Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings: This year’s Super Smash pits the Canterbury Kings against the Auckland Aces in a championship match. Despite having been so close, both sides are aware of how devastating it would be to have a championship triumph stolen from them.
In their most recent final (2019–20), the Auckland Aces finished second, but for the Canterbury Kings, who lost three straight times at the last hurdle (20-21, 21–22, and 22–23), it’s a heartbreaking, so-close-yet-so-far tale.
For their fourth consecutive final appearance, the Kings had a strong season, but not without difficulty. In the elimination final, the Kings faced the Firebirds and needed a late comeback from Matt Henry to cross the finish line. With four batters remaining, they needed to score 52 runs off of 29 balls.
But the Aces were dominant during the round robin phases and emerged victorious, heading straight for the championship match.
The final T20 match between Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings will take place on January 28th, 2024, at Tbc, Australia, Australia.
Match Details to Note:
Match: Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings, final T20 match
Date: January 28th, 2024 (Sunday)
Time: 09:00 AM IST
Venue: Tbc, Australia, Australia.
Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings
Auckland Aces (Match Odds- 1.77)
Preview
The Canterbury Kings are a team the Auckland Aces like playing against, as seen by their impressive winning record against them. Since the start of the domestic T20 competition in 2005–06, the Aces have decisively defeated the Kings, 23–13, and the men from Canterbury haven’t been able to close the gap.
But even though the Kings defeated the Aces four times in a row, the Auckland team was unable to end their losing trend until the previous campaign. With two decisive wins this season in both home and away games, the Aces went above and above.
The core of Auckland’s batting order is made up of Cam Fletcher, Sean Solia, and Robert O’Donnell; numerous capped batsmen, including Finn Allen and Jimmy Neesham, are unavailable because of national duty. This batting combination, which has about 530 runs between them, will try to get the Aces to a higher score on the last day in order to put pressure on the Kings lineup.
Ben Lister of New Zealand has taken 13 wickets at a strike rate of 13.3, but he has been extremely economical with the ball, giving up just 6.4 runs per over. Uncapped bowlers Danru Ferns (18 wickets at 10.6 SR) and Louis Delport (14 wickets at 13.2 SR) have unsettled batsmen from several teams with their raw pace. They looked fantastic as a team this season, save from their losses to lower-tier opponents, and they will now be aiming for a record-tying fifth title by fully utilising the home field advantage in the championship game.
Full Squad:
Finn Allen, Sean Solia, Cole Briggs, Robert ODonnell (C), Cam Fletcher (wk), William O Donnell, Ryan Harrison, Jock McKenzie, Danru Ferns, Louis Delport, Ben Lister.
Players to watch out for:
Cam Fletcher
The core of Auckland’s batting order is maintained by Cam Fletcher.
Ben Lister
Ben Lister of New Zealand has taken 13 wickets at a strike rate of 13.3, but he has been extremely economical with the ball, giving up just 6.4 runs per over.
Possible Playing XI:
Finn Allen, Sean Solia, Cole Briggs, Robert ODonnell (C), Cam Fletcher (wk), William O Donnell, Ryan Harrison, Jock McKenzie, Danru Ferns, Louis Delport, Ben Lister.
Canterbury Kings (Match Odds- 2.05)
Preview
After defeating the Firebirds in the elimination final at Hamilton, the Kings managed to sneak into their fourth consecutive final. With that, they pass Auckland Aces to take the second spot on the list of teams with the most grand final appearances. The Kings have not been good at turning championship appearances into victories, as evidenced by their one victory in six games.
Maybe they lose their cool under pressure, especially in the big moments, and can’t maintain their composure. However, a nervous, suspenseful victory in the elimination round against a team like the Firebirds might instill enough faith and trust in them to see the season through to the end. To complete the chase, Chad Bowers at the top of the order, Cole McConchie and Mitchell Hay in the middle, and Matt Henry at the bottom of the order all performed well at bat. Leading the attack with the ball was Zakary Foulkes, who claimed three crucial wickets, including Wellington batsman Rachin Ravindra, who was in fine form.
Even though Matt Henry scored runs and Ish Sodhi wasn’t playing at his most economical level, William O’Rourke and Kyle Jamison kept the Firebirds from scoring a big total.
You’ll agree that the Kings have been too unlucky to add to their one and only championship title in the first-ever New Zealand domestic T20 competition back in the 2005–06 season when you take a closer look at their finals record. In their five subsequent final appearances—three of which occurred in the last three seasons—nothing came of them. But come Sunday, they’ll be looking to break free of their current slump and end their trophy drought.
Full Squad:
Chad Bowes, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie(c), Matthew Hay(w), Michael Rippon, Bevon Jacobs, Zakary Foulkes, Angus McKenzie, Michael Rae, William ORourke.
Players to watch out for:
Chad Bowers
To complete the chase, Chad Bowers at the top of the order performed well at bat.
Zakary Foulkes
Leading the attack with the ball was Zakary Foulkes, who claimed three crucial wickets in the last match, including Wellington batsman Rachin Ravindra, who was in fine form.
Possible Playing XI:
Chad Bowes, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Cole McConchie (c), Mitchell Hay (wk), Bevon Jacobs, Zakary Foulkes, Kyle Jamieson, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, William ORourke.
Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings Toss Prediction:
The Auckland Aces think that winning the toss, choosing to bat first, and scoring a big run to put the Kings on the back foot is their best chance of winning. They wouldn’t want to play with that tactic much because they won all four of their titles by protecting a score. After winning the toss, their course of action will also be determined by the overhead circumstances.
Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings Pitch Report:
The majority of the game is expected to be cloudy, with a good risk of rain. The prediction is not very encouraging. Because of the ball-favoring circumstances, batsmen would be wise to establish an early advantage before taking on the bowlers. A game postponed due to weather will have a distinct dynamic as the batsmen dismantle the bowling attack.
Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings Match Report:
In the inaugural T20 domestic league, Canterbury Kings defeated Auckland Aces in the championship match of 2005–06 at the nearby venue. But with all bases covered, the Aces appear to be too strong. Canterbury Kings to be defeated by Auckland Aces.
Canterbury Kings is the clear to win the Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings match at the odds of 2.05
Auckland Aces vs Canterbury Kings Most Recommended Player for Bet:
Leading the attack with the ball was Zakary Foulkes, who claimed three crucial wickets in the last match, including Wellington batsman Rachin Ravindra, who was in fine form.
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