The Ford Trophy, 2019-20: Match 1, Northern Districts vs Otago – Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 1st match of the Ford Trophy 2019-20 will be played between Northern Districts and Otago at the Seddon Park in Hamilton.

The match starts at 2:00 PM local time (1:00 AM GMT) (6:30 AM IST).

Preview:

The last season’s runners-up, Otago, will kick start their Ford Trophy campaign on Sunday when they face Northern Districts at Seddon Park. Otago were the table-toppers in the last edition winning seven out of ten matches including two by bonus points. The Northern Districts, on the other hand, finished at No.4 in the previous season. They will be hoping to bring their success in the T20 format into One-Day tournament. The Northern Districts won the 2017/18 Super Smash and finished runners in 2018/19. However, the last time they won the Ford Trophy was ten years ago.

Weather Condition/Report:

There are pretty good chances of rain towards the evening in Hamilton. We could see interruptions from 7 PM local time.

Pitch Condition/Report:

The Hamilton’s Seddon Park hosted six List A games since the start of 2018. Only once the team batting first won at this venue and that too when the target set was over 300. The average score in this period reads 230 which is quite low due to India’s 92/10 earlier this year on a green track. Otherwise, the venue generally produces scores around 270.

Average first innings score: 230 (List A matches since 2018)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 5, Lost – 1

Injury and Availability:

(Will be added when there is an update)

Probable Playing XIs:

Northern Districts:

Bharat Popli, Katene Clarke, Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter (C), Brett Hampton, Peter Bocock (WK), Ish Sodhi, Anurag Verma, James Baker, Brett Randell, Joe Walker.

Bench – Zak Gibson, Henry Cooper.

Otago:

Nick Kelly, Mitch Renwick, Dean Foxcroft, Nathan Smith, Anaru Kitchen, Max Chu (WK), Michael Rippon, Josh Finnie, Jacob Duffy (C), Matt Bacon, Michael Rae.

Bench – Dale Phillips.

Top Picks:

Brett Hampton scored 271 runs in 9 innings during the last edition at an average of 45.16 that too at a strike rate of 119.91. He is expected to bowl a decent number of overs as well. Dean Foxcroft amassed 259 runs playing for the Central Districts in 2018/19 across six innings where he scored a century and a fifty. Foxcroft also claimed four wickets in four innings. Michael Rippon amassed 300 runs at an average of 42.85 and took 14 wickets at a strike rate of 36.8 in last season. Jacob Duffy claimed 25 wickets last Ford Trophy at an average of 19.4.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Brett Hampton, Dean Foxcroft, Michael Rippon

Vice-Captain – Dean Brownlie, Joe Carter, Jacob Duffy

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Mitch Renwick

Batters – Dean Brownlie (VC), Joe Carter, Peter Bocock

All-Rounders – Brett Hampton, Dean Foxcroft, Michael Rippon (C)

Bowlers – Matt Bacon, Nathan Smith, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Mitch Renwick

Batters – Dean Brownlie, Nick Kelly, Joe Carter

All-Rounders – Brett Hampton (VC), Dean Foxcroft (C), Michael Rippon

Bowlers – Nathan Smith, Brett Randell, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy

Expert Advice:

The Otago team consists of players with all-round skills. It is one of the reasons why we preferred all-rounders and bowlers from their squad rather than the batters. The options in batsmen category from Otago aren’t reliable as that of Northern Districts.

Probable Winners:

Otago team is likely to start the tournament with a win.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.