Wellington Firebirds vs Northern District Match Prediction

Match 13 of the Ford Trophy springs us with a rematch of Match number 6 as Wellington Firebirds take on Northern District at the Basin Reserve in Wellington. The match is scheduled to start at 3:30 AM IST on December 14. With both teams within a couple of points of each other, not only will the result of the match have huge implications on their fortunes, but it will also impact other teams who are vying for a place in the final of the Ford Trophy.

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Wellington Firebirds vs Northern District Chance of Winning

Wellington started their campaign on the worst possible note as they were handily beaten by Canterbury by 102 runs. They fought back valiantly against Central District to get on the board with a 50 run win. Next up they played their next opponents Northern District for the first time this season and it was the Firebirds who came out on top with another 50-run margin. However, they failed to keep the momentum going as they fell to Central District in their next game by five wickets.

After securing a win against Canterbury in Match 5 of the Ford Trophy, Northern District came up against an inspired Wellington side that relegated them to a 50 run defeat. However, a well fought two wicket win against defending champions Auckland saw them rise in the table yet again. They seemed to be well on their way to securing another win against Auckland before the Rain Gods interfered and the game had to be called off and the points shared.

The bookmakers have taken the previous game into account by the looks of it and have handed Wellington the title of favorites for the game. Melbet has offered odds of 1.73 for a Wellington win which equates to implied odds of 57.80%. Northern District, who have not lost a game since the defeat to Wellington, will payout at odds of 2.104. This leaves the implied probability for Northern District to pull off the win at 47.53%.

Our Prediction

This is closer than one can imagine. Even though Northern District have been on the tear since losing to Wellington, the Melbet have named Wellington as the favorites for the game. However, we predict that there will be an upset in this one considering how well Northern District have performed in their last three games. Wellington’s bowlers are going to be a problem for Northern District but their batter might not be able to handle what is coming their way either.

• Wellington Firebirds to win @ 1.73 (Melbet)
• Northern District to win @ 2.104 (Melbet)

Wellington Firebirds vs Northern District Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2022

Starting the season with the loss to Canterbury, Wellington bounced back with a fire within them. Even though their batters have not been upto the mark in the Ford trophy so far this season, the bowlers have excelled well and beyond expectations. Even when the batting unit put up a mere 170 runs against Central District, Ollie Newton’s six-fer was enough to help Wellington secure a 50 run win. In the game against Northern District, it appeared that the batters were going to do their part as they put on a commendable 270 runs in a 50 run win, but that proved to be a false dawn as bundled out for 79 in the next game against Canterbury. Their bowlers still tried to make a game out of it by reducing their opponents to 14/3 at one point, but the score was too low to be defended as Canterbury emerged as the victors with five wickets in hand.

After their first game of the season was rescheduled due to a wet outfield, Northern District started their campaign with a win against Canterbury. However, that was quickly followed by a loss against Wellington with Rachin Ravindra’s knock of 99 from just 105 deliveries proving to be the difference. Against Auckland in the next match, the bowling department stood tall and bundled out the Aces for just 186 runs. The batters showed some fight in the face of adversity as Joe Carter’s fighting half century was followed by a quick knock from Scott Kuggeleijn to seal a two wicket win. They looked to be well on their way on completing a double over Auckland, in the rescheduled game, but the game was called off due to rain with just 14.4 overs bowled in the second innings.

Wellington Firebirds vs Northern District Match Toss Prediction

Out of the last six games that have been played at the Basin Reserve in the Ford Trophy, the toss winner has opted to field first four times while twice the captain has decided to wield the willow first. On every single occasion barring one, the team that has won the toss has gone on to lose the game. The only exception to this was when Wellington decided to field first against Canterbury last season and chased down a target of 219 with three wickets to spare.

Weather Report

According to World Weather Online, there is no chance of rain interrupting play at the Basin Reserve on December 14. The lowest the temperature might go during the duration of the game is around 18C while the maximum is likely to be 21C. All in all a great day for cricket in the Ford Trophy.

