Top spot in The Hundred table is on offer in the second part of the Sunday double header in the tournament when the Oval Invincibles go up against the Welsh Fire at The Oval in what has the makings of a good contest.
We have two teams who have won a match already this term on show here and some of the superstars of the world game opposing each other which really should make for a spectacular evening of cricket.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Cricket and Sky Mix channels with the build-up beginning at 5.30pm ahead of a 6pm Sunday start in London.
Oval Invincibles
Some teams have had a pretty frenetic beginning to the new season of The Hundred but the Oval Invincibles are not one of them. That has been an advantage in a couple of ways. They go into this one still pretty fresh with this just their second scheduled match of the competition and it also means that they haven’t had any matches hampered by the horrible weather that has been in the UK in the last few days.
That means that Oval are nicely positioned to launch a challenge for the title but I think they are going to need to come on significantly for the run from their opening game. They got over the line against the London Spirit but they probably shouldn’t have done, however we saw the importance of the top drawer stars in that win with Sunil Narine the difference between the two sides. Oval will take confidence from winning with no real contribution from their top three.
Welsh Fire
When you consider what went on with the Welsh Fire last season, anything was going to be an improvement on that but there have been plenty of good signs from the Cardiff based outfit and they will be heading into this one probably feeling like they should have two wins to their name, having won their opening match but just letting the second one get away from them at the business end of both innings.
The positive for the Welsh Fire this season is they look a million dollars in the first 50 overs with the ball so if Tom Abell can just jig his bowling unit correctly to ensure the ability they have at the death can be in place to get the job done then there is no reason why they can’t push on and win games because there is no lack of depth to their side with the bat. They just need to make sure that when they come under pressure they don’t make daft decisions and compound the problem.
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Key Players
Sunil Narine might only have turned up a day or two before the tournament started but he made an instant impression with 2-14 from his 20 balls against the London Spirit and a cameo to get them over the line at the end. He’ll be a big player for the home side here.
You would think that if the Welsh Fire are going to win this match then they are going to need someone who is good against spin with the bat to stand up and be counted. That player could be Glenn Phillips who generally treats the spinners with distain.
Betting
Based on what we have seen from these two teams in the tournament so far I fancy the Welsh Fire to win this but having been burnt on them when they had the match under control in Southampton on Friday night I’m a little once bitten twice shy where they are concerned. There could also be more to come from the Oval Invincibles too now they have shaken off some rust, although there certainly will need to be for them to win this one.
I’ll take the boundaries here. We know The Oval outfield is as quick as they come and this is a ground where there has been a Test match and a Metro Bank One Day Cup on it in the last week so the central pitches of the square might not be available here. Even if one is available there are a number of boundaries here which are accessible and with two aggressive top orders able to swing with freedom given the depth they have in their batting I expect the boundaries to flow. Over 35.5 of them will do me.
Tips
Back Over 35.5 boundaries for a 3/10 stake at 1.83 with William Hill
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