Central Districts vs Otago Match Prediction

Otago will take on Central Districts in their last match of the Plunket Shield 2022-23 at Fitzherbert Park, Palmerston North from Tuesday, March 21. The action will kick start from 3 AM IST.

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Central Districts (67) are placed third in the points table, while Otago are fifth with 47 points. Central Districts are still not out of the title race. They also have a postponed match to play with Auckland. Solid wins in both the matches combined with top-ranked Canterbury and second-placed Northern Districts losing their respective matches can help them finish the season as champions.

Facts

Doug Bracewell, Central Districts' leading wicket-taker will not be available for the crucial encounter. He is featuring in the 2nd Test against Sri Lanka.
Glenn Phillips and Dale Phillips have scored 347 (3 matches) and 414 (7 matches) runs respectively for Otago.
Central Districts' Tom Bruce is the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament. He has scored 659 runs at an average of 73.22.

Central Districts vs Otago Chance of Winning

Central Districts will be high on confidence with their six-wicket win over table-toppers Canterbury but beating Otago is not at all going to be easy for them. Otago are the more likely side to win the contest.

Central Districts had lost two consecutive matches before beating Canterbury, Central Districts' strength has been their bowlers and that was proven against Canterbury who were bundled out for 186 and 236 in the two innings. On the batting front Central Districts too lost all-out for 282 in the first innings. Later, they lost four wickets while chasing 141.

Only the two batters from the team have scored over 300 runs and quite naturally the team's batting unit has revolved around them. This can be a major issue against a solid Otago bowling unit. Jacod Duffy and Travis Muller have spearheaded their bowling attack and picked 29 and 21 wickets respectively. Michael Rippon has held fort in the spin department with 17 wickets.

Otago bowling unit looks decent with the likes of Raymond Toole (19), Brett Randell (18) and Ajaz Patel (13) featuring in it. However, their leading wicket-taker Doug Bracewell (23) will be unavailable for the match due to international commitments. Also, they will be up against a batting unit consisting of Glenn Phillips (347 in 3 matches), Dean Foxcroft (536), Max Chu (383), Dale Phillips (414), Thorn Parkes (399) and three more batters who have more than 200 runs in the ongoing season.

Otago batters have stood in the last few matches and bowlers have also delivered. It's the same reason why the team hasn't faced a single defeat in their last three matches despite being the fifth ranked team. Central Districts are going to be in trouble if their bowlers don't deliver.

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Central Districts vs Otago Tournament Prediction & Betting Tips 2022

Central Districts have two matches left. They are placed third with 67 points. A win in their last two matches combined with Canterbury (83) and Northern Districts (79) losing their last match will ensure Central Districts a top finish.

Notably, a win in the Plunket Shield match fetches 12 points. No points for draw or loss. Teams get six points in case of tied matches.

Otago are out of the title race.

Central Districts vs Otago Match Toss Prediction

Central Districts elected to field first and only mach hosted at this venue this season. However, they lost the match to Wellington by 68 runs. With overcast conditions expected on Day, team winning toss might again opt to field.

Weather Report

It will rain on the first day (Tuesday) of the match in Palmerston North. It would most likely be partly cloudy in the next three days but the chances of rain are very less. The temperature will hover around 16 to 19 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

Greg Hay (c)	Batsman
Ben Smith	Batsman
Brad Schmulian	Batter
Will Young	Batter
Dane Cleaver (wk)	Batsman and Wicket-keeper
Tom Bruce	Batsman
Josh Clarkson	All-rounder
Bevan Small	All-rounder
Ajaz Patel	Bowler
Raymond Toole	Bowler
Brett Randell	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 fourth match, they lost to Wellington by 68 runs. Their second last match against Auckland was postponed. Central Districts lost their second last match against Northern Districts by 35 runs. In their last match, Central Districts defeated Canterbury by six wickets.

