Ground Reality: It may not quite be a knock-out match for both teams, but a win will be very important to both teams. For Victoria, it would mean topping Group D and qualifying outright for the second stage, while for Wayamba a win – and a big one at that – is the only way they have of keeping their tournament hopes alive. The match will be played at the Feroze Shah Kotla, which has so far in the tournament not been the most batting-friendly surface. The weather forecast is for sunny skies.
Team News:
Victoria: In an ideal world, the equation for Victoria would be: since we have beaten Delhi convincingly and they in turn have crushed Wayamba, this match should be ours for the taking. However, the world of Twenty20 cricket is not ideal or predictable in any way, and any complacency in their approach would be disastrous for Victoria. They have one thing in their favour and that is the fact that they can qualify for the second round even if they lose, as long as the defeat is not a massive one. Their net run rate is currently the best in Group D, while Wayamba’s is the worst which gives them a lot more breathing space. Victoria will look towards captain Cameron White to lead the way. He will be ably backed by the reliable Brad Hodge and David Hussey, to speak nothing of the likes of Rob Quiney and Aiden Blizzard. The bowling will be in the capable hands of Shane Harwood, Peter Siddle, last match hero Clint McKay and new Australia pick Jon Holland. Victoria also have the unquantifiable advantage of being the state from which Shane Warne hails. Thus the spinning wizard has ensured that players such as Quiney and Harwood have been in his IPL team, and playing under Warne always adds that undefinable edge to a player’s game.
Wayamba: On paper, Wayamba are a much better side than the one that folded miserably against Delhi two days ago. After all any side that has a bowling line-up led by Maharoof and Mendis and a batting line-up manned by Jayawardene with a good support cast has to be halfway decent at least. However, their performance in the last match was so below par that they now require a herculean effort to not just beat Victoria, but beat them by a big enough margin to allow their net run-rate to leapfrog over either one of Victoria or Delhi. In the last match, Jaywardene was the only one to come out with his head held high, but from now on, there will have to be a greater team contribution. As Jaywardene said after their defeat to Delhi, it was now do or die for Wayamba. Captain Jehan Mubarak might want to consider making some changes in the side, whether in the composition of the eleven or the batting order to bring about a change in fortunes.
Numbers Game:
Nil – The number of batsmen in the Wayamba side (mininum 100 runs) who have a strike rate of above 130 in Twenty20s. They will need one of the major batsmen to correct that fast if they want to keep their tournament dreams alive.
4 – The corresponding number of batsmen for Victoria. They are David Hussey, Aiden Blizzard, Cameron White and Brad Hodge. Andrew McDonald misses out by a whisker, having scored his runs at a strike rate of 129.53.
Soundbytes:
“There are no favourites in Twenty20 cricket. On paper we have good players.” – Jehan Mubarak.
Teams:
Wayamba (From): Mahela Udawatte, Jeevantha Kulatunga, Michael Vandort(c), Mahela Jayawardene, Jehan Mubarak, Kausal Lokuarachchi, Farveez Maharoof, Sameera de Zoysa(w), Isuru Udana, Ajantha Mendis, Chanaka Welegedara, Ishara Amerasinghe, Rangana Herath, Shalika Karunanayake, Thissara Perera
Victoria (From): Rob Quiney, Bradley Hodge, Cameron White(c), David Hussey, Aiden Blizzard, Andrew McDonald, Matthew Wade(w), Clint McKay, Shane Harwood, Jon Holland, Peter Siddle, Aaron Finch, John Hastings, Bryce McGain, Damien Wright, James Pattinson
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