Auckland Aces vs Otago Volts – Match 27

Match: Auckland Aces vs Otago Volts

Date: 1st February 2021

Place (venue): Eden Park Outer Oval, Auckland

Tournament: Super Smash 2020-21

Format: T20

Caption

Can Otago Volts overcome the bottom-placed Auckland Aces to boost their knockout hopes?

Key Stats

• Auckland Aces have one win in 7 matches of this season. They finally managed to win their last game against the Central Stags.
• Otago Volts are currently placed 5th  in the points table with 2 wins in 7 matches.
• In the last 5 outings between the two teams, both teams managed to win 2, while one match ended with no result.

Match Preview

In the final phase of the group stage of the Super Smash 2020-21, Auckland Aces will take on Otago Volts at Eden Park, Auckland. For the knockout stage, the Aces have to win all their remaining games (against Aces, Volts and Firebirds), while the Volts have to win all the games (against Kings, Aces and Knights) and hope Central Stags and Canterbury Kings lose with an inferior net run rate.

Auckland Aces finally won their first game against Central Stags at home by 17 runs. The Stags failed to chase a target of 200 runs set by the Aces. Mark Chapman and captain Robert O’Donnell scored blazing fifties for the Aces in the first innings. Ross ter Braak and Louis Delport took two wickets each to restrict the Stags to 182 for the loss of 7 wickets.

Otago Volts will be coming to the match with four straight losses in their last games. The Volts have not welcomed any national players in their team, the influence of which has been clearly seen in the outcomes of their recent games. Captain Jacob Duffy will be looking forward to winning this one to take the two-time champions to the knockout stage.

Auckland Aces Preview

The Aces will have high hopes that their star batsman Martin Guptil will give a solid start with their top scorer of this season, Sean Solia. Guptil has had a so-so season so far with 44 runs in the 3 games played, but his international experience can come in handy for this nail-biting match. Another New Zealand international Glenn Phillips has not clicked this season for the Aces. Though he scored 68 runs against Northern Knights, he has not reached a double-digit score in four out of the six games this season.

Captain O’Donnell will lead the middle order with Mark Chapman and wicket-keeper Ben Horne. O’Donnell scored 34 balls 61 runs with the help of 5 fours and 3 sixes in the last game against the Stags. Chapman, on the other hand, played a knock of 73 runs in 34 balls to help the Aces register their first win.

Kyle Jamieson will be teaming up with Ross ter Braak and Louis Delport in the bowling department. Jamieson has been economical since his return but hasn’t taken many wickets as expected from the management. Auckland should bring back their leading wicket-taker Daniel Ferns in their bowling attack instead of Benjamin Lister.

Here are the top batsmen and bowlers for Auckland Aces.

Key players for Auckland Aces: 

Auckland Aces Probable Playing XI: Robert O’Donnell (C), Martin Guptil, Sean Solia, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Ben Horne, Kyle Jamieson, Ross ter Braak, William Somerville, Louis Delport, Daniel Ferns.

Otago Volts Preview

Otago Volts are currently low on confidence after losing four games in a row. Having started their season with a win against the Aces, they lost their mojo to fall back to the fifth spot in the points table. Except for Neil Broom and Anaru Kitchen, their top and middle-order have failed to perform in the last matches. Captain Jacob Duffy has clearly failed to produce a captain’s performance in their last matches. With all these inconsistencies, it will be a hard battle for the Volts against the Aces.

Hamish Rutherford will be opening with Neil Broom – currently the leading run-scorer for the Volts. Broom has 197 runs in 7 games so far with a strike rate of 139.71. Little help from the other end will act as a catalyst for Broom to give an impressive start for the Aces. Anaru Kitchen has been in outstanding form for the Aces with 126 runs in the last 3 games. Mitchell McClenaghan is the only familiar face in the bowling department. The IPL champion will tie his hands with Nathan Smith and Matthew Bacon. Both McClenaghan and Bacon are sharing the leading wicket-taker spot for the Volts with 9 wickets each in 7 and 5 matches respectively.

Here are the top batsmen and bowlers for Otago Volts.

Top players for Otago Volts

Otago Volts Probable Playing XI

Jacob Duffy (C), Hamish Rutherford, Neil Broom, Nick Kelly, Josh Finnie, Dale Phillips, Anaru Kitchen, Michael Rippon, Nathan Smith, Max Chu, Mitchell McClenaghan.

Venue

The game will be played at Eden Park, Auckland. With a capacity of 41,000, Eden Park has a resemblance to a baseball ground.

Toss Info

In 24 T20s, the team batting second has won 12 times. The average first-innings score is 168, while the average second-innings score is 152. The team winning the toss should opt to field first.

Pitch and Weather Report

The pitch is spin-friendly and becomes slow under humid conditions. The maximum and minimum temperatures are predicted to be 24°C and 16 °C respectively, with a wind speed of 19 to 21 kph. No rain is expected on Monday as per the weather reports.

Our Prediction

Auckland Aces are high on confidence compared to Otago Volts. The recent form of the top order and the inclusion of Kyle Jamieson in the bowling department has been a big plus for Aces. The Volts, on the other hand, are lacking experience in saving the targets. Auckland Aces will emerge victorious against the Volts.

Prediction: Auckland Aces will defeat Otago Volts.

Disclaimer: Our match previews are fully researched but as per the nature of the game, anything is possible on the match day. You are advised to decide for yourself when betting on a team. Thanks.