OVA (Oval Invincibles) vs WELF (Welsh Fire) Match Prediction
Test
The Oval
In the 2022 edition of The Hundred Men's competition Oval Invincibles finished fifth in the 8-team table after winning four and losing as many matches. Welsh Fire lost each of their eight matches and finished at the bottom of the points table.
Facts
- Oval Invincibles won two of their four matches home matches at Kennington Oval in The Hundred 2022.
- Will Jacks blasted 81 runs off 45 balls for Invincibles when they last played against Welsh Fire.
- Welsh Fire Glenn Phillips has scored 10 runs in 2 T20 matches at Kennington Oval.
Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire Chance of Winning
Oval Invincibles are the favourites to beat Welsh Fire in their upcoming match despite the Tom Abell side boasting of arguably the best pace attack of the competition (for now).
For the first time in the tournament, Welsh Fire would not be the favourites against an opposition. The absence of Jonny Bairstow, who has decided to rest for a while after Ashes 2023 before returning back to action, will hurt the most against Invincibles who possess a star-studded batting unit.
The top-five of the Welsh Fire batting unit consists of just one international batter in Glenn Phillips. On the contrary, Oval Onvincibles have Jason Roy, Will Jacks, Sam Billings, Heinrich Klaasen, Sam Curran and Tom Curran in their line-up. Sunil Narine, who smashed match-winning 13 off 5 in the last match against London Phoenix is also there.
The bowling department of the Invincibles is also being held tight by Curran brothers, Narine, and local stars Gus Atkinson and Zak Chappell. For once pace unit of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and David Willey would not give Welsh Fire a reprieve.
OI chances of winning - 60%
WF chances of winning - 40%
Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2023
Big things would be expected from the Curran brothers - Sam Curran and Tom Curran in The Men's Hundred Competition 2023. Both are part of the Oval Invincibles team and are expected to provide depth to the bowling and the batting units. They did not disappoint in their first wicket picking a wicket each before scoring 34 and nine runs respectively in a winning cause.
David Willey has started to peak early in the tournament and that's good news for Welsh Fire. He scored 31 off just 19 balls in his last outing. He has also picked three wickets from two matches. He will be playing a key role for Welsh in the tournament.
Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire Match Toss Prediction
Home team Oval Invincibles elected to field first in the last match of the men's Hundred at the Kennington Oval in London. The match on August 23, 2022 was won by Birmingham Phoenix by 10 runs. Oval Invincibles elected to field first in the second-last match as they won against Southern Brave by seven wickets. The same decision was taken the the third-last match as Oval Invincibles won by three wickets against Northern Superchargers. There is a high chance that the team winning the toss would opt to bowl first once again.
Weather Report
The match is scheduled for a 6:00 PM start according to the local time and AccuWeather has predicted partly sunny conditions with no chances of rain till 9:00 PM. In fact, it would be sunny throughout the day. The high temperature would go up to 20 degree celsius, while the wind speed will hover around 17 km/h.
Oval Invincibles Player List
Oval Invincibles Squad
Sam Curran, Sunil Narine (Adam Zampa from August 13), Will Jacks, Jason Roy, Tom Curran, Sam Billings, Saqib Mahmood (replaced by Tom Lawes), Heinrich Klaasen (Jimmy Neesham from August 20), Ross Whiteley, Jordan Cox, Gus Atkinson, Ihsanullah Khan, Danny Briggs, Nathan Sowter, Zak Chappell, Tawanda Muyeye
OI Predicted XI
|
Jason Roy |
Batter |
|
Will Jacks |
Batter |
|
Jordan Coxx |
Batter |
|
Tom Curram |
All-rounder |
|
Sam Curran |
All-rounder |
|
Heinrich Klaasen (WK) |
Batsman and Wicket-keeper |
|
Sam Billing |
WK-Batter |
|
Sunil Narine |
All-rounder |
|
Zak Chappell |
Bowler |
|
Gus Atkinson |
Bowler |
|
Nathan Sowter |
Bowler |
Oval Invincibles Team Form
Oval Invincibles defeated London Spirit by three wickets in their first match of the ongoing season. The side lost their last match of the previous season against Manchester Originals by six wickets. Invincibles won their third-last match against London Spirit by six wickets. Overall, the team has won two of their last three matches and lost three of their last five matches.
Welsh Fire Player List
Welsh Fire Squad
Jonny Bairstow, Tom Abell, David Willey, Shaheen Afridi, Joe Clarke, Glenn Phillips, Ben Green, Haris Rauf, David Payne, Roelof van der Merwe, Jake Ball, Stephen Eskinazi, Dan Douthwaite, George Scrimshaw, Luke Wells, Chris Cooke
WF Predicted XI
|
Luke Wells |
Batter |
|
Glenn Phillips |
Batter |
|
Jonny Bairstow |
Batter |
|
Tom Abell (CAP) |
Batter |
|
Joe Clarke (WK) |
Batsman and Wicket-keeper |
|
Stephen Eskinazi |
Batsman and Wicket-keeper |
|
David Willey |
All-rounder |
|
Roelof Van Der Merwe |
All-rounder |
|
Ben Green |
Bowler |
|
Haris Rauf |
Bowler |
|
Shaheen Afridi |
Bowler |
Welsh Fire Team Form
Welsh Fire had an atrocious campaign last year. They lost each of their eight matches. However, they made a winning start to the 2023 season. They lost their last match against Southern Brave by a slim 2-run margin. The match was extremely closely fought and Welsh Fire once again proved that they are a much more improved side this year.
Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire Head to Head
Oval Invincibles has maintained a clean slate over Welsh Fire after playing two matches against them.
Matches: 2
Oval Invincibles Won: 2
Welsh Fire won: 0
Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire Betting Odds
Oval Invincibles opening partnership to be over 19.5
Oval Invincibles openers Jason Roy and Will Jacks partnered for 12 runs off 11 balls in their first match of The Hundred Men's Competition 2023 against Lonwon Spirit. Roy scored 8 off 8, while Jack managed 11 off 6 before walking back to the pavilion. Jacks was the fourth-highest run-scorer for Invincibles in the previous season. He scored 261 runs in seven matches at an average of 43.50 and a strike rate of 171.71. Jason Roy was recently seen playing in the MLC 2023 where he could score just 54 runs in three matches at an average of 18 and a strike rate of 150. The lean patch of the experienced England international could just see an extended run against Welsh Fire who have a very lethal pace bowling trio of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf and David Willey. Scoring over 19.5 runs together would not be easy for the Oval Invincibles opening pair.
Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire Top Team Batter
Heinrich Klaasen to be Oval Invincibles' top batter
The South Africa wicketkeeper-batter failed in his first over and managed to score just one off three. However, he is expected to make a strong comeback in his second outing for the Invincibles. Recently, he scored the first-ever hundred of Major League Cricket (MLC). The right-hander also finished as the leading run-scorer in the IPL 2023 for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He scored 448 runs in 12 matches at an average of 49.77 and a strike rate of 177.07. In total, Klaasen has played 157 T20 matches and scored 3324 runs at an average of 31.65 and a strike rate of 143.77. He has two hundreds in the format.
Luke Wells to be Welsh Fire's top batter
In the absence of star batter Jonny Bairstow, Luke Wells has stepped up superbly and scored handsomely in both the matches. The first match saw him hit 57 off 23 balls, while in the second game he scored 24 runs off balls. The 32-year-old left-hand batter is currently the leading run-scorer in the men's hundred 2023.
Recently, he was part of the Lancashire squad in the Vitality Blast 2023. The southpaw scored 216 runs in 12 matches at a strike rate of 157.66. However, his average was a lowly 19.63. Currently averaging 40.50 in The Hundred Men's competition, Wells would be aiming to make amends and carry forward the momentum. Overall, he has played 38 T20 matches and scored 529 runs at an average of 17.63 and a strike rate of 135.98.
Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire Top bowler
Sunil Narine to be Oval Invincibles top bowler
Sunil Narine is always amongst wickets and there would be no surprise if he emerges as the leading wicket-taker of Oval Invincibles in their second match of the season against Welsh Fire. In his first outing against London Spirit, he picked 2/14 in 20 balls. The off-spinner player played six matches last season and picked 11 wickets at an average of 11 and an economy rate of 6.05. He was recently part of the Los Angeles Knight Riders (LKR) in the MLC 2023. He picked four wickets from five matches. Overall, he has featured in 479 T20 matches and picked 511 wickets at an average of 21.22.
Shaheen Afridi to be Welsh Fire's top bowler
The Pakistan pacer was lethal as always in his second outing of the season against Southern Brave on Friday. He picked one wicket after spending just 16 runs in 20 balls. He got the crucial wicket of none other than in-form Devon Conway. He was just excellent in his first outing of the season against Manchester Originals. In the rain-marred 40-ball per side match, he picked two wickets in 10 balls to help his team defend a 95-run total by nine runs. He dismissed Phil Salt and Laurie Evans for the first and second ball of Manchester's batting innings. He was part of the Nottinghamshire squad in the Vitality Blast 2023. He picked 22 wickets in 14 matches for them at an average of 20.81.
Having spent a considerable time in England, Shaheen has become even more lethal in English conditions. He is expected to give it his all for Fire before flying back home for the Asia Cup 2023. Overall, he has played 159 T20 matches and picked 226 wickets at an average of 20.66.
Our Prediction
Favorites to win: Oval Invincibles
Oval Invincibles, who won their first match against London Phoenix by three wickets, are the favourites to win their upcoming match against Welsh Fire. The reason is simple, Invincibles batting unt is power-packed with strings of international white-ball stars. In the absence of Jonny Bairstow, Glenn Phillips is the only global T20 star in the top five of the Welsh Fire line-up. The presence of all-rounder Sam Curran and Tom Curran also give Invincibles a privilege which Fire do not have. Welsh Fire’s pace unit is one of the best in the tournament but the quality of Sunil Narine, the class of Sam Curran and the local experience of Atkisnon and Chappell is expected to keep Oval Invincibles in good stead.
OI to win - 1.72 (Parimatch)
WF to win - 2.12 (Parimatch)
