Central Districts vs Auckland Match Prediction

Central Districts will take on Auckland in their respective fifth match of the Plunket Shield at the McLean Park in Napier from Saturday, February 25. The action will kick start from 3 AM IST.

Bet on Plunket Shield

Central Districts (46) are placed second in the 6-team points table, while Auckland (32) are occupying the fifth spot. Canterbury (52) are the table-toppers with Wellington (45) and Northern Districts (33) on the third and fourth spots respectively. Each team is left with four matches each.

Facts

Central Districts' Blair Tickner will miss the match as he is part of New Zealand squad for England Tests.
Doug Bracewell has picked 20 wickets at an average of 17.55 and scored 175 runs at a batting average of 29.16.
George Worker is the only Auckland batter to have an average over 40 in the Plunket Shield 2022-23.

Central Districts vs Auckland Match Prediction

Central Districts are the favourites to win their next match against Auckland. The second placed team has won two out of their four matches in the tournament so far, while Auckland have managed to win only one out of their four matches so far. The side has lost two matches and one has ended in a draw.

Central Districts quality players like Tom Bruce (390), Brad Schmulian (324) and Will Young (250) in their ranks. Doug Bracewell has played the perfect all-rounder role, scoring 175 runs at an average of 29.16 and picking 20 wickets at an average of 17.55. Left-arm pacer Raymond Toole and right-arm pacer Brett Randell have picked 11 and nine wickets respectively and give perfect support to Bracewell. Liam Dudding has played just one match in the season but picked as many as eight wickets. It's very obvious that even in the absence of Blair Ticker, Central Districts pace attack is in safe hands. The spin department features Ajaz Patel who has picked nine wickets in four matches.

For Auckland, only two batters have scored more than 200 runs. George Worker (246) and Robert O'Donnell (230) are the two players. Furthermore, Worker is the only player to average over 36 in the squad. In the bowling department, off-spinner William Somerville is the leading wicket-taker with 14 scalps. Pacer Danru Ferns is the next best bowler in the team. He has picked 10 wickets at an average of 32.40.

There is a clear gap between the two teams and hence Central Districts are the likely winners.

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Central Districts vs Auckland Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2022

Central Districts have got the perfect balance to travel the distance and win the Plunket Shield 2022-23 season. Most of the players in the squad would be available for the remaining matches and that's a plus point. Notably, a few teams will miss out on their key players due to the international commitments of their players.

Auckland are fifth after four rounds of matches and they have shown vulnerability in both the departments. They came up with an improved bowling display after their startling failure in first two matches but there is no guarantee of consistency. On pace-friendly New Zealand wickets, a spinner is the leading wicket-taker for his team. There are very low chances that the fortune of the team would change drastically.

Central Districts vs Auckland Match Toss Prediction

In the two matches played at the McLean Park in Napier during the Plunket Shield 2021-22, teams winning the toss elected to field first on both the occasions. The same is expected to happen in the match between Central Districts and Auckland

Weather Report

"Rain, possibly heavy at first, turning to showers later in the day. Southwesterlies," MetService has predicted for the starting day of the first-class match. Day 1 might see rain playing spoilsport. Day 2 and Day 3 is expected to give the two teams ample amount of game time. However, there is again a chance of rain on Tuesday, The temperature will hover around 21 to 23 degree celsius.

Central Districts Player List

Central Districts Squad

Bharat Popli, Fergus Lellman, Henry Cooper, Jeet Raval, Joe Carter, Kane Williamson, Katene Clarke, Peter Drysdale, Sam Varcoe, Sandeep Patel, Tim Pringle, Brett Hampton, Chris Swanson, Colin de Grandhomme, Joe Walker, Kristian Clarke, Mitchell Santner, Scott Kuggeleijn, Ben Pomare (wk), Peter Bocock (wk), Tim Seifert (wk), Anurag Verma, Brett Randell, Frederick Walker, Ish Sodhi (c), Josh Brown, Matthew Fisher, Neil Wagner, Scott Johnston, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Zak Gibson.

