Central Stags vs Canterbury Kings Predictions & Tips - Stags backed to reach Super Smash final

The Central Stags come into this playoff with momentum and more importantly, in-form players. My best bet is for George Worker to score over 23.5 runs in a Stags victory.

The Central Stags lead 13-12 in their 25 previous matches against the Canterbury Kings.

In their last match, the Central Stags won by 30 runs at McLean Park just a few days ago.

The Central Stags finished the regular Super Smash season in second place, ahead of the Canterbury Kings on net run rate.

Going into their last round robin match, the Stags were in third place. They however beat the Kings at McLean Park by 30 runs to go a place up.

The Stags batted first and scored 183 runs. Top run scorer for the season, George Worker only managed two runs but Black Caps international, Ross Taylor eventually came good to score 65 of 36 balls.

Jayden Lennox was the pick of the Stags bowlers, taking 3-20 in his four overs. That ensured the Kings struggled throughout with the regular loss of wickets, eventually ending on 153 runs in their 20 overs.

The Stags have a quality side and shouldn’t make any changes to the last outing.

Ross Taylor has struggled since returning from international duty, but scored a magnificent 65 runs in the last match. Will Young is another international that can give the Stags the edge.

George Worker has scored the most runs for the Stags this season and is the second highest run scorer in the competition. 

The Canterbury Kings come into this playoff having finished third on the Super Smash table. They lost out on a second place finish to the Central Stags when they suffered defeat to the same opponents just a few days ago.

Bowling first at McLean Park, the Kings struggled to contain the Stags batsmen. No bowler managed more than a single wicket which allowed the Stags to score a daunting 183 runs.

Cam Fletcher (39) and Daryl Mitchell (35) showed some fight for the Kings, but there just wasn’t enough support from others. They ended on 153 after 20 overs, 30 runs short of their total.

The Canterbury Kings have no injury concerns, but they will have concern over the form of some players.

International bowler, Matt Henry will be heavily relied upon to keep a dangerous Stags batting lineup in check. On the batting front, top scorer, Chad Bowes and Daryl Mitchell will need to produce top performances.