Continental Cup 2021: 2nd Semi-Final, Romania vs Malta - Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, weather forecast, pitch report and live streaming details

Continental Cup 2021: 2nd Semi-Final Romania vs Malta - Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, weather forecast, pitch report and live-streaming details

Malta Cricket Team (Image Courtesy: ICC)

The second semi-final of the Continental Cup 2021 will see Romania and Malta square off at the Moara Vlasiei Cricket Ground on Saturday.

Romania have won both their games and finished atop Group B. Romania started their Continental Cup campaign with a 35-run win against the Czech Republic. They are coming off a close win against Hungary in their final group-stage game. Scoring 195 runs, they restricted Hungary to 187 to win a high-scoring thriller. Romania, led by Ramesh Satheesan, are the only unbeaten side along with Luxembourg in this year’s Continental Cup.

Meanwhile, Malta have a win and a loss from two games, finishing second in Group A. Malta lost to table-toppers Luxembourg in their opening game of the 2021 Continental Cup.

However, they bounced back with a win over Bulgaria. Bowling first, Bikram Arora's men restricted Bulgaria to a modest total of 112/9, which they overhauled with ease. Led by captain Arora’s unbeaten 49, Malta romped home in under 12 overs, and with seven wickets to spare.

With the two sides meeting in the second semi-final, an entertaining clash could be in the offing.

Match Details

Match: Romania vs Malta, 2nd Semi-Final, Continental Cup 2021.

Date: September 4, 2021 (Saturday).

Time: 6:00 PM (IST).

Venue: Moara Vlasiei Cricket Ground, Ilfov County, Bucharest, Romania.

Weather Report

The weather is predicted to be clear with no cloud cover. There is little possibility of rain during the game. The temperature could vary between 23 to 25 degrees Celsius, making for warm and humid conditions.

Pitch Report

The wicket has seen a combination of high and low totals in this edition of the Continental Cup. The low scores have been easily chased, while teams have won defending high scores. So the team that bats first will look to put up a total in excess of 170 to fancy their chances of a win.

Predicted XIs

Romania

Captain Ramesh Satheesan led the charge with the bat against Hungary, scoring 76. Sivakumar Periyalwar chipped in with 54. With the likes of Taranjeet Singh, Gohar Manan and Ijaz Hussain, Romania have a power-packed batting line-up. However, they have failed to come to the party, and will have to get amongst the runs.

Asif Bevinje picked up five wickets in the last game. He has six wickets in the Continental Cup 2021 so far. Sami Ullah grabbed four wickets as well. Romanian bowlers have performed well together as a unit.

Predicted XI: Taranjeet Singh, Varun Satheesan (c), Gohar Manan, Ijaz Hussain, Sivakumar Periyalwar, Asif Bevinje, Sami Ullah, Vasu Saini, Cosmin Zavoiu, Aftab Kayani, Imran Haider (wk).

Malta

A four-wicket haul from Bilal Muhammad saw Malta restrict Belgium to a score of 112 runs in their last game. Waseem Abbas (2), Basil George (1) and Varun Prasath (1) chipped in as well. Muhammad, who has six wickets to his name, has had a successful Continental Cup campaign.

With the likes of Bilal Muhammad, Basil George, Bikram Arora, Ashok Bishