New Zealand T20 League

18th Match: OTA vs WEL

Preview

Match 18 of the ongoing New Zealand T10 League will be the clash between OTA and WEL. The match will take place at the University of Otago Oval. 

The Otago side are occupying the fifth spot in the points table with just one win, two losses, one draw and a game with no result in their first five matches. 

The Otago franchise have match-winners in their team and they will surely get motivated if they beat the in-form Wellington side in this encounter. Also, they are playing on their home ground which is an added advantage for their side. 

Dean Foxcroft is leading the run-scoring chart in this competition and is the best top-order batter to look for in this encounter. Jacob Duffy took 2-27 versus the Auckland side and his pace bowling is an emphatic choice for the Otago franchise to be the leading wicket-taker in this match.

On the other side, the Wellington side are in the second spot with three wins and one loss and an NR match. 

Wellington got off to an outstanding start in this season of their league, though their progress has been affected by bad weather and a defeat. They are at their best and just need to stay this motivated to get another 4 points in this match and climb up to the top of the leaderboard. 

Their side consists of Rachin Ravindra who drafted 113 runs off 102 deliveries at the University of Otago Oval against OTA earlier this week and we are supporting him to be Wellington’s highest run-getter in this match. Logan van Beek is a genius with the ball and has four wickets in the tournament.  He is our best bowler for Wellington against Otago in this match and is a must-pick for the playing XI.

Match Details

Match: OTA vs WEL, 18th Match, New Zealand T20 League

Date: Sunday, January 15, 2023

Time: 07:10 AM 

Venue: University Oval, Dunedin

Pitch & Weather Report

There is a surplus chance of scoring runs on this pitch with batters competent in trusting the pace and consistency of the bounce. We anticipate a par score of around 180 in the first innings.

The weather is expected to be partly cloudy but warm throughout the match time with a temperature of around 25 degrees Celsius. It will be quite moist in during the entire period of the match.

OTA vs WEL Squads

OTA: Hamish Rutherford (c), Thorn Parkes (wk), Dale Phillips, Dean Foxcroft, Josh Finnie, Llew Johnson, Jake Gibson, Michael Rippon, Michael Rae, Ben Lockrose, Matthew Bacon, Andrew Hazeldine, Jarrod McKay

WEL: Callum McLachlan (wk), Peter Younghusband (c), Devan Vishvaka, Nick Kelly, Rachin Ravindra, Troy Johnson, Nathan Smith, Ollie Newton, Tim Robinson, Logan van Beek, Adam Milne, Michael Snedden, Luke Georgeson

OTA vs WEL Probable XIs

OTA: Hamish Rutherford (c), Dale Phillips, Dean Foxcroft, Josh Finnie, Thorn Parkes (wk), Llew Johnson, Jake Gibson, Jacob Duffy, Michael Rae, Ben Lockrose, Matthew Bacon

WEL: Devan Vishvaka, Nick Kelly, Rachin Ravindra, Troy Johnson, Nathan Smith, Ollie Newton, Tim Robinson, Callum McLachlan (wk), Logan van Beek, Peter Younghusband (c)

Match Prediction

We are foreseeing a close call at the University of Otago Oval and wish to see both teams drafting a total of 170 plus. The match at Wellington between these two sides was equally a thriller on Christmas Eve when the accurate bowlers of WEL made all the difference. We are again backing the Wellington side to come out on top again with Rachin Ravindra and Logan van Beek being successful to stop Otago’s hard-hitters from scoring something big.  

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