Wellington Firebirds vs Central Stags, SS T20 2021, Today Match Prediction 05 December 2021

wf vs cd Match Prediction & Analysis

Wellington Firebirds and Central Stags have both started the new season of the Super Smash with a win under their belts. While Wellington defeated Canterbury in their first match, the Stags took down Otago. Now both will face off in what could potentially be a nail-biting game. Wellington has defeated Central Stags in their last three encounters and would hence have an edge.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Wellington Firebirds Preview

Defending champions Wellington Firebirds couldn’t have asked for a better start to their season. After batting first against Canterbury, they posted a healthy 177-7 on the board and then clinched the game by 27 runs. The good thing about this performance was that almost everyone contributed. On the batting front, opener Finn Allen smacked a wonderful 57 off 37 balls and was ably supported by Luke Georgeson (30 off 22 balls). Captain Michael Bracewell (27 off 17 balls) played a decent hand while a cameo of 17 off 11 balls from Logan van Beek towards the end pushed their total to above par.

Wellington’s bowling was expected to deliver and they didn’t disappoint with Hamish Bennett (2-30 off 4 overs) again doing a fine job at the start while Bracewell’s spell of 3-22 choked the opposition. Nathan Smith was expensive and went for 40 runs in his 4 overs but that’s not much of a worry as the Firebirds also have Logan van Beek to rely on. This is easily one of the most potent bowling outfits of the league.
 

Wellington Firebirds Predicted Playing XI:

Finn Allen (wk), Luke Georgeson, Nick Greenwood, Michael Bracewell (c), Tim Robinson, Jamie Gibson, Nathan Smith, Logan van Beek, Peter Younghusband, Ben Sears, Hamish Bennett

Wellington Firebirds Actual Playing XI:

Hamish Bennett, Nicholas Greenwood, Logan van Beek, Nathan Smith, Luke Georgeson, Finn Allen, Jamie Gibson, Peter Younghusband, Ben Sears, Tim Robinson, Troy Johnson

Central Stags Preview

The Central Stags showed their batting might in their first game of the season itself. While chasing an imposing target of 185 against Otago, they finished the game in just 19 overs with 5 wickets in hand. Their hero was Dane Cleaver who struck a magnificent 114 off 54 balls and never allowed Otago to be in the game. Opener Greg Hay’s 56 also came in handy. With the likes of skipper Tom Bruce, Bayley Wiggins, and Christian Leopard in their lineup, the Stags look pretty formidable.

Their bowling could have been better in the last game but they didn’t get much help from the wicket. However, while almost everyone else went for runs, Doug Bracewell (1-29 off 4 overs) and Seth Rance (1-33 off 4 overs) were impressive with their lengths. Left-arm spinner Jayden Lennox was economical as well and his performance will be crucial in this game.
 

Central Stags Predicted Playing XI:

Greg Hay, Bayley Wiggins, Dane Cleaver (wk), Ben Smith, Tom Bruce (c), Christian Leopard, Doug Bracewell, Ben Wheeler, Jayden Lennox, Blair Tickner, Seth Rance

Central Stags Actual Playing XI:

Dane Cleaver, Josh Clarkson, Ben Wheeler, Doug Bracewell, Jayden Lennox, Bayley Wiggins, Seth Rance, Blair Tickner, Christian Leopard, Greg Hay, Tom Bruce

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The wicket at Basin Reserve, Wellington usually stays true throughout the course of the game. While it does tend to slow down in the middle overs, this will be a fresh surface so expect it to remain hard for this match. Spinners will get some purchase but batters will shine.

The weather in Wellington will be cloudy and windy on the day of the match. Seamers can get some help too if it’s too cloudy at the start. 
 

Venue Details

The highest total at the Basin Reserve is 200-5 by Wellington. The average score by the team batting first, however, is 160. Totals above 190 have just been achieved thrice here while totals between 170 and 189 have been achieved 7 times. Expect the team batting first to post a total in the range of around 170-180 runs.

Toss: To Bat

The team winning the toss might be tempted to bat first as this is a true wicket and sides batting first have won 16 of the 28 games here.