Leicestershire vs Worcestershire, VITALITY T20 BLAST 2023, Today Match Prediction

leic vs wor Match Prediction & Analysis

Leicestershire continue to be stranded at the bottom of the North Group table. After nine games, they have managed two wins while losing seven matches. They have only 4 points in the bag and a net run rate of -0.926. Their next game is against Worcestershire on June 18 at Grace Road, Leicester. Worcestershire haven’t had the best of seasons either and are currently 6th on the table with 8 points after four wins and four losses in eight games. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Leicestershire Preview

Leicestershire showed a glimmer of hope of getting their campaign back on track when they beat Durham at home on June 9. However, they are back to their losing ways after Yorkshire took them down easily at Headingley on June 16. To be fair, Leicestershire did put up a solid batting performance, posting a healthy 195-5 on the board. But it wasn’t enough, as Yorkshire made the target look easy by chasing it down in just 18.1 overs with 8 wickets in hand.

While their highest run-getter of the season Rishi Patel failed in the last match, opener Nick Welch (40 off 24 balls) and middle-order batter Louis Kimber (59* off 38 balls) had a good game. Kimber now has 156 runs in the 5 innings he has played this season and will be one of the batters to watch out for. Even all-rounder Wiaan Mulder made a valuable contribution of 31 off 17 balls lower down the order.

Leicestershire’s bowling hasn’t been able to trouble the opposition batters much. Slow left-arm spinner Callum Parkinson (10 wickets in 9 innings this season at an economy of 7.08) is the only one who has been consistent, while left-arm quick Josh Hull (6 wickets in 5 innings at an economy of 9.64) has shown the knack of picking up wickets despite being on the expensive side. 

Leicestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Nick Welch, Lewis Hill (wk), Rishi Patel, Colin Ackermann (c), Louis Kimber, Wiaan Mulder, Rehan Ahmed, Callum Parkinson, Tom Scriven, Matt Salisbury, Josh Hull

Leicestershire Actual Playing XI:

Callum Parkinson, Colin Ackermann, Wiaan Mulder, Nick Welch, Peter Handscomb, Louis Kimber, Tom Scriven, Rishi Patel, Matt Salisbury, MIchael Finan, Rehan Ahmed

Worcestershire Preview

Worcestershire, too, are coming off a loss. Chasing a target of 197 against Warwickshire at New Road in Worcester, they fell short by 21 runs. Captain Brett D'Oliveira’s 50 off 38 balls was the only notable effort in the chase. D'Oliveira has now become the second-highest leading run-getter for Worcestershire this season, with 213 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of 144.89. Middle-order batter Adam Hose tops the batting charts with 261 runs in 8 innings at a strike rate of 151.74. These are the two batters we are expecting to make an impact in this match.

On the bowling side, Worcestershire have a few more positives. Pat Brown has had an excellent season (15 wickets in 8 innings at an economy of 11.39), while D'Oliveira (11 wickets in 8 innings at 8.55) has also contributed significantly with his leg-spin. Pakistani leg-spinner 

Usama Mir has played only 4 games this season, but has already captured 8 wickets at a superb economy of just 6.25. It also helps that he’s a more than handy lower-order batter, as he showed in the last game, where he smashed 32 runs off just 16 balls. In fact, Mir’s strike rate is 202 this year!

Worcestershire Predicted Playing XI:

Brett DOliveira (c), Ed Pollock, Jack Haynes, Adam Hose, Mitchell Santner, Kashif Ali, Ben Cox (wk), Usama Mir, Matthew Waite, Dillon Pennington, Patrick Brown

Worcestershire Actual Playing XI:

Ed Pollock, Pat Brown, Ben Cox, Dillon Pennington, Jack Haynes, Adam Hose, Kashif Ali, Mitchell Santner, Usama Mir, Josh Tongue, Brett D Oliveira

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at Grace Road provides good assistance to seam bowlers, particularly when the ball is new. Once batters see off the first few overs, they will have a much easier time. The short boundaries will also help the batters to score freely.

The weather is expected to be mostly cloudy in Leicester during the match, with a couple of showers and a thunderstorm.

Venue Details

The average score batting first at Grace Road in the T20 Blast is 148. The highest total posted at the venue is 255-2 by Leicester against Yorkshire in 2019. This year’s highest score at Grace Road is 189-5 by Derbyshire. The team batting first in this match should look to set a target of around 180 runs.

Toss: To Bowl

Out of the five matches played at Grace Road this season in the T20 Blast, three have been won by the team batting first. However, with rain predicted during the match, the team winning the toss is likely to chase. Because if the number of overs is reduced, it will be better to have a shortened target at hand.