We head towards the halfway mark of the group phase of The Hundred on Friday evening when the tournament heads back to Headingley for a clash between the top two when the Northern Superchargers host the Oval Invincibles.
These two have managed to dodge most of the bad weather that has been around and made promising starts to their campaign and the winner here will be in control of top spot heading into the second half of the first stage of the competition.
Where to watch
The match will be shown live and in full on the Sky Cricket and Sky Mix channels with the build-up to it beginning at 6pm and the first ball being bowled at 6.30pm.
Northern Superchargers
I had a feeling before the tournament started that we might see the best campaign so far from the Northern Superchargers and that is how it is shaping up. The reason why I thought that is because they have finally recruited a squad with the firepower to take advantage of the flat track and smaller Headingley boundaries and so far that unit haven’t let me down. They are putting fear into opposing bowlers and their own bowlers are getting the job done too.
The Superchargers could have been forgiven for thinking this was going to be another frustrating season when they were on top in their opening match only for the rain to play spoilsport but they haven’t let it bother them as since then they have battered the Southern Brave and edged out the Trent Rockets in a match where they came from a tricky position to set a score which they were able to defend. They look to be a confident unit who could be tough to stop.
Oval Invincibles
The Northern Superchargers aren’t the only ones who are having a big season. The Oval Invincibles are doing likewise. They haven’t encountered any weather so far which has been a massive help to them and to their credit they have taken full advantage. I think it is fair to say they weren’t at their best in stealing a win over the London Spirit and a tie against the Welsh Fire but when they called for a big showing they delivered one against the Manchester Originals last time out.
That was the first time their powerful batting unit really released the shackles and showed what it is all about as they put up a daunting looking score, one which they were never in danger of not defending after their new ball bowlers put them in a fantastic position. Oval have three home matches to come after this one so you would think if they win this they are going to be hard to peg back at the top of the table.
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Key Players
David Wiese reminded everyone of why he has travelled the franchise circuit to great success over the last few years with a brutal blitz against the Trent Rockets. He is a canny bowler who holds his nerve in the tough spots so he is a key player here.
Heinrich Klaasen delivered one of the best innings The Hundred has seen in the win over the Manchester Originals earlier in the week and if he is in that sort of form here he could make Oval very tough to beat.
Betting
I think when you look at the makeup of these two sides we have to expect the sixes to flow here. This is not a big Headingley ground since the new pavilion and giant stand went in and the pitches here in the last few seasons have been very good for batting. Both teams play on grounds of similar dimensions and batting tracks so there should be no surprises for either team so I am expecting a 12.5 sixes line to be covered with a bit of ease.
Both sides bat very deep and have hugely powerful top fives if not a bit lower down. Spencer Johnson had the spell of his life last time out but you’d be amazed if he reproduces that effort so Sunil Narine aside there isn’t much in the way of economical bowling to be had here. The weather isn’t going to be an issue and has been good for a couple of days so the pitch should be fine so with Will Jacks, Jason Roy, Heinrich Klaasen, Jordan Cox, Tom Banton, Matt Short, Harry Brook, Adam Hose and David Wiese among others all batting for us I think we’ll get the 12.5 line covered.
Tips
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