Betbarter Vanuatu T10 Blast | Matchday 4 Preview, Form Guide, Predicted XI, Key Players

Form Guide

Mighty Efate Panthers  - W L W W

With three dominant wins in four matches, Mighty Efate Panthers have been the undisputed top side in the Betbarter Vanuatu T10 Blast thus far and after a minor blip against the Bulls on matchday 2, they bounced back in matchday 3 to assert their authority at the top of the table. Firing from all cylinders, the all-round display of the table-toppers has been a delight to watch so far and with them poised to play two games on Saturday, one win will be all they need to seal a birth in the final. And oh, obviously, they’re strongly favoured in both the encounters tomorrow.

Ifira Sharks - W L W L 

Ifira Sharks’ display in this tournament thus far has been pretty interesting - they’ve been at their best against the Bulls, winning both the H2H matches and in stark contrast, they’ve been at their worst versus the Panthers, getting obliterated at the hands of the table-toppers in both H2H clashes. With them primed to take on the Panthers on Saturday, a very tough matchday lies ahead of them, but given the Bulls are breathing down their neck, it would be imperative that the Blues somehow find a way to beat Panthers to put themselves in prime position to qualify for the final. 

MT Bulls - L W L L 

MT Bulls will head into matchday 4 in an extremely precarious position, with them having no option but to register a win versus the Panthers on Saturday to stay alive in the competition. One win in four games is never a pretty sight for any team, but they would, however, head into their clash against the Panthers on Saturday knowing that their only win of the season came against the table-toppers, in dramatic fashion on matchday 2. It’s ‘go big or go home’ for the Bulls and they would undoubtedly be hoping for some special individual performances.

Key Batsmen

ME Panthers - Joshu Rasu

An opener of the Virender Sehwag mould, Joshua Rasu has dismantled bowlers right from the word go and has set the tone up-front for the Panthers with his ruthless batting. With 114 runs to his name, Rasu is the second-highest run-scoring opener in this tournament and it was only a couple of games ago when he gave his opponents a glimpse of his true potential, striking a 29-ball 69 versus the Bulls. Him firing on Saturday, one would imagine, would automatically guarantee victory for the Panthers. Rasu is, undoubtedly, a major reason why the Panthers are being deemed as outright favourites.

Ifira Sharks - Nalin Nipiko

The term ‘scary good’ is often misused in cricket but Nalin Nipiko’s performance in this tournament thus far has been just that - scary good. With 139 runs to his name, the right-hander stands tall as the highest run-getter in the competition and on matchday 3, remarkably, he scored a total of 103 runs off just 39 balls. Thus far, he’s single-handedly kept his side alive in the tournament and now, the onus is on him to drag them into the final.

MT Bulls - Andrew Mansale

Skipper Mansale found his mojo back on matchday 3 versus the Sharks and for the Bulls to stand any chance of staying alive in the tournament, one would imagine that they would require a special performance from Mansale’s bat on Saturday. Thus far, with both bat and ball, Mansale has proved to be a crisis man and with his side’s back well and truly back against the wall, there would be no better time than on matchday 4 for the right-hander to go berserk. 

Key Bowlers

ME Panthers - Simpson Obed

Simpson Obed’s knack of striking in the very first over of the game has helped the Panthers hold their opponents by the scruff of their neck in all matches and thus it goes unsaid that the off-spinner will be their trump card, heading into matchday 4. A feature of his in this tournament has been his ability to knock over his opponent’s big fish - evident from him dismissing Nalin Nipiko on matchday 3 - thus one more strong Obed performance with the ball should pretty much seal a spot in the final for the Panthers. 

Ifira Sharks - Stephane Sandy

Matchday 3 saw Sharks’ Stephane Sandy imprint his name as one of the most underrated, valuable players of the tournament and the Blues’ future in the competition might very well rely on how the lanky off-spinner fares on Saturday. With an economy rate of 6.14, he’s strangled batsmen from overs 5-10 and for the Sharks to stand a chance of upsetting the Panthers on Saturday, Sandy would have to recreate the magic he produced versus the Bulls last week. 

MT Bulls - Darren Wotu

Darren Wotu, with his medium pacers, has silently been chipping in with the ball for the Bulls and has been one of their unsung heroes with the ball. On matchday 3, he remarkably conceded just 10 runs off his spell, despite the other bowlers allowing the Sharks to race off to a total of 108, and has often made it tricky for the batsmen at the death with his deceptive trundlers. Thus far, he has been unlucky, having not added too many scalps to his name, but for all we know, Saturday could be the day when everything falls into place for Wotu. 

When to watch

June 6, 2020, 7.30 AM IST -  MT Bulls vs ME Panthers

June 6, 2020, 9.30 AM IST - ME Panthers vs Ifira Sharks

Where to watch: You can catch the action on SportsCafe, official streaming partners for the Vanuatu T20 Blast.

Predicted XIs

ME Panthers: Joshua Rasu, Lazaro Carlot, Jarryd Allan, Wesley Viraliuliu, Simpson Obed, McMillan Markia, Shem Sala, Kendy Kenneth, Kenny Tari, Selwyn Garae, Tony Tamata

Ifira Sharks: Nalin Nipiko, William Yamak, Jamal Vira, Bethan Moli, Apolinaire Stephen, Niko Unavalu, Fernando Laumae, Vince Vira, Obed Yosef, Stephane Sandy, Amobong Rakau

MT Bulls: Patrick Matautaava, Andrew Mansale, Clement Tommy, Eddie Mansale, Philip Tsione, Nono Chilia, Godfrey Mangau, Rival Samson, Darren Wotu, Wamejo Wotu, Marcel Taea