Wellington Firebirds Player List

Wellington squad:

Tom Blundell (w), Rachin Ravindra, Troy Johnson(c), Nick Kelly, Tim Robinson, Lauchie Johns, Luke Georgeson, Logan van Beek, Peter Younghusband, Ollie Newton, Michael Snedden, Ian McPeake, Ben Sears, Adam Milne, Finn Allen, Jakob Bhula, Nathan Smith

Wellington Predicted XI:

Tom Blundell	Batsman and Wicketkeeper
Rachin Ravindra	All-rounder
Troy Johnson (C)	Batsman
Nick Kelly	Batsman
Tim Robinson	Batsman
Lauchie Johns	Batsman
Logan van Beek	All-rounder
Adam Milne	All-rounder
Ollie Newton	Bowler
Ben Sears	Bowler
Michael Snedden	Bowler

Wellington Firebirds Team Form

Two wins sandwiched between two losses is not a bad start to a tournament by any stretch of the imagination. However, we are sitting here wondering what this team would look like if their batsman could actually put up some runs on the board. They have been named favorites by the bookmakers so it will be interesting to see if they can live upto the tag.

Northern District Player List

Northern Districts squad:

Katene Clarke, Tim Seifert, Jeet Raval (c), Bharat Popli, Henry Cooper, Brett Hampton, Scott Kuggeleijn, Kristian Clarke, Neil Wagner, Tim Pringle, Peter Drysdale, Scott Johnson, Joe Carter, Matt Fisher, Zak Gibson, Tim Pringle, Fred Walker, Joe Walker, Anurag Verma

Northern District Predicted XI:

Katene Clarke	Batter
Tim Seifert	Wicket-keeper batter
Jeet Raval (C)	Batter
Joe Carter	Batter
Henry Cooper	Batter
Brett Hampton	All-rounder
Scott Kuggeleijn	All-rounder
Tim Pringle	Bowler
Neil Wagner	Bowler
Kristian Clarke	Bowler
Joe Walker	Bowler

Northern District Team Form

They might be third on the table right now with just two wins in four games, but make no mistake, this is the team on the rise right now. Had the match against Auckland carried on for another five overs, they would have been well ahead of the DLS rate. That would have meant that they could have started this game sitting second on the table. Wellington are going to have their hands full with this team at the Basin Reserve.

Wellington Firebirds vs Northern District Head to Head

When it comes to List A cricket, Wellington and Northern District have faced off in a head to head contest 52 times. Wellington hold the better record right now winning 31 of these games as compared to Northern District’s 20. The remaining game was a no result. The last match between the two sides ended in a 50 run win for Wellington.

Wellington Firebirds vs Northern District Betting Odds

Wellington to have the higher opening partnership

This is a no brainer. If you have been following our tips, this is one that has paid of every single time this season. While the Wellington batters have been, for the lack of a better word, terrible so far, their bowlers have been the opposite. In the first game of the season against Canterbury, the bowlers got the first wicket with just four runs on the board as compared to the 41 scored by Wellington. In the next game the batters scored just three runs but Ollie Newton scalped Brad Schmulian’s wicket with just one run on the board. The next game against Northern District was the only time that they allowed a team to score double digits for the opening partnership but even then Wellington’s 31 was better than Northern District’s 27. In the last match against Canterbury, it was business as usual as the first wicket fell for just nine runs.

Wellington Firebirds vs Northern District Top Team Batsmen

Rachin Ravindra to be Wellington Firebirds’ top batsman

There really is no one else to pick from when it comes to the Wellington Firebirds apart from Rachin Ravindra. The 23 year old scored his second List A century when he piled on a cool 105 against Northern District in the last head to head match between the sides. In a Wellington batting lineup where runs are difficult to come by, he is by far the best option for the top batter.

Brett Hampton to be Northern District’ top batter

Against a team that thrives on claiming early wickets, Katene Clarke might have his hands full early on. Jeet Raval has the experience on his side but again he is very likely going to walk in too soon. Joe Carter has done well in recent matches but we are going to go with Brett Hampton as he was able to score a fifty against Wellington last time around.

Wellington Firebirds vs Northern District Top Team Bowlers

Ollie Newton to be Wellington Firebirds’ top bowler

While Logan van Beek might have been able to walk away with three wickets against Canterbury, it was due to the pressure created by Ollie Newton at the other end. He has ten wickets in the Ford Trophy this season and with conditions likely to support pacers, he should have another good outing in the tournament.

Neil Wagner to be Northern District’ top bowler

Wagner has slowly and steadily reclaimed his throne as the best bowler for Northern District. Kristian Clarke started off with eight wickets in two games but has only claimed once since. In the meanwhile, Wagner’s five wicket haul has helped him leapfrog his teammate into top spot of the team’s bowling stats.