*MANCHESTER ORIGINALS VS NORTHERN SUPERCHARGERS MATCH 27 2023 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
The Manchester Originals are placed fourth in the points table with three wins out of six. They have seven points under their belt and they are coming off a win against the Trent Rockets. On the back of a scintillating 86 off 32 balls from Philip Salt, the Originals posted a mammoth 181 on the board. Josh Tongue then picked up three wickets as it helped them restrict the Rockets to 171/5 to win the game by 10 runs.
On the contrary, The Northern Superchargers, have managed to win only two games out of three and are placed in the bottom half of the table. They lost to London Spirit in their previous fixture. Reece Topley and Adil Rashid picked up two wickets apiece as they did a fine job of restricting Spirit to 160/6. In reply, Harry Brook top-scored with 44 but a lack of partnerships resulted in them finishing their innings on 147/7 to lose the game by 13 runs.
This contest offers much more than a rivalry. It’s the middle half of the season and both teams would look to grind it out, in order to get their spots intact on the table which is a very fluctuating one at this stage of our beautiful game.
*MANCHESTER ORIGINALS PROBABLE XI:*
Philip Salt, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Laurie Evans, Max Holden, Ashton Turner, Paul Walter, Jamie Overton, Usama Mir, Tom Hartley, Josh Tongue, Zaman Khan
Salt contributing majorly in a win should boast nicely for their side who wanted their premier batter upfront (alongside Jos) to fire. He showed the right intent and courage but was not successful at getting the results. Now with a scintillating knock backing the youngster, we could see more fireworks from him in this energetic tournament. The opponents, Superchargers could be in for a stiff challenge with the aggressive opener finding his groove. Looking forward to watching his battle up against the wily and experienced leg spinner Adil Rashid.
Josh Tongue upfront with the bowl and Zaman Khan at the death are a very fine pair with the bowl, specially in these conditions. Tongue should expect some swing and look to swing the momentum Manchester’s way with Zaman tiring the batters with his perfectly planned and executed Yorkers. They come searing right at the block hole and I can’t wait to see them in action tomorrow.
*NORTHERN SUPERCHARGERS PROBABLE XI:*
Tom Banton (wk), Matthew Short, Adam Lyth, Harry Brook, Adam Hose, Saif Zaib, David Wiese, Wayne Parnell (c), Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Reece Topley
Rashid has been used with the new ball earlier for England under the captaincy of Morgan and we could see some smart brain even here to counter the likes of Salt and Buttler who form the opening partnership of the Originals. The Pakistani born Englishmen has the right skillset and knows how to make use of the restrictions upfront and this gamble could work wonders for the Superchargers.
Harry Brook, upon missing out on the provincial World Cup squad for England will be more than hungry to convert his disappointment into a match winning display of class for his team. He has had a decent nick at the Hundred so far and we should expect this continuity to remain the same. He times it well, places the ball in vacant areas and has the ability to convert or play a quick fire cameo. Watching him bat is one thing that I never get bored of and now he has an even greater motive and passion which will drive him and eventually in the long run, a huge up for his side.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR MANCHESTER:*
Highest run getter- Salt/Buttler
Highest wicket taker- Josh Tongue/Zaman Khan
*FOR SUPERCHARGERS:*
Highest run getter- Harry Brook/Tom Banton
Highest wicket taker- Adil Rashid/Reece Topley
*FOR THIS GAME:*
Superchargers to win