The second match of the Saturday double header in The Hundred sees the competition head back up to Leeds as the Northern Superchargers go up against the Oval Invincibles as we begin to head towards the halfway mark of the tournament.
Both these sides saw their last outings washed out so there is a little bit of pressure on them to get a win here which is likely to add to the competitiveness of the occasion. Both teams have lost some players to England since they last played which adds a new dynamic to proceedings.
Northern Superchargers
The other thing which will have the Northern Superchargers under pressure in this match is the fact that they have had two completed matches and lost them both. This is their fourth match of the competition and if they were to come out of this one without a win their campaign might be as good as over from a competitive standpoint, so the onus really is on them to stand up and be counted and get off the mark here.
The good thing for the Superchargers is that they have been competitive in both their matches. There is a case to be made that they should have won both of their outings so far but they just haven’t quite finished their matches off. They were in position to chase down a decent total against the Welsh Fire here in their first game but stumbled at the winning line and then had Trent Rockets in all kinds of problems in their other match and then let them off the hook. If they can find a more ruthless edge here they will be in with a chance.
Oval Invincibles
The Oval Invincibles kicked the tournament off in fine style when they won their opening match and in a weird piece of scheduling the only other time they have been penned down to play saw their match with the London Spirit washed out last week. I think based on what we’ve seen so far in the competition that was a point dropped so the Londoners will be eager to get over the line in this one and balance the books so to speak.
As with their opponents, Oval Invincibles have lost a key player from their side but they still look to have a strong squad. If there was a question mark over them in their completed game it was that their batsmen looked to be caught in two minds. That was the first game of the tournament though so we need to cut them a little bit of slack. Having watched nine days of action you would expect them to be better prepared here. We’ve seen spin go well so far and the Invincibles have that area covered.
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Key Men
Ben Stokes has left now, although it turns out he probably wouldn’t have been around anyway, and the status of Faf du Plessis is still unknown so it might be that the Superchargers need Chris Lynn to come to the party. He’s had a couple of matches to get up to speed and needs to go big here.
Sunil Narine showed he is still as wily as ever in the one match that Oval Invincibles played and now that Sam Curran has departed the scene the Londoners will need an all-round option to step up and be counted. Narine would naturally fit that requirement.
Betting
It is hard to go against the Oval Invincibles here. If they live up to their name they should win this match but although that name is nonsense they are the only one of these two sides who have won a match so far and winning shouldn’t be underestimated. It means they are under slightly less pressure to get the job done here and that in turn means they can play with a little bit more freedom, which in essence is what this format is all about.
The Northern Superchargers have stuttered at the winning line on a couple of occasions and I always worry about teams who do that until they get over the line. They now go into battle without Ben Stokes and their batting looks a little on the flimsy side anyway in terms of depth so his absence isn’t going to help. Oval have lost Sam Curran but they didn’t lack for batting depth in the game they were able to play and they have a lot of bowling options. I like them to win here.
Tips
Back Oval Invincibles to beat Northern Superchargers for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with William Hill
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