NK vs WF 7th Match Prediction

NK vs WF Team Previews

Northern Knights

The Knights had an excellent start to the season as they defeated Canterbury, which is currently at the top of the points table, in the opening match. With 4 points in their kitty, the Knights are 4th on the table, 1 point behind Wellington.

Scott Kuggeleijn and Kristian Clarke bowled fantastically well to pick up 4 wickets each and bowled Canterbury out for 176 runs. Chasing a modest target, Katene Clarke and Tim Seifert got their team off to a steady start. The target for the Knights was reduced to 122 off 27 overs due to rain, and they achieved that in the 18th over itself with 8 wickets to spare.

Jeet Raval, who was the top-scorer for the Knights last season, looked in good touch as he scored an unbeaten 26. With the India tour of New Zealand now over, we might see Mitchell Santner back into the squad for a few games, and that should provide a huge boost to the team’s prospects. 

Wellington Firebirds

The Firebirds weren’t off to the best of starts as they faltered in the opening game played against Canterbury. However, they played well in the second match, defeating the Central Districts, and are currently 3rd on the points table.

Ollie Newton bowled a superb spell, taking 6 wickets for 33 runs in the game against the Central Districts, and is currently to leading wicket-taker of the tournament. Along with Newton, Logan van Beek and Michael Snedden too have bowled tight spells and will ask tough questions to the Knights’ batsmen. Ollie Netwon has also been good with the bat, making him a reliable all-round option for Wellington.

Nick Kelly and Tom Blundell have scored a half-century each, but haven’t been consistent so far. The form of the lower-order batsmen remains a cause of concern for Wellington.