth game of the Sheffield Shield 2022-23. Victoria started with a draw, and the side would be upset at their failure to defeat South Australia. Western Australia comes here with a big win against New South Wales and shall have their confidence high.  

Western Australia has won the last two out of five games against Victoria and drawn the remaining three. This record would make the side confident as they have key players in good form. Victoria plays at home, and this would give them an advantage. We have seen a good show from young players on both sides and expect a close contest. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Victoria Preview

Peter Handscomb’s team was held to a draw by the South Australians in the last game. The skipper would be upset with the efforts of his bowlers in the 2nd innings, where they failed to grab those ten wickets. Handscomb shall look for the first victory of the tournament as they play in their home ground again.  

Will Pucovski had a poor outing in the last game and will look to do well opening the batting with Marcus Harris in this game. Peter Handscomb, Nic Maddinson, and Matthew Short make it a formidable middle order, and they would look to add runs after their mixed bag of performance in the previous game. Sam Harper and Will Sutherland add strength to this batting line-up.  

Scott Bolland and Mitchell Perry shall have to use the new ball well in this game, as Western Australia has good strength at the top. Sutherland bowled well in the previous game and will look to repeat the same magic. Matthew Short, Fergus O’Neill, and Jon Holland add variety to this attack and make it strong.

Victoria Predicted Playing XI:

Peter Handscomb (c & wk), Marcus Harris, Will Pucovski, Nic Maddinson, Matthew Short, Sam Harper (wk), Will Sutherland, Mitchell Perry, Fergus O’Neill, Scott Boland, Jon Holland

Western Australia Preview

Sam Whiteman’s side made a confident start to the tournament with an 8-wicket win against New South Wales in the last game. The defending champions have a strong team and lived up to their reputation in the previous game. Whiteman shall aim to continue with the same form and win this game.  

Sam Whiteman and Cameron Bancroft shall look to lay a strong foundation at the top in this game. The middle order is solid for the team with the trio of Sam Fanning, Hilton Cartwright, and Teague Wyllie. Josh Phillippe, Joel Paris, and Aaron Hardie add solidity to the batting line-up down the order.  

Joel Paris and Aaron Hardie have done well with the new ball, and they’d also look to repeat the same show in this game. Matthew Kelly and Lance Morris would be confident after bowling tidy spells in the last game, which adds to the side’s strengths. Corey Rocchiccioli shall need to fill in the role of a fifth bowler. 

Western Australia Predicted Playing XI:

Sam Whiteman (c), Cameron Bancroft, Sam Fanning, Hilton Cartwright, Teague Wyllie, Josh Philippe (wk), Aaron Hardie, Joel Paris, Matthew Kelly, Corey Rocchiccioli, Lance Morris

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The skies over Melbourne would be overcast on all four days of the game. The wicket has been a tough one to bat, as we have seen in the past. Batsmen need to play to the merit of the ball to do well at this venue. A score of 350 runs would be a good score in the 1st innings of the game.

Venue Details

The track at Junction Oval, Melbourne, is a dream wicket for the fast bowlers at the start of the game. Batsmen who adjust to the conditions and stay at the crease have done well at this venue in the past. Spinners struggle at this ground as the wicket doesn’t offer them much turn.

Toss: To Bowl

The conditions would be difficult for batting at the start of the game. Fast bowlers would move the ball and make life difficult for the batsmen. Toss is crucial in this game, and the side winning the toss shall have no hesitation in bowling first in the game.