Otago Player List

Otago Squad

Dale Phillips, Hamish Rutherford (c), Neil Broom, Nick Kelly, Thorn Parkes, Anaru Kitchen, Angus McKenzie, Jacob Cumming, Josh Finnie, Michael Rippon, Max Chu (wk), Mitch Renwick (wk), Ben Lockrose, Jacob Duffy, Jake Gibson, Jarrod McKay, Matthew Bacon, Michael Rae, and Travis Muller.

Otago Predicted XI

Hamish Rutherford (c)	Batsman
Thorn Parkes	Batsman
Dale Philips	Batter
Dean Foxcroft	Batsman
Glenn Phillips	Batsman
Max Chu	Batsman and Wicket-keeper
Jake Gibson	All-rounder
Michael Rippon	Bowler
Travis Muller	Bowler
Jacob Duffy	Bowler
Michael Rae	Bowler

Otago Team Form

Otago defeated Auckland by 168 runs to kick off their campaign. Their second match against Northern Districts ended in a draw. The side went on to lose their third and fourth match. Canterbury handed them an innings and 29 runs defeat, while Northern Districts beat them by five wickets. The side played a draw against Wellington in the second last match. Their second last match against Canterbury ended in a lucky draw. The side played a draw against Auckland in their last match.

Otago vs Auckland Aces Head to Head

Auckland have three of their last five matches against Otago. One match in 2021 ended in a draw.

Central Districts vs Otago Betting Odds

Otago to win

Otago are the favourites to clinch a win against Central Districts in the upcoming match. The side hasn't lost any of their last three matches despite being the fifth ranked team. They first played a draw against fourth-placed Wellington, then they played a draw against table-toppers Canterbury and in their last fixture they settled for a draw against Auckland. Two batters from the team have scored over 400 runs, three have scored over 300 runs and three over 200 runs. The bowlers have also stood up to the test with pacers Duffy and Mullers picking over 20 wickets in the competition. Left-arm spinner Rippon has also chipped in with 17 wickets.

Central Districts' batting unit is a concern as they majorly rely on Tom Bruce (659) and Brad Schmulian (470). No other batter from the team has scored over 300 runs in the ongoing season of Plunket Shield 2022-23. The side has a good bowling unit but it's the batting department which will be making the side vulnerable against Otago.

Central Districts vs Otago Top Team Batsmen

Dean Foxcroft to be Otago's top batter

The 24-year-old right-hand batter has scored 536 runs in seven matches at an average of 44.66 so far. He is currently his team's leading run-scorer. He scored a brisk fifty in his side's second last match against table-toppers Canterbury. In the last match against Auckland, he scored 51 runs in the only innings he batted. Overall, he has played 15 first-class matches and scored 878 runs at an average of 35.12. He scored a hundred in his third last match.

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. In the last second match against Northern Districts, Bruce scored 67 and 161 runs in the first and second innings respectively. Bruce scored 41 unbeaten runs in the only against Canterbury as well in the last match. He has scored 659 runs in seven matches at an average of 73.22. Two hundreds and four fifties have come off his blade. Overall, he has played 67 first-class matches and scored 4650 runs at an average of 48.94.

Central Districts vs Otago top bowler

Jacob Duffy to be Otago's top bowler

The pacer has picked 29 wickets in seven matches at an average of 29.65. He is the leading wicket-taker for his team. Overall, he has played 88 first-class matches and picked 252 wickets at an average of 33.50. The last two matches have seen him pick just two wickets but we hope he delivers in the crucial encounter.

Raymond Toole to be Central Districts' top bowler

Onus will be Raymond Toole in the absence of Doug Bracewell. Toole is the second-highest wicket-taker for his team with 19 scalps at an average of 23.63. The left-arm pacer picked six wickets in his last outing against Canterbury. Overall, he has featured in 23 first-class matches and picked 72 wickets at an average of 26.43.

Our Prediction

Favorites to win: Central Districts

Central Districts to win @ 1.48 (Melbet)

Otago to win @ 2.60 (Melbet)

Shankar Shekh

Sportscafe's author

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