*THE MENS HUNDRED COMPETITION 2023- SOUTHERN BRAVE VS NORTHERN SUPERCHARGERS PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
In the eighth match of the ongoing The Hundred tournament, we will have Southern Brave clashing against Northern Superchargers on August 6, at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. Southern Brave are coming on the back of a win against Welsh Fire in their last match. Hence, they have won one match and lost one in the ongoing tournament so far. On the other hand, the first and the only game that the Northern Superchargers have played so far got suspended due to rain.
The Southern Brave were struggling at 76/8 before Chris Jordan played a blinder of a knock of 70* off just 32 balls to power his side to 147/8 at the end of their innings. The bowlers then stepped up and restricted the Welsh Fire to 145/7 to win the thriller of a game by two runs.
The Northern Superchargers faced the Birmingham Phoenix in their opening fixture of the Men’s Hundred 2023 Competition. The bowlers did a fantastic job of restricting the Phoenix side to 84/5 at the end of 62 balls before the rain arrived. No further play was possible and the game was washed out. The Superchargers looked good in their opening game but the rain played a spoilsport. They have one point under their belt and will be eager to grab their first win on Sunday.
*SOUTHERN BRAVE PROBABLE XI:*
Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), James Vince (c), Leus du Plooy, Tim David, James Fuller, George Garton, Chris Jordan, Rehan Ahmed, Craig Overton, Tymal Mills
Big guns Devon Conway and Tim David are finding it hard to adjust in English conditions and have failed in both the matches. Finn Allen and James Vince also haven’t impressed and their third outing of the men’s Hundred 2023 season would again be a testing one.
Southern Brave captain James Vince averages 35.52 in 95 T20 games at The Rose Bowl in Southampton. This should be a good motivating force for Vince who has had a rough start to the competition. His imperious record here would do well for his side who will be searching for their second win after winning the last one as well.
Rehan Ahmed has been amongst the wickets and is a formidable pick for any side. He has shown great temperament as a leggie and has kept it tight. Another impressive outing where he produces magic would be expected out of him.
*NORTHERN SUPERCHARGERS PROBABLE XI:*
Adam Lyth, Tom Banton (wk), Matthew Short, Harry Brook, Saif Zaib, Adam Hose, David Wiese, Wayne Parnell (c), Adil Rashid, Reece Topley, Brydon Carse
Australia off-spinner Matthew Short picked two wickets for 9 runs in 10 balls in his first match of the The Hundred 2023 season. This very well goes onto talk about his abilities as an all rounder. Though he did not get a chance to bat in the opener, he showed his set of skills with the bowl. He could be a dangerous bet on surfaces which offer more turn.
Northern Superchargers’ bowling combination looks very comprehensive and ahead of Brave’s. The likes of Reece Topley, Wayne Parnell, David Wiese and Adil Rashid are expected to choke their run-scoring. They boast of two highly skilled left arm pacers alongside Weise who has the experience of playing so much T20 cricket that he has become a master of this form of the game and to wrap it up, an English legend who continues to deceive batters with his turning Googlies. The Southern Brave batters could be in for a real challenge to play them out.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR SOUTHERN BRAVE:*
Highest run getter- James Vince
Highest wicket taker- Chris Jordan/Craig Overton
*FOR NORTHERN SUPERCHARGERS:*
Highest run getter- Adam Lyth/Tom Banton
Highest wicket taker- Reece Topley/Adil Rashid
*FOR THIS GAME:*
Northern Superchargers to win