*THE HUNDRED MENS COMPETITION MATCH 28- WELSH FIRE VS LONDON SPIRITS 2023 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
The Sophia Gardens in Cardiff will be host to this rivalry tonight as the Welsh Fire are all set to come face to face against the Spirits led by Daniel Lawrence. Both the teams haven’t quite lit up the competition with their status being, struggling for strength and power. They have managed to win twice and stand somewhere in the middle, a position that doesn’t give ton of inspiration and motivation. As they gear up to face each other in the twenty eighth game of this years Hundred, all they will be eagerly looking for is a win- a win that could uplift them and give momentum and the confidence needed to seal the top spots in the times to come.
Coming to the last Welsh Fire game, after electing to bowl first, the Fire bowlers did a very good job of restricting the Rockets to 152/6. Joe Clarke smashed a fifty while chasing but lacked support from the other end as they fell short of the target by four runs. It was a close loss but they had dug a pit for their own selves.
The Spirits most recently beat the Northern Superchargers in front of their home crowd to get back on track.
On the other hand, Contributions from Adam Rossington (53), Matthew Wade (42), and Daryl Mitchell (34) helped Spirit post 160 on the board. Ravi Bopara starred with the ball as he registered figures of 4/21 to help his side defend the total successfully against the Superchargers. The Spirits have the backing of some momentum and a win last game should only make them stronger heading into this fixture.
*WELSH FIRE PROBABLE XI:*
Stephen Eskinazi, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Clarke (wk), Luke Wells, Tom Abell (c), Glenn Phillips, David Willey, Roelof van der Merwe, Matt Henry , Lockie Ferguson, Jake Ball
A change of fast bowling pair crop as the Kiwi duo of Ferguson and Henry will now be at the helm of things for the Fire after the Pakistani fiery partnership quit the Hundred to return to National duty. It makes sense why it will be a refreshing change because this pair has every capacity in them to rattle the opposition. While one can do it with pace and brutal pace alone, the other will do it with his accuracy and extraction of seam off the surface. The surface should help Henry upfront with Ferguson making use of it with his short pitched deliveries at high pace. The likes of Crawley and Lawrence certainly have a task up their sleeves.
Jonny Bairstow has three runs in two innings so far for Fire this year, and the England man is due a score, though Joe Clarke and Stephen Eskinazi have been consistent in their output. The wicket keeper batter Bairstow will eye a return and we know how insanely dangerous he can become once he gets his eye in (and into that destructive mode)
*LONDON SPIRITS PROBABLE XI:*
Zak Crawley, Adam Rossington (wk), Daniel Lawrence (c), Matthew Wade, Daryl Mitchell, Ravi Bopara, Matthew Critchley, Jordan Thompson, Liam Dawson, Nathan Ellis, Daniel Worrall
Ellis will feature in his final game this season and will be more than eager to leave the stage on a high. His skiddyness with the ball and his wicket taking abilities should come to the fore once again after which he will be replaced by the swinging Southee who recently picked up a fifer vs UAE in Dubai. Ellis is an enjoyable character who lately has had the opportunity of bowling the crunch overs and the game finalising overs- we could see him do that with perfection for one final time.
Some quick runs in the middle order from the Kiwi-Aussie pairing of Mitchell and Wade were critical to the chances of London Spirits last game. The two collectively made 76 off just 41 balls with 8 fours and 2 sixes. With lack of momentum towards the end and the start, it was this impetus from this duo that helped the Spirits get to 160 off their 100 balls, without which it would have been a cakewalk for the Superchargers. Hoping for some more quick fire runs from here.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR THE FIRE:*
Highest run getter- Johnny Bairstow/Joe Clarke
Highest wicket taker- Lockie Ferguson/David Willey
*FOR THE SPIRITS:*
Highest run getter- Daniel Lawrence/Matthew Wade
Highest wicket taker- Nathan Ellis/Ravi Bopara
*FOR THIS GAME:*
London Spirits to win