CARLTON MID T20 LEAGUE (ROUND 4) PREVIEW
PINT v Northern Territory (Development) at DXC Arena 1 (Tuesday, 6pm)
The Greens are looking to offset their disappointing One-Day campaign to date with a big win over the Territory young guns at their home ground on Tuesday night. Pool B looks to be a "wait and see" structure with PINT done and dusted following this fixture. Win, and they'll have to wait for the Darwin v Waratah and Tahs v NT clashes over the next fortnight to know whether they've done enough to progress. The Eagles look almost certain to qualify with two wins from as many starts, although Waratah's additions of Aryan Jain and Sam Elliott could make the preceding standings arbitrary. The Development side will be underestimated at PINT's peril, coming within a clean strike of knocking off Darwin at the same venue a week ago, and local players Will Pilkington and Isaac Conway join their younger compatriots to engage in what should be a riveting battle at the home of NT Cricket.
PINT QUICKS UNDER THE PUMP
Unfortunately for the Greens, their pace battery hasn't been able to make any inroads throughout the early stages of the season, and will br collectively searching for wickets to break their proverbial duck. Nick Bembrick has impressed with his big frame and stump-to-stump bowling, but has only managed two wickets to date and WA import Tasman Harris is yet to get off the mark in the wickets column. The Territory will know that a potentially deadly spin department will be wheeling out 12 overs of slow stuff at them, so it is critical that they pressure the quicks and take as many as they can from the eight overs of pace they're expected to face. PINT have also included B Grade leadership duo Ajay Emmanuel and Jono Caderamanpulle to bolster their allrounder stocks, but it looks like the men in green will continue their spin-heavy approach. The NT side can expect their three tweakers to bowl their full allotment, meaning Max Menzies and Conway have a duty to go hard against the quick men up top and apply some scoreboard pressure.
TERRITORY TOUGH SHINING THROUGH
One thing that was definitively on display against Darwin last week was the competitive spirit shown from the youngsters. You can expect them to fight it out and be in the battle across 20 overs in either discipline, meaning PINT will be on their toes for the entire evening. Conway is key, if he gets knocked over cheaply the Greens will be confident they can negotiate the remaining lineup with their tweakers and keep things under control. Conway epitomises the Tahs fighting attitude, so that combative streak will hopefully be on display under DXC's bright lights and rub off on his younger charges. His 42 off 44 balls against benchmark Nightcliff on Saturday indicated the form he's in, so if he gets through the Power Play and opens the shoulders, PINT's spinners may have to be more defensive than originally planned or envisaged.
SPIN TO WIN
We've mentioned spin enough times throughout this preview. But if Mitch Doolan, Brad Ilott and Coby Edmondstone bring their best tomorrow night on a used surface, those 12 overs won't be going for many. Doolan's left-arm orthodox will potentially be utilised with the new rock, with Edmondstone to operate through the middle and Ilott to close things out at the death. Each offer a vastly different style for Farzan Chowna to call upon, and it will be interesting to see how the Development side handle this challenge irrespective of batting first or second. Ilott and Edmondstone have had superb seasons to date with their offspin, and both conceded roughly four an over in their first T20s for PINT this season. The Greens have started using Ilott at the close to utilise his variations when opposing teams are going full throttle, while Edmondstone is a banker and has been for a long time. He also played against Darwin for the NT last week, so will have the inside information to share with his teammates. He was uncharacteristically loose with the ball that evening, so chances are he'll bounce back and mirror his quality form displayed thus far with the willow.
PREDICTION:
PINT (in a close one). If Conway/Menzies score runs up top, there's enough quality with Nick Fleming, Josh Gawthrope, Cadell McMahon and Matt St Clair that the NT can cause their first upset after coming close to toppling the Eagles. Archie McCormick's legspin continues to improve, so he may be a dark horse with the ball to upset the PINT batting order. Tough one, but think that PINT's batting prowess and depth, plus the three-pronged spin attack with the ball gets them home in this encounter.