Wellington Firebirds vs Northern Districts, SST20, Today Match Prediction

WELL vs ND Match Prediction & Analysis

Wellington Firebirds will take on Northern Knights in the 37th game of Super Smash 2024-25 at Basin Reserve, Wellington on 30th January 2025 at 8:55 am. Super Smash is nearing the playoff stage with a few sides - Canterbury Magicians and Otago Volts, having already completed the league stage games. This will be the last league game for both the Northern Knights and Wellington Firebirds.

Northern Knights, with 20 points in 9 games, have already qualified for the playoff and are currently placed second in the points table. Wellington Firebirds, on the other hand, suffered 5 losses in the 9 games and are currently placed 5th among 6 teams. A win in this game will take the Firebirds into the playoffs. It’s a do-or-die game for the Wellington Firebirds.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

WELL

W W L L W

AUCK

150/6 in 20.0 7.5

SST20

Wellington Firebirds beat Auckland Aces by 6 wickets 27 Jan 2025

WELL

152/4 in 19.2 7.86

CANT

136/10 in 18.5 7.22

SST20

Wellington Firebirds beat Canterbury Kings by 31 runs 24 Jan 2025

WELL

167/10 in 20.0 8.35

WELL

153/8 in 20.0 7.65

SST20

Canterbury Kings beat Wellington Firebirds by 11 runs 22 Jan 2025

CANT

164/7 in 20.0 8.2

WELL

162/10 in 17.2 9.35

SST20

Auckland Aces beat Wellington Firebirds by 53 runs 20 Jan 2025

AUCK

215/3 in 20.0 10.75

OV

153/10 in 18.5 8.13

SST20

Wellington Firebirds beat Otago Volts by 33 runs 18 Jan 2025

WELL

186/3 in 20.0 9.3

ND

L W L W W

CANT

175/7 in 20.0 8.75

SST20

Canterbury Kings beat Northern Districts by 56 runs 28 Jan 2025

ND

119/9 in 20.0 5.95

ND

146/6 in 17.3 8.34

SST20

Northern Districts beat Otago Volts by 4 wickets 25 Jan 2025

OV

143/7 in 20.0 7.15

ND

142/8 in 20.0 7.1

SST20

Canterbury Kings beat Northern Districts by 23 runs 19 Jan 2025

CANT

165/9 in 20.0 8.25

OV

204/8 in 20.0 10.2

SST20

Northern Districts beat Otago Volts by 8 runs 16 Jan 2025

ND

212/2 in 20.0 10.6

AUCK

187/5 in 20.0 9.35

SST20

Northern Districts beat Auckland Aces by 5 wickets

13 Jan 2025

ND

193/5 in 19.1 10.07

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Wellington Firebirds Preview

Wellington Firebirds have done well to stay alive in the series after 5 losses in the first 7 games. They have 2 consecutive victories in their last 2 games, which has kept the hopes for playoffs alive. Is it too late, or can Wellington get a win in their last game against Northern Knights to qualify for the playoffs?

Wellington Firebirds have played 9 games so far, losing 5 of them. With 16 points in 9 games, Wellington Firebirds are currently placed 5th in the points table, with a not-so-bad net run rate of -0.115. Wellington Firebirds are among the three teams in this competition to have suffered five losses in the league stage so far. Mind you, it has been a tightly fought season with almost every team having a chance to qualify for the playoffs with one game to go.

The Firebirds started the season with a 6-wicket loss against their current opponents, the Northern Knights. Batting first, Wellington Firebirds scored 116 for 8 in 20 overs. Gareth Severin and Nick Greenwood, batting in the lower middle order, helped them reach a respectable score. In defense, Wellington Firebirds conceded 60 runs in the first 5 overs, which is where they lost the game. Despite taking 4 wickets, Northern Knights got over the line in the 19th over with 6 wickets to spare.

The Firebirds managed a win against Central Stags by 11 runs in their second game, followed by a defeat to the same opponent by 6 wickets in the third game. Later, they played Otago Volts twice, winning and losing once each. The same thing happened against Canterbury, where they won and lost a game. Against Auckland Aces, they lost their first game by 53 runs, but in the last game, they defeated Auckland Aces by 6 wickets. Wellington Firebirds can take a heart in the fact that they are still alive in the competition and a win here will take them into the playoffs. They have not lost to the same side twice in this competition. The previous head-to-head encounter against Northern Knights ended in a loss for the Wellington Firebirds. Can they maintain their record this season and defeat the Northern Knights to enter the playoffs?

Key players: Nick Kelly, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Ben Sears

WELL Over/Under Betting Tips

Wellington Firebirds Predicted Playing XI:

Rachin Ravindra, Jesse Tashkoff, Nick Kelly (c), Muhammad Abbas, Tom Blundell (wk), Michael Bracewell, Gareth Severin, Nathan Smith, Peter Younghusband, Ben Sears, Michael Snedden

Northern Districts Preview

Northern Knights have done well so far with 4 wins in 9 games despite losing 2 games to rain. With 20 points in 9 games and a game to go, they are currently placed second in the points table with a net run rate of minus 0.564. The Knights are already through to the playoffs.

After the first game against Auckland Aces was abandoned, Northern Knights got their first win against their current opponent Wellington Firebirds by 6 wickets with 10 balls remaining. In the next game against table-toppers Central Stags, the Knights lost by 64 runs. But they gathered themselves and followed the loss with a couple of wins against Auckland Hearts by 5 wickets and against Otago Volts by a small margin of 8 runs.

Northern Knights lost a bit of form towards the end stage of the league, as they have 2 defeats in the last four games with one no-result. Their last win came against Otago Volts by 4 wickets with 15 balls remaining. Bowling first, Northern Knights restricted Otago Volts for 143 runs. Kristian Clarke was the peak of the bowlers, taking 2 wickets for 22 runs in 3 overs. In the response, Northern Knights got over the line with 4 wickets to spare.

In batting, Katene Clarke leads the table with 350 runs in the last 10 matches at an average of 35 and a strike rate of 131.08, followed by Robert O'Donnell who has 225 runs in the last 8 matches at an average of 37.5 and a strike rate of 141.05. The bowling is pretty much dependent on Kristian Clarke who has 12 wickets in the last 9 games at a superb strike rate of 15.5. This is a great chance for another Knights to end the league stage on a high and go into the playoff as a confident unit.

Key players: Katene D Clarke, Mitchell Santner, Kristian Clarke, Neil Wagner

Northern Districts Predicted Playing XI:

Katene D Clarke, Joe Carter, Ben Pomare (wk), Robert ODonnell, Mitchell Santner, Brett Hampton, Jeet Raval (c), Kristian Clarke, Neil Wagner, Frederick Walker, Matthew Fisher

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The weather on the match day at Basin Reserve, Wellington is expected to be breezy and pleasant with a mix of sun and clouds. The temperature will range between 22°C and a low of 18°C. There is no significant chance of rain making it an ideal day for a cricket match.

WELL vs ND Pitch Report

The venue of the match is Basin Reserve, Wellington. It is one of the oldest cricket grounds in New Zealand, established way back in 19th century in 1868. It is also known as the spiritual home of New Zealand cricket, having hosted several tests, ODIs, and T20 international matches. This is the venue for Brendan McCallum's Triple Century in 2014. The venue also hosts domestic cricket, especially in Super Smash, and is a home venue for Wellington Firebirds. The venue has a seating capacity of approximately 11,600 spectators.

Total Over/Under Betting Tips

Toss: To Bat

A total of four matches have been played at Basin Reserve in this season of Super Smash. Barring the first game won by Central Stags batting second, the rest of the three games have been won by the teams batting first. The team winning the toss should bat first here.