The London Spirit haven’t really taken to The Hundred like some of the other teams in the competition have and after finishing second from bottom in the tournament last season they will be looking for a lot more from their 2024 campaign. Some of their misfortune in the event was down to the sudden passing of Shane Warne but with the emotions of that behind then the Spirit will be looking to show that they can deliver a season which is a reflection of their wonderful home surroundings.
Stats
Last Season: 7th
Captain: Dan Lawrence
Key Players: Michael Pepper & Nathan Ellis
Best Odds: 7/1 General
Fixtures
Jul 24: Southern Brave (a)
Jul 27: Birmingham Phoenix (h)
Aug 1: Welsh Fire (h)
Aug 4: Oval Invincibles (h)
Aug 7: Trent Rockets (a)
Aug 9: Manchester Originals (h)
Aug 11: Oval Invincibles (a)
Aug 13: Northern Superchargers (a)
Squad
Zak Crawley, Andre Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Nathan Ellis, Dan Lawrence, Liam Dawson, Daniel Worrall, Olly Stone, Adam Rossington, Richard Gleeson, Ollie Pope, Daniel Bell-Drummond, Matt Critchley, Michael Pepper, Ravi Bopara, Ryan Higgins.
Preview
The London Spirit can sometimes have the same problem that Middlesex have in the Vitality Blast in that their home ground of Lord’s is way too flat for them to get anything out of it. That often leads to high scoring games and in this format of the game the toss becomes important as defending is a tough task. It is therefore no surprise to see that the Spirit have strengthened their batting depth with the additions of the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Andre Russell.
The latter will be important with the ball as well but while the Spirit have a couple of handy pace off bowlers in the likes of Ravi Bopara and Liam Dawson, you get the feeling that their success or otherwise will be down to how Nathan Ellis performs at the death. If he goes well and those big hitters in the Spirit ranks come to the party then this could be the season it clicks north of the river in London. If not another abject season could await them.
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Betting
I feel like I want to go at the top London Spirit batter market because Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope are going to miss enough of the competition to probably not be factors in it but there is no real certainty to their batting order or which two players the England pair will replace when they come back into the competition, which is holding me back a little. Michael Pepper would be the one who interests me but if he bats lower than three or comes out of the side that would be that.
Instead, I’ll take a go at the top bowler market for the Spirit where Liam Dawson could be a big price at 10/1. With Mason Crane now at the Welsh Fire it is just Dawson and Matt Critchley for the spin unless Dan Lawrence turns his arm over. I don’t necessarily think spin will win the day but with Andre Russell likely to be heading back for the Caribbean Premier League and Olly Stone and Richard Gleeson seemingly made of glass the dangers to Nathan Ellis don’t appear to be deep in supply, particularly when you consider that Dan Worrall barely played for Surrey in the Blast this season and has just one wicket in the four matches he did play. Worrall pipped Dawson by one wicket last year with Ellis two behind. The latter hasn’t played the Blast this term so could be a little cold so the Hampshire spinner appeals at a decent price.
Tips
Back L.Dawson Top London Spirit Bowler for a 1/10 stake at 11.00 with Bet365
