Central Stags vs. Wellington Firebirds: Battle Between the Two Giants

With the Ford Trophy entering its final stages, teams are geared up to make an impact and get their team one step closer to the all-important title. The top two teams of the season, Central Stags and Wellington Firebirds, would be taking on each other on Friday at Pukekura Park, New Plymouth. It would be a thriller of a contest for both teams competing to stay at the top of the table. Definitely teams leading the table have a phycological advantage going into the upcoming game. This year’s Ford Trophy was greatly affected by the unavailability of many players playing in the national team. However, teams found reliable replacements for their star performers and did reasonably well. Talking about the worsening weather conditions, every team was dented by unexpected weather outbursts, which ended many games with not even ball bowled.

Central Stags are in a very comfortable position considering their position at the points table and overall gameplay. With their star performers making a return on the side, Stags would be looking forward to playing with positive and reasonably aggressive intent. In this season, Stags have managed to win 3 games out of 4 played. Their most comprehensive win came against Otago, who were outclassed in every department of the game. With the likes of W Young, Ross Taylor, T Bruce, Dough Bracewell, and Adam Milne in the ranks, Stags poses a great threat for every team in the competition. Stags would be depending upon their skipper, who would be aiming to make it to the finals and win this year’s Ford Trophy.

• W Young;
• Ross Taylor;
• Dough Bracewell;
• Adam Milne;
• S Rance.

In this year’s Ford Trophy, Wellington Firebirds have stunned many cricket fans in New Zealand and abroad. Going in the game against Central Stags, Wellington Firebirds would be carried from where they left in the last game. Though Wellington Firebirds haven’t faced Central Stags in the ongoing season, they would be eying to capture their weaknesses and exploit them on the match day. With the likes of David Conway, F Allen, T Blundell, Jimmy Neesham, Ravindra, and Hamish Bennett in the side, Wellington can stun Central Stags and dominate the remaining games of the season.

• David Conway;
• F Allen;
• J Neesham;
• Rachin Ravindra;
• Hamish Bennett.

One thing is for sure that it would be a thriller of a contest with both rivals taking on each other to gain maximum points for topping the table. Central Stags would be walking in the field, being the favorites. However, Wellington Firebirds are capable of surprising them and winning the game.