Wellington Firebirds vs Otago Volts, SS T20 2021, Today Match Prediction 06 January 2022

wf vs ov Match Prediction & Analysis

The bottom two teams of the season - Wellington Firebirds and Otago Volts – will get a chance for redemption as they face off against each other as the tournament resumes after the New Year’s break. Wellington is currently 5th on the table with 2 wins and 3 losses in 5 games and a net run rate of -0.256. Otago, meanwhile, has just a single win from 7 games along with 5 losses and a net run rate of -1.049. The two teams have faced each other once this season where Wellington emerged victorious by 5 wickets.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Wellington Firebirds Preview

Before the break, Wellington’s last game was against Otago which they won comfortably by 5 wickets. Chasing a target of 167, Wellington reached there with 4 balls to spare. Tim Robinson’s 65 and Nathan Smith’s unbeaten 38 off 18 balls were the highlights of the chase for Wellington. The team’s batting has been poor so far with only Robinson showing some sort of consistency. Finn Allen is getting those starts but needs to get that one big one. Skipper Michael Bracewell has struggled but the coming of all-rounder James Neesham gives the batting unit some hope.

Wellington’s bowling has been in better shape with Hamish Bennett (5 wickets at 8.11), Logan van Beek (6 wickets at 7.61), and Ben Sears (7 wickets at 8.77) doing a good job. Leg-spinner Peter Younghusband has only got 3 wickets, but he’s been economical going at 7.07. The addition of James Neesham to the bowling attack will only help the team.
 

Wellington Firebirds Predicted Playing XI:

Finn Allen (wk), Logan van Beek, Troy Johnson, Michael Bracewell (c), James Neesham, Nathan Smith, Jamie Gibson, Tim Robinson, Peter Younghusband, Ben Sears, Hamish Bennett

Wellington Firebirds Actual Playing XI:

Finn Allen, Logan van Beek, Nathan Smith, Hamish Bennett, Jamie Gibson, Peter Younghusband, Michael Bracewell, Jakob Bhula, James Neesham, Tim Robinson, Troy Johnson

Otago Volts Preview

Otago has now lost 4 matches in a row, the last of those coming against Auckland Aces at John Davies Oval, Queenstown. After opting to bat first, they could only post 129-9 on the board and Auckland chased the target in just 17.1 overs with 8 wickets remaining. Otago’s batting has been poor. Captain Hamish Rutherford has led from the front with 182 runs at a strike rate of 135.82. But the others haven’t offered him much support. Nick Kelly did score a fine 58 off 39 balls in the last match and would be hoping to continue that form. Neil Broom (107 runs at a strike rate of 99.07) really needs to step up now.

On the bowling front, Otago’s chief performers have been Michael Rippon (8 wickets at 8.52), Anaru Kitchen (6 wickets at 6.44), and Matthew Bacon (6 wickets at 8.90). Off-spinner Beckham Wheeler-Greenall played only one match this season but did show promise.
 

Otago Volts Predicted Playing XI:

Hamish Rutherford (c), JJ Tasman-Jones, Neil Broom, Nick Kelly, Llew Johnson, Anaru Kitchen, Max Chu (wk), Michael Rippon, Beckham Wheeler-Greenall, Jacob Duffy, Matthew Bacon

Otago Volts Actual Playing XI:

Jacob Duffy, Angus McKenzie, Neil Broom, Beckham Wheeler Greenall, Tasman Jones, Anaru Kitchen, Llew Johnson, Matthew Bacon, Hamish Rutherford, Max chu, Nick Kelly

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at Basin Reserve is a good T20 surface. It’s not a batting paradise and does offer some bounce and movement to the seamers. Batters, however, will enjoy the first few overs when it’s hard.

The weather at Wellington on the day of the match is going to be windy and cloudy.
 

Venue Details

The average score batting first at Basin Reserve is 160. The highest total on the venue this season has been the 190-4 scored by Central Stags. Scores between 170 and 189 have been achieved on 7 occasions here. The team batting first in this match will be looking to set a target of around 180 runs, a safe bet with the betting apps in India.

Toss: To Bat

In this season, out of the 3 games played at Basin Reserve, 2 have been won by the team batting first. The team winning the toss is likely to bat first in this match.