CS vs NK Match Preview

Schmulian is now the leading scorer for the Stags as well as the tournament with 324 runs. Ben Smith finally demonstrated his true potential as well, belting out 145 runs in just 119 deliveries. The other top-order batsmen, including Dane Cleaver and Will Young, are in good touch too and will be hoping to contribute more towards the success of their team.

Thanks to some excellent batting by the top-order batsmen, the lower middle-order hasn’t been tested enough this season. The pace attack is spearheaded by Brett Randell, who picked up a fifer in the last match and is now the leading wicket-taker this season.

He will be supported by Raymond Toole. The spin department however seems to be a bit lacking at the moment as Ajaz Patel hasn’t been in the best of forms.

After facing a defeat against the Stags during their first encounter, the Knights made a strong comeback in their latest match and defeated the Otago Volts quite convincingly. Opting to bowl first, the Knights restricted the Volts to just 222 thanks to some sharp bowling by the seamers as well as the spinners.

Kristian Clarke picked up a 3-wicket haul to take his total tally for the season to 14 wickets and was well supported by Scott Kuggeleijn, Peter Drysdale, and Frederick Walker. Katene Clarke and Tim Seifert were once again superb at the top of the order, putting up a 148-run opening stand to build a solid foundation for the chase, while Henry Carter gave the finishing touches to hand the team a thumping 7-wicket win.

The form of Jeet Raval and Joe Carter however is a bit of a concern as barring a couple of good innings, they haven’t been consistent. Brett Hampton has the makings of being a reliable all-rounder but he will have to put in a few better performances. 

Weather Report

There are chances of rain here on Monday which may lead to delays and interruptions. The skies will remain overcast with temperatures ranging from 23 to 26 degrees Celsius. 

Pitch Report

The McLean Park Stadium in Napier is one of the best tracks to bat on in New Zealand. The pitch is flat and offers good bounce to the batsmen. The average first-inning score here is around 260. However, the pitch tends to slow down a bit as the game progresses and the spinners will come into action due to the turn on offer.

Notable stats

Katene Clarke’s Excellent Strike Rate

Katene Clarke is in prime form this season and has played well for the Northern Knights at the top of the order. He has scored 245 runs so far at an excellent strike rate of 112.38.

Team News

Both teams are coming into this contest on the back of victories and with no injuries to report, we expect to see an unchanged eleven from both sides. 

 

CS vs NK Probable 11

CS Playing 11

  • Ben Smith
  • Brad Schmulian
  • Will Young
  • Dane Cleaver (C)
  • William Clark
  • Josh Clarkson
  • Angus Schaw
  • Brett Randell
  • Raymond Toole
  • Ajaz Patel
  • Liam Dudding

NK Playing 11

  • Katene Clarke
  • Tim Seifert (Wk)
  • Jeet Raval (C)
  • Joe Carter
  • Henry Cooper
  • Brett Hampton
  • Scott Kuggeleijn
  • Kristian Clarke
  • Peter Drysdale
  • Neil Wagner
  • Frederick Walker
This is not the official playing 11 for the match. This is a prediction of the expected playing 11 for each team based on the writers analysis.

Dream11 Prediction

We are backing the Central Stags to win this game. They have been clinical in their performance so far and have already defeated the Knights earlier this season. They have had a long break which would have helped them get some rest and they will take the field with a positive frame of mind. Playing in home conditions will also be a bonus for them. 

 

Top Picks

Brad Schmulian: Brett Schmulian has scored 324 runs so far and is the leading run-scorer for this season. He has a batting average of 40.50 and has also scored 3 half-centuries so far.

Brett Randell: Brett Randell has picked up 16 wickets this season in 7 matches and has a bowling strike rate of 22.7. He picked up a fifer in the last match and will be looking to put up a similar performance this time around.

Tim Seifert: Tim Seifert has been pretty reliable for the Northern Knights at the top of the order. He has scored 264 runs so far at an average of 44.00 and 102.32. 

 

CS vs NK Dream11 Team 1

Keeper: T Seifert (VC), D Cleaver

Batters: B Smith, H Cooper, K Clarke

All-rounders: B Hampton, KClarke (C), B Schmullian

Bowlers: N Wagner, B Randell, S Kuggeleijn

CS vs NK Dream11 Prediction - OCB Team Prediction