OV vs NK Eleminatory Final Match Prediction

OV vs NK Team Previews

Otago Volts

The Otago Volts didn’t have the best of starts to the season as they lost both their opening matches in the competition. However, they made a strong comeback, winning 5 of their next 6 games, and played a tie to secure their spot in the playoffs.

However, they did falter in their latest match, facing a huge defeat against the table-toppers, the Canterbury Kings.

Captain Hamish Rutherford hasn’t been in the best of forms with the bat but has led his team well, making changes with the ball as well as in the field at the right time to keep his team on the top of their game. He will however hope to put up a good opening stand with Jake Gibson. The latter scored his second half-century of the season in the previous match, albeit for a losing cause.

Dean Foxcroft has been phenomenal at the number-3 slot and will surely hope to score more runs in this crucial match. Max Chu and Josh Finnie haven’t been in the best of forms this season but Llew Johnson has managed to get important runs lower down the order.

Matthew Bacon and Michael Rae have done a good job with the new ball, picking up 27 wickets between them, and will once again play an important role here, while the spin department will be taken care of by Foxcroft, Ben Lockrose, and Travis Muller. 

Northern Knights

The Braves were a bit unlucky this season because as many as 3 of their matches were washed away due to rains. This meant that their fate hung in balance right until their last match at the group stage. However, a win against the Central Stags ensured that there were no hiccups and they still have a chance to defend their title.

The team will depend on Katene Clarke and Tim Seifert to give them a good start as both have been in pretty good form this season. Captain Jeet Raval too has got runs under his belt and will lend strength to the middle order along with Joe Carter.

However, Henry Cooper and the all-rounders Scott Kuggeleijn, and Brett Hampton have struggled with the bat. Kuggeleijn and Hampton however have done well with the ball, picking up 8 wickets each, while Neil Wagner was among the wicket-takers in the last match and will be hoping to build up on that form.

In the spin department, Tim Pringle has picked up 7 wickets but has received limited support from Joe Walker and Frederick Walker. Overall, the Braves have lacked consistency in their performance this season and will need to work harder if they want to set up a date with the Canterbury Kings on Saturday.