Central Districts Predicted XI

Will Young	Batsman
Curtis Heaphy	Batsman
Brad Schmulian	Batter
Dane Cleaver	Batsman and Wicket-keeper
Tom Bruce (c)	Batsman
Josh Clarkson	All-rounder
Doug Bracewel	All-rounder
Ajaz Patel	Bowler
Raymond Toole	Bowler
Brett Randell	Bowler
Liam Dudding	Bowler

Central Districts Team Form

Central Districts kicked off their campaign with a draw against Canterbury. They later defeated Auckland by 99 runs and Northern Districts by 279 runs. In their last match, they lost to Wellington by 68 runs.

Auckland Player List

Auckland Squad

Flynn Sumpter, George Worker, Graeme Beghin, Mark Chapman, Martin Guptill, Robert O'Donnell (c), Matt McEwan, Rosster Braak, Ryan Harrison, Sean Solia, William O'Donnell, Ben Horne (wk), Cole Briggs (wk), Glenn Phillips (Wk), Adithya Ashok, Benjamin Lister, Danru Ferns, Jamie Brown, Jordan Sussex, Kyle Jamieson, Lockie Ferguson, Louis Delport, Matthew Gibson, Olly Pringle, Simon Keene, and William Somerville

Auckland Predicted XI

William O Donnell	Batsman
Sean Solia	Batsman
Cole Briggs	Batter
Robert O'Donnell (c)	Batsman
George Worker	Batsman
Ben Horne (wk)	Batsman and wicket-keeper
Simon Keene	All-rounder
William Somerville	All-rounder
Ross ter Braak	Bowler
Danru Ferns	Bowler
Ben Lister	Bowler

Auckland Team Form

Auckland lost their first two matches against Otago and Central Districts by 168 runs and by an innings and 99 runs respectively.

Central Districts vs Auckland Aces Head to Head

Auckland have won two of the last five matches against Central Districts. One match was abandoned and one was a draw. The last match in 2022 was won by Central Districts by an innings and 99 runs. In the third match, Auckland defeated Wellington by nine wickets. The fourth match saw them settle for a draw against Canterbury.

Central Districts vs Auckland Betting Odds

Central Districts to win

Central Districts are the favourites to grab a win against Auckland. Their batting unit is more consistent and stronger than that of Auckland. The bowling unit boasts of quality pacers and a world-class spinner in Ajaz Patel. Auckland have only one batter who is averaging more than 36 and their leading wicket-taker is an off-spinner. Pacer Ferns is the second best bowler with 10 wickets but his average is an unimpressive 32.40.

Three Central Districts batters have scored over 300 runs and one is 50 short of the mark. All-rounder Doug Bracewell has scored 175 runs and picked 20 wickets at an average of 17.55. His fellow pacers Randell and Toole have also been in good form lately. Considering all the factors, Central Districts are likely to win the match against Auckland.

Central Districts vs Auckland Top Team Batsmen

Tom Bruce to be Central Districts' top batter

Central Districts batter Tom Bruce is the leading run-scorer for his team in the Plunket Shield 2022-23. He has scored 390 runs in four matches at an average of 55.71. One hundred and three fifties have come off his blade. Overall, he has played 65 first-class matches and scored 4381 runs at an average of 47.10.

George Worker to be Auckland's top batter

The left-hand batter has scored 5697 runs in 114 first-class matches at an average of 28.77. The New Zealand international is currently the leading run-scorer for his team in the tournament. He has scored 246 runs in four matches at an average of 41.00.

Central Districts vs Auckland top bowler

Doug Bracewell to be Central Districts' top bowler

The Central Districts pacer has picked 20 wickets at an average of 17.55 so far. He is the leading wicket-taker for his team by nine wickets. The talented New Zealand International has featured in 118 first-class matches and picked 368 wickets at an average of 31.66.

Robert O'Donnell to be Auckland's top bowler

Pacer Robert O'Donnell could emerge as the top bowler for Auckland. The 28-year-old has played in all the four matches this season and picked six wickets in 21.4 overs at an average of 9.66. The all-rounder has picked 14 wickets in 67 first-class matches. He can very well emerge as the surprise-package for Auckland.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: Central Districts

Central Districts to win @ 1.65 (Melbet)
Auckland to win @ 2.20 (Melbet)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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