The Hundred Tips Matches 24 and 25: Nothing Leus about Du Plooy at 5/1

• Brave-Rockets could be close affair

• Du Plooy matches up well

• Fire on the brink

• Moeen boosted to 4/15.00

• Get a FREE bet every time your team scores a goal in August!

Southern Brave v Trent Rockets
Saturday 10 August, 14.30
TV: Live on Sky Sports

Southern Brave v Trent Rockets team news

Brave may well have noted the gap between them and Oval on Thursday. It was exacerbated by a problem with a lack of batters. Finn Allen has been a mysterious absentee so far and the sudden arrival of Andre Fletcher probably means he's not available. Jofra Archer seems to be playing one on and one off so Danny Briggs could come back

Probable XI: Davies, Vince, Fletcher, Du Plooy, Evans, Pollard, Jordan, C Overton, Akeal, Briggs, Mills.

Rockets face a real battle to qualify but they got back on track with success over Spirit last time. Adam Lyth came back in to open with Jordan Thompson harshly being dropped. Rockets continue to sacrifice balance to give Joe Root game time and we don't like it.

Possible XI: Lyth, Banton, Hales, Root, Hain, Powell, Rashid, Imad, Gregory, Turner, L Wood, Cook

Southern Brave v Trent Rockets pitch report

This is another venue where the surfaces appear to be different for the Blast and Hundred. Five from six first digs in the Blast this term busted 160. In The Hundred more than 155.5 has been busted only twice in 15. An unders play in the mid 140s if Brave bat first makes sense as they have the lowe run rate of the two.

Southern Brave v Trent Rockets match prediction

This is a tight contest between two-well-matched teams. Brave are 1.865/6 favourites with Rockets 2.1211/10.

There is very little to choose between the two in terms of runs rates. Indeed, they may cancel each other out with Rockets quicker with the bat and Brave meaner with the ball. Could it be then Rashid Khan makes the difference.

We know that a good counter against Rashid is a bunch of lefties. Well, Brave have only one in their top eight. That could be the game.

Southern Brave v Trent Rockets player bets

The one left-hander for Brave in the top eight is Leus Du Plooy. He has had a disappointing season so far but it might be time to show some faith for runs. Du Plooy has faced 96 balls against this probable Rockets attack with an average of 48. Sportsbook go 5/16.00.

Welsh Fire v Birmingham Phoenix
Saturday 10 August, 18.00
TV: Live on Sky Sports

Welsh Fire v Birmingham Phoenix team news

A washout against Superchargers keeps Fire's skeletal hopes of qualification alive. Had the rain stayed away they would have taken the points with only 26 needed in a 25-ball match. Ross Whiteley has been added to the XI at the expense of Mason Crane.

Possible XI: Wells, Bairstow, Clarke, Abell, Kohler-Cadmore, Phillips, Whiteley, Willey, Payne, Henry, Rauf

Phoenix need a minimum two wins from three to make the third qualification spot. Their canny attack did for Superchargers last time, bowling them out for 86. Jamie Smith is available. It will be interesting to see if he opens with Ben Duckett after Moeen Ali was sent in to expediate the chase against Superchargers.

Possible XI: Duckett, Moeen, Smith, Livingstone, Mousley, Bethell, Howell, Abbott, Milne, Southee, C Wood

Welsh Fire v Birmingham Phoenix pitch report

Scores of 113 and 139 in first-innings, in Cardiff precded Northern's struggle to 26 off 25 balls suggests a tricky pitch for batters. A damp cariff isn't liekly to help. We don't expect to lose balls but rain earlier in the day means shorting runs makes sense on the par line in the early 140s.

Welsh Fire v Birmingham Phoenix match prediction

Phoenix are 1.834/5 with Fire 2.1011/10. It's not a bad price about Phoenix and a bit of a stinker about Fire. However, we're fighting shy of a bet on Phoenix because the wicket doesn't play to their strengths.

A bowler-friendly surface negates their canny bowling somewhat, bringing Fire closer to them. And their gung-ho attitude with the bat may not be suited, either.

Welsh Fire v Birmingham Phoenix player bets

Moeen is boosted to 4/15.00 for top BP bat with that opemning role in mind. Glenn Phillips has taken a cut despite not going close to 9/110.00. We should still get the 11/112.00 in-play, however.

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