AA vs OV Match Prediction & Betting Tips - Jan 02, 2023
The bottom two teams in the current season of Super Smash will face each other for the second time on Monday in a bid to improve their standing on the points table.
The Auckland Aces are at the bottom of the table with a win and a loss from their two matches, while the Otago Volts, who too have managed to win just 1 of their 3 outings, are a step above due to a better NRR.
AA vs OV Team Previews
Auckland Aces
The Aces began their campaign with a 4-wicket win over Canterbury, but were defeated by Otago in their last match played earlier this week.
Facing a modest target of 166, the Aces were rattled by the superb bowling of all-rounder Dean Foxcroft, who picked up 5 wickets for just 11 runs. The squad is sorely missing the services of Glenn Phillips, as the batting lineup appears to be hugely underpowered at this stage.
George Worker did get a decent start in the last match but failed to convert it into a match-winning performance while fellow southpaws Sean Solia and Mark Chapman were dismissed cheaply. However, as both of them have all-round abilities, we can expect them to contribute more going forward.
Ben Lister has picked up 4 wickets so far and has received good support from Lockie Ferguson and Adithya Ashok, who have picked up 2 wickets each. This however might be the last match for Ferguson as he departs to join the national team in Pakistan for the ODI seris.
Auckland Aces Playing 11
George Worker, Cole Briggs, Mark Chapman, Robert O'Donnell, William O'Donnell, Sean Solia, Ben Horne, Louis Delport, Lockie Ferguson, Benjamin Lister, Adithya Ashok.
Otago Volts
After two consecutive losses to start the season, the Otago Volts finally managed to get their first points by defeating the Aces in the last match.
Hamish Rutherford and Thorn Parkes gave the team a solid foundation, which was built upon by the middle order. Dean Foxcroft came up with a brilliant all-round effort, scoring 44 runs and taking a fifer to give his team a memorable victory. Michael Rae picked up 3 wickets while Michael Rippon bowled a tight spell to ensure that the Aces never really had a chance to overcome the target.
The biggest letdown for the Volts so far has been its top-order batting. Llew Johnson, Hamish Rutherford, and Thorn Parkes have shown some flashes of brilliance but haven’t played substantial innings so far, while Josh Finnie is having a terrible time in the middle.
With two of its top players, Jacob Duffy and Glen Phillips likely to miss this season due to international duties, the Volts will need other players to step up to move up on the table.
Otago Volts Playing 11
Hamish Rutherford, Matthew Bacon, Jacob Duffy, Joshua Finnie, Dean Foxcroft, Jake Gibson, Llew Johnson, Benjamin Lockrose, Dale Phillips, Michael Rae, Thorn Parkes.
AA vs OV Toss Prediction
The team winning the toss will be looking to bowl first here.
Read our guide on toss predictions to learn how we analyze and come up with our tips.
Pitch and Conditions
The Eden Park Outer Oval has a flat track, making it easy to score runs due to the good bounce on offer. The shorter dimensions of the ground mean that we can expect plenty of boundaries. The bowlers will find some assistance early on but overall it is the batsmen who will prevail.
The average first innings score here is 170.
The weather is expected to remain overcast with strong gusts of wind. The temperature will range from 18 to 22 degrees Celsius.
AA vs OV Betting Tips
The Volts had a disastrous start to the tournament but managed to make a strong comeback in the last match. The team’s all-rounders, Dean Foxcroft and Michael Rippon have been performing pretty well while Rutherford and Parkes seem to be regaining some form.
On the other hand, the Aces’ batting looks severely lacking at the moment. In the bowling department too, the home team appears to be much weaker. While the odds offered for a home win are shorter, we think it is worth taking the risk by backing the underdogs here.
Bet on the Otago Volts to win.
Bonus Cricket Bets
Ever since his return to New Zealand after the Covid restrictions were lifted, Dean Foxcroft has been in superb form across all formats of the game. He has scored 129 runs in 3 matches this season and his average is 43. He scored 44 runs in the last match played against the Aces and will be eager to emulate that performance on the short ground at Auckland. Therefore we are recommending an Over bet here.
We are eager to know what you think of our match predictions, if there is anything we can do better or if you want to let us know your own predictions for the match.