We're back in the Super Smash competition after nearly a week off. The Wellington Firebirds will face the Otago Volts in the 19th match on January 6, 2022, at Wellington's Basin Reserve. Both teams are currently performing far below their potential and are at the bottom of the table. Wellington is in fifth place with eight points from five games, while Otago is in last place with six points from seven games.
In their previous match, Wellington defeated the same Otago side by five wickets with four deliveries to spare in Queenstown. They will try to do the same in the reverse fixture as well. Otago, on the other hand, lost their last game against the Aces by eight wickets with more than two overs to spare.
Both teams have many holes to fill as they consider making changes to their starting lineups. The Firebirds have called up Jakob Bhula, a young batter of Indian origin, to the squad for this game. However, the rest of the teams for both should be the same as they were in their previous match.
Otago is desperate to win this game and gain some sort of momentum going forward in the tournament, as are their opponents. If they do not win tomorrow, their tournament progress may be halted. As a result, it's critical to start the season again after a break with a victory.
It will be an enthralling contest between these two teams as they look to climb up the ladder. Will the Firebirds win and make the double for this season or will the Volts come in the way and stop the Firebirds from winning?
Match Details
Wellington Firebirds vs Otago Volts- 19th Match
Date and Time: January 06, 2022, 7:10 AM IST
Venue: Basin Reserve, Wellington
Broadcast: Fan Code
Pitch Report
The Basin Reserve pitch will help the seamers early on but if the batters can stay positive enough they can score runs here. 165 should be the average first innings total. Toss-winning captain usually likes to chase here.
Weather Conditions
According to forecasts, there might be some rain during the match and will remain cloudy most of the time.
Probable Playing XI
Wellington Firebirds
Finn Allen (wk), Jakob Bhula, Michael Bracewell(c), Troy Johnson, Jimmy Neesham, Nathan Smith, Peter Younghusband, Hamish Bennett, Ben Sears, Logan van Beek, Jamie Gibson.
Otago Volts
Hamish Rutherford (c), JJ Tasman-Jones, Neil Broom, Anaru Kitchen, Max Chu (wk), Nick Kelly, Llew Johnson, Angus McKenzie, Matthew Bacon, Jacob Duffy, Beckham Wheeler-Greenall.
CE Fantasy XI
Hamish Rutherford, Anaru Kitchen, Matthew Bacon, Nick Kelly, Logan van Beek, Jimmy Neesham, Michael Bracewell, Nathan Smith, Ben Sears
Captain- Finn Allen
Vice-Captain- Neil Broom