2020-21 Super Smash – Wellington Firebirds vs Auckland Aces Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Wellington Firebirds vs Auckland Aces taking place? Thursday 24th December, 2020 – 00:40 (UK)
Where is Wellington Firebirds vs Auckland Aces taking place? Basin Reserve, Wellington
Where can I get tickets for Wellington Firebirds vs Auckland Aces? Ticket information for the Dream11 Super Smash can be found here
What channel is Wellington Firebirds vs Auckland Aces on? This match will be televised live on BT Sport 3 in the UK
Where can I stream Wellington Firebirds vs Auckland Aces? This match will be streamed live in the UK on the BT Sport app and website
THE LOWDOWN
WELLINGTON FIREBIRDS
- Wellington Firebirds will look to defend their Super Smash crown in this opening game at the Basin Reserve as they kick off the 2020/21 campaign against the team that they beat in last year’s final by 22 runs.
- They get under way here with their only expected absentee likely to be Tom Blundell who is with the New Zealand Test team that will face Pakistan on Boxing Day but they should be able to count on stars Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway, Jimmy Neesham and Rachin Ravindra who have all been part of the Blackcaps’ T20 team or New Zealand A in recent days.
- Devon Conway was the undoubted star for them last year racking up a stunning 543 runs in 11 innings which included one century and five fifties, and following an excellent 63 in the third T20 against Pakistan, he is primed for another major impact in this edition of the Super Smash.
UPDATE: Neesham, Conway and Newton are all missing out for the Firebirds
AUCKLAND ACES
- The Auckland Aces are the most successful team in Super Smash history having won the tournament four times and finished runners-up on another four occasions but they will be eager to regain the crown after losing to the Firebirds in last year’s final.
- They may be more impacted by international call-ups than previous years especially with the emergence of Kyle Jamieson with the national team as the talented young fast bowler is with the Blackcaps’ Test team to face Pakistan.
- Veteran Mitch McClenaghan has departed to join Otago Volts, skipper Craig Cachopa has retired while Colin Munro is with the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash, so that adds pressure on their senior figures such as Martin Guptill, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman and Will Somerville.
UPDATE: Guptill, Phillips and Chapman all miss out for the Aces
THE PREDICTION
Last year’s Super Smash finalists meet in the opening game of the 2020/21 edition and there promises to be fireworks between the Wellington Firebirds and Auckland Aces. It is the Aces that have undergone something of an overhaul with plenty of changes to their side and while they possess plenty of firepower with the bat in Guptill, Phillips and Chapman, they otherwise look lighter in depth than previous years. They come up against the defending champions and the Firebirds will look to hit the ground running and show they mean business once again. They perhaps do not possess as much star quality with the bat as the Aces, but their bowling attack featuring Neesham, Hamish Bennett, Logan van Beek and Ollie Newton is impressive and that should make the difference in this opening game of the Super Smash.
Update: Several key players for both teams are missing out due to injury or following the third T20 game between NZ and Pakistan. Both teams are severely impacted but it is the Firebirds that still possess the greater quality and are favoured to win this opening game.
