Who will win Canterbury vs Central Districts, Super Smash 2019?
Defending champion Central Stags will bid to continue their winning start to the 2019-20 Super Smash when they take on Canterbury Kings at McLean Park, Napier. The match takes place on December 23 and gets underway at 19:00 local time.
The Stags, who beat Canterbury twice last year on their way to the title, have started this season’s tournament with two wins before a no result because of rain in their most recent game. They go into this game with Tom Bruce in good batting form, however.
Canterbury Kings, meanwhile, have had one completed game and a second rained off so far. They won just three times last season, and are still awaiting their first win this time around too.
CAN vs CS, Super Smash 2019: Where to watch/Live streaming
Live TV: Sky Sport NZ, Radio Sport, Star Sports
Live streaming: Sky Go, Hotstar
CAN vs CS Toss Prediction
Central Stags won the toss and batted first to great effect last time they were at McLean Park and it could be a similar tactic again for this match.
CAN vs CS Weather Report
There may be more rain frustration on Monday. Showers are forecast throughout the day and the odds of rain are an unkind 40 per cent by the evening.
CAN vs CS Pitch Condition
As proved by the Stags’ 221/5 last time they were at McLean Park, the Napier wicket tends to be a good one for batting.
Read on for team previews, betting tips, latest odds and match prediction for Canterbury vs Central Districts, Super Smash 2019...
Canterbury Kings Team News & Playing 11
CAN Team News
Canterbury Kings are without Black Caps quartet Todd Astle, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls and Matt Henry, all of whom are with the New Zealand squad in Australia and gearing up for the second test. They were unchanged from their opening defeat and, after only eight overs were possible last time out, they could be unchanged again.
CAN Key Players
Jack Boyle: Made his T20 debut for Canterbury in the opening and picked up where he left-off form-wise with the bat from his recent one-day performances. The 23-year-old opener top-scored with 35 in the first match and 34 in the second.
Cole McConchie: Started the tournament with a T20 career-best with the ball, claiming 3-18 despite the opining defeat – suggesting he can be more than just a part-time off-spinner.
Chad Bowes: Canterbury’s top-scorer in last season’s competitions, hitting two half-centuries on his way to 276 runs in total – compiled at a handy strike rate of 140.10 too.
CAN Team Form
Canterbury Kings are still looking for their first win of the new season. They were bowled out for 129 in their opening game and fell to a six-wicket defeat to Wellington Firebirds, despite Cole McConchie’s 3-18.
In their second game, they did better with the bat but rain meant only eight overs were possible – during which they compiled 72/1 before the match was declared a no result.
Canterbury Kings Predicted Playing 11
Chad Bowes, Jack Boyle, Stephen Murdoch, Cole McConchie (c), Cam Fletcher (wk), Andrew Ellis, Leo Carter, Henry Shipley, Will Williams, Blake Coburn, Ed Nuttall
CS Team News
Ryan Watson returned to the team last time out, having in turn been replaced by Blair Tickner for the previous game. Ben Wheeler was the man to make way and Wheeler or Watson appears to be the selection decision to be made for this game too.
CS Key Players
Tom Bruce: The big-hitting captain has made a strong start with the bat so far, hitting 38, 56 and 35 from his three so far. This will be his 70th T20 appearance, and he has a strike rate of 147.13 in the format.
Kieran Noema-Barnett: The left-hand bat and right-arm medium-pacer has already made his mark on his way to five wickets so far. He took 3-10 in the opening win at Napier, having already top-scored with 47 in the first innings.
Blair Tickner: Wicketless on his most recent New Zealand appearance, which happened to be at Napier, but he does have 56 T20 wickets from just 34 innings and starred against Canterbury last season.
CS Team Form
Central Stags are unbeaten in their title defence so far, winning their first two games before the rain curtailed their third match. They opened by posting 221/5 on their way to a 120-run win against Northern Knights at Napier – Kieran Noema-Barnett hitting 47 from 25 balls and then claiming 3-10 with the ball. In the second game, Tom Bruce top-scored with 56 in a total of 183/6 and Ajaz Patel’s 3-20 wrapped up a 24-run win. Bruce top-scored again last time out, against the Knights, hitting 35 in a total of 149/9, but they never got the chance to defend it.
George Worker, Dane Cleaver (wk), Christian Leopard, Tom Bruce (c), Kieran Noema-Barnett, Josh Clarkson, Willem Ludick, Ben Wheeler, Seth Rance, Ajaz Patel, Blair Tickner
Canterbury Kings vs Central Stags Head to Head
Though Canterbury Kings have the better head-to-head record in this fixture, Central Stags beat them on both occasions in last season’s Super Smash. That included a high-scoring match at Napier, in which Will Young (89*), Dean Foxcroft (50) and Tom Bruce (71) led the Stags to 225/3, and Tom Latham’s 110 was not quite enough as the Kings posted 207/4 in reply.
The other meeting was much lower scoring, at Christchurch, as Blair Tickner claimed 3-15 in helping restrict the Kings to 112/8. In reply, Bruce’s unbeaten 45 led Central Stags to a six-wicket win with 19 balls to spare.
CAN vs CS Head to Head Stats
| Matches Played |
CAN Won |
CS Won |
Tie |
No Result |
| 22 |
11 |
10 |
0 |
1 |
Central Stags have made a winning start to their title defence and, less affected by international call-ups, can maintain that excellent start when they take on Canterbury Kings.
Final Verdict: Back Central Stags to beat Canterbury Kings.
Dec 23, 2019
11:30 IST / 6:00 GMT
McLean Park - Napier, New Zealand
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