Match Details
- Venue: Newlands, Cape Town
- Date: 24th November 2019
- Time: 1:30 PM IST
- League: Mzansi Super League 2019
Cape Town Blitz Preview
Cape Town Blitz have batted first in last 3 matches and scored 186, 174 and 183 runs. After defending 183 and 174 runs against Jozi Stars and Durban Heat, CTB lost to NMBG in an away game defending 186 runs. The biggest positive for CTB is the consistency in the batting order. Quinton de Kock was one of the biggest contributors in the early stage while Liam Livingstone, and Asif Ali have joined the party recently.
Marques Ackerman has scores of 26 and 43 runs in last 2 matches at number 3 for CTB. He was part of a 57-runs partnership along with Liam Livingstone against Durban Heat. In addition, Janneman Malan and Quinton de Kock added 72 runs for the 1st wicket in the last match against NMBG. Previously, the opening duo had scored 20 and 33 runs for the 1st wicket where CTB had successfully defended the total. Blitz middle-order has proved their significance in times of need when the top-order has failed.
Paarl Rocks Preview
1 of the last 3 matches Paarl Rocks played was abandoned due to rain. Of the remaining 2, PR won 1 and lost 1 match. Other than the washed out game at Durban, Paarl Rocks have played 3 home games, and won 2 of them. In their opening game of the season, Paarl Rocks defeated Cape Town Blitz at home defending 170 runs. While there was no half-century from any batsman in PR innings, Henry Davids and Dwaine Pretorius were top scorers with 38 runs each. However, it was Tabraiz Shamsi, Bjorn Fortuin and and Hardus Viljoen that helped bowl out CTB for just 84 runs.
In the last 2 matches, the bowlers haven’t had much success picking up wickets for the team. After the batsmen posted 185 runs batting first against Tshwane Spartan, the bowler managed to dismiss only 2 TS batsmen defending the total. Shamsi was top bowler for Paarl Rocks in that match with 1 for 41 in 4 overs. However, Paarl Rocks bowling attack had a better economy rate in the next match against Jozi Stars bowling first. Fortuin and Shamsi finished with 1 for 20 and 1 for 21 respectively. James Vince has been consistent lately and Dwaine Pretorius was promoted to bat at number 3 in the last match.
Match Prediction
Cape Town Blitz to win the match
Cape Town Blitz has an in-form batting line-up with dependable batsmen in the middle-order, unlike the inconsistent Paarl Rocks batsmen. CTB also has an experienced bowling attack with Dale Steyn in the set-up. A Nortje and Sisanda Magala had delivered great bowling performance at home the last time around.
Fantasy Team Tips
- Skipper Quinton de Kock will be in a crucial role at the top opening the innings for Cape Town Blitz. He seemed in good touch in the last match building a 72 runs partnership alongside Janneman Malan.
- M Ackerman has risen to occasion recently for the home team at number 3 while Asif Ali too can be a good finisher at number 5. Asif Ali had scored 43 off 26 balls at number 5 batting first against Durban Heat.
- James Vince will be an important batsman in the middle for Paarl Rocks. While Delport and Faf du Plessis haven’t scored big in last 2 innings for PR, both of them will be keen on making a comeback in this away game.
- Dwaine Pretorius walked in to bat at number 3 for Paarl Rocks in the last match and scored 37 off 26 balls. He also picked 1 for 12 in 2 overs for his side and will be a crucial all-rounder in the fantasy team.
- Similarly, Liam Livingstone has played a big role for Cape Town Blitz in the middle with the bat and in case of failed top-order will have a big role to play.
Fantasy Team Prediction
- Wicket-Keeper – Quinton de Kock
- Batsmen – Asif Ali, M Ackerman, Faf du Plessis, James Vince, Cameron Delport
- All-rounders – Liam Livingstone, Dwaine Pretorius
- Bowlers – D Steyn, A Nortje, T Shamsi
- Captain – Quinton de Kock
- Vice-Captain – Liam Livingstone