MATCH: Auckland v Somerset
DATE: Tuesday, September 20, 2011
TIME: 2000 hours IST (1430 hours GMT)
VENUE: Uppal in Hyderabad
Somerset will be in action for the first time this Champions League T20 when they take on the Auckland Aces in the fourth game of the qualifiers. If Auckland lose this one, they will be knocked out of the tournament.
Past Record:
The first time that Somerset (1/1 at
Totesport) played in the Champions League T20 was in 2009, and they did not have a great time in the tournament. However, they have been the most consistent team in their domestic T20 championship with three successive finals berth and that should give them confidence going into this edition of the CLT20.
Auckland (1/1 at
Boylesports) had a heart-breaking first game if the tournament as they went down to the Kolkata Knight Riders by a couple of runs. Chasing a meagre 122 for a win, Auckland looked favourites at 60 for one in the ninth over but the Knight Riders spinners tightened the screws on them rather well.
Team News:
Somerset are in a bit of a bother with respect to their team. For one, they will be without Marcus Trescothick, who no longer travels abroad. They will also miss their wicket-keeper Craig Kieswetter, an aggressive opening batsman as well and Jos Buttler, one of their attacking middle-order batsman, both of whom are playing for the national side. George Dockrell will also miss the game because of his international commitments.
This leaves Somerset with Alfonso Thomas to lead the team, while an almost-unknown Steven Snell takes over the wicket-keeping responsibility. With local boy Murali Kartik in the squad, Dockrell’s absence wouldn’t be felt too much, but the big question is whether the side has any big hitters in the squad for a format that necessitates such brand of batting.
Auckland Aces had gone into the first game with four pace bowlers, which was a bit of a surprise given the nature of pitches in Hyderabad. As it turned out, it was the quicker bowlers that did the job for the side, with the lone spinner, Ronnie Hira going for a lot of runs.
Of course, it was the middle-order batting that let the Aces down. After Lou Vincent had provided the side with an excellent start, the rest of them failed to get going on a difficult pitch and they went down by two runs. There may not be too many changes to the batting but the approach could definitely change – a little more aggression could be the need of the hour.
Who is hot?
Michael Bates was standout performer for the Aces in the first game, having figures of 1/13 from his four. He bowls fast and he bowls with the left hand, a combination that will make it difficult for the opposition to get runs off him.
Somerset will hope that Arul Suppiah (9/2 at
bet365) and captain Thomas can lift the side into a position from where they have a chance to win the game.
Prediction:
Auckland now know that if they lose the game, they would be knocked out of the competition. They have the fire power in the bowling to test the opposition but whether they can bat as well is a question. The absence of Somerset’s key players, though, will make the Aces favourite in this game.
