Central Districts and Wayamba seek to avoid whitewash
Match facts
Wednesday, September 22Start time 1330 (1130 GMT)
Big Picture
How competitive this year's tournament has been can be gauged from the fact that it has taken the last league fixture in each group to decide the semi-finalists. That has resulted in very few inconsequential games, in fact, only two. Central Districts and Wayamba, both of whom have already been knocked out, clash at Port Elizabeth in the second such match.
Of the three sides that have lost all their games to this point, Central Districts have been the most impressive, but a lack of depth has hurt them. Jamie How, the captain, has been inspirational, being dismissed once in three innings for his 178 runs. However, he has lacked support, with Kieran Noema-Barnett's 66 runs coming a distant second-best. All the bowlers have leaked runs, which has meant that when the batsmen have put up competitive scores, like they did against Victoria and Warriors, the chasing side has been under no pressure.
Wayamba's struggles have been well documented. The insipid manner in which they have played their cricket has given some the feeling they are in South Africa only to make up the numbers. A squad that boasts of eleven players with international experience had no business losing three consecutive matches without putting up a semblance of a fight. They will start as underdogs in this battle to avoid the wooden spoon in Group A.
Team news
Doug Bracewell was smashed all around the ground by the Warriors. Left-arm pacer Mitchell McClenaghan could get a game in his place. Peter Ingram, meanwhile, has made six runs in three innings. Will How persist with his opening partner?
Central Districts: (possible) 1 Peter Ingram, 2 Jamie How (capt), 3 Brad Patton, 4 Mathew Sinclair, 5 George Worker, 6 Kieran Noema-Barnett, 7 Brendon Diamanti, 8 Bevan Griggs/Tim Weston (wk), 9 Doug Bracewell/ Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Adam Milne, 11 Michael Mason
Farveez Maharoof, if he has recovered from injury, should replace Chanaka Welegedera who has gone for almost eleven runs an over in the tournament.
Wayamba: (possible) 1 Mahela Jayawardene, 2 Jeevantha Kulatunga, 3 Mahela Udawatte, 4 Jehan Mubarak (capt), 5 Kushal Perera (wk), 6 Shalika Karunanayake, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Farveez Maharoof, 9 Isuru Udana, 10 Rangana Herath, 11 Ajantha Mendis
Watch out for ...
Mahela Jayawardene was Wayamba's highest run-scorer in the Sri Lankan domestic Twenty20 event. He will fancy his chances against Central Districts' weak bowling attack, after showing glimpses of his silken touch against Victoria.Jamie How has been another one of the successful batsmen-captains in the tournament and will be crucial to his team's fortunes again.
Key contests
Wayamba spinners v Central Districts batsmen: Both Victoria and Warriors struggled to score against Ajantha Mendis and Rangana Herath, and it will be interesting to see how the New Zealand batsmen tackle them.
Stats and trivia
- Doug Bracewell's return of 1 for 54 off 3.1 overs against Warriors is the most expensive in this Champions League.
- Five Wayamba batsmen were out without scoring against Victoria. Only Kenya and Zimbabwe have managed more ducks in a T20 innings.
Quotes
"We had two good warm-up games. Ever since then we haven't been able to string two or three decent partnerships with the bat which is vital in T20 cricket."Mahela Jayawardene knows why his side have struggled
Abhishek Purohit is an editorial assistant at ESPNcricinfo