Richard Mann is expecting big runs when Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets face off in Saturday night's Eliminator at the Oval.
Cricket betting tips: The Hundred
2pts Both teams to score 160+ runs in the match at 11/4 (Sky Bet)
0.5pt Both teams to score 170+ runs in the match at 6/1 (Sky Bet, Paddy Power, Betfair Sportsbook)
It’s Eliminator time in The Hundred on Saturday, with Northern Superchargers and Trent Rockets locking horns at the Oval at 6pm, UK Time.
A place in Sunday’s final awaits the winner, and both outfits are right to be confident following vastly-improved campaigns from 12 months ago.
The Superchargers’ success has been built on an aggressive batting line-up, led up front by Zak Crawley and Dawid Malan, with Harry Brook then taking centre stage at number four.
The bowling has some quality, chiefly in the form of Adil Rashid, but this is a batting team. By way of example, the Superchargers blasted 198-4 at home against champions Oval Invincibles exactly seven days ago.
The Rockets haven’t been quite as explosive with the bat, but don’t be fooled. This is a very strong line-up, with a nice blend of touch and class from Joe Root and then power and aggression from the likes of Tam Banton, Rehan Ahmed and Marcus Stoinis.
And while on paper at least, The Rockets’ stronger suit would appear to be their bowling, I’d argue that is more down to the fact the pitches for their home games at Trent Bridge have been very challenging over the past few weeks.
When the Rockets have got the chance to flex their muscles away from home, they posted 171 on this ground against the Invincibles and chased down 151 on a tricky surface at Cardiff.
The final piece of the jigsaw for Saturday is the pitch at the Oval which has been really good for runs all throughout this season of The Hundred.
In that aforementioned match played between the Rockets and the Invincibles, the hosts successfully chased 172 with relative ease, having earlier amassed 226-4 here against Welsh Fire.
The ball does tend to fly at this venue, and I’d expect another high-scoring affair, one which makes BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 160+ RUNS and BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE 170+ RUNS very appealing.
Preview published at 0745 BST on 30/08/25
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