OI vs WF, Preview | Welsh Fire hope to end four-year drought against Oval Invincibles in upcoming fixture

‌The time has come for another double header weekend, as match number 16 will be hosted by the iconic Oval ground in London, which will feature defending champions Oval Invincibles and underdogs Welsh Fire.  The two teams have been in some thrilling battles in the last two games, which include the only tied fixture in the tournament in 2023. The last game between the two teams was another low-scoring fixture, which went the Invincibles' way, who won the game by 10 runs. Despite these tight battles, Fire have still not managed to find any success against the two-time winners and are yet to win a game against them. The Tom Abell-led side will be hoping they finally break the four-year drought this year. This will also be important considering their position in the tournament as well.

The Oval Invincibles might have suffered a surprising defeat at Edgbaston with Liam Livingstone playing an explosive knock to give them their first loss of the season, but they are still in a great position on the points table with two wins and one loss to their name. While Will Jacks and Twanda Muyeye have been among their top run scorers, Rashid Khan has been their leading wicket taker for the team in the ongoing tournament with six wickets to his name.

The Welsh Fire, on the other hand, are still struggling at the sixth spot in the tournament. While they might have got their first win of the season on the back of a brilliant all-round performance by Chris Green, they will still need more wins under their belt. Though there have been some consistent performances from some of their key players in Jonny Bairstow and Riley Meredith, they have not been able to dominate the crucial stages of the game, which is affecting their season a lot this year.

Form Guide

The Oval Invincibles' recent form in the tournament has been great despite facing a heartbreaking loss in their last game, winning three of their last five games in the tournament.

Welsh Fire’s recent form, on the other hand, has been abysmal despite the incredible win in the last game, they have lost three of their last five encounters in the Hundred

Oval Invincibles:  L W W W L

Welsh Fire:  W L L NR L

Oval Invincibles vs Welsh Fire Head-to-Head in the Hundred

The Oval Invincibles have been undefeated against Welsh Fire in the tournament, winning three out of the four games, with one game ending in a tie

Oval Invincibles 3 - 0 Welsh Fire

Pitch and Weather

The surface at Kennington Oval in London has been known to be a nice and hard surface with even bounce. While there might be some seam movement for the bowlers early in the game, the pitch becomes a batting paradise as the game progresses. The last five games played at this venue in the Hundred have benefited the chasing side who have been victorious on four occasions, while the team batting first has won one game.

The weather in London is expected to be clear through the game with a recorded temperature between 20-23 degrees Celsius.

Team News

The teams are not expected to make any changes to their lineup for the upcoming game.

Oval Invincibles Probable XI: Will Jacks, Tawanda Muyeye, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Sam Billings (c/wk), Donovan Ferreira, Tom Curran, Rashid Khan, Nathan Sowter, Saqib Mahmood, Jason Behrendorff.

Welsh Fire Probable XI: Steve Smith, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Tom Abell (c), Luke Wells, Saif Zaib, Paul Walter, Chris Green, David Payne, Josh Hull, Riley Meredith. 

Broadcasting Platforms

The 16th match of the Hundred between Oval Invincibles and Welsh Fire will be digitally streamed on the Fancode and Sony Liv app/website. The fans can catch the action on television on the Sony Sports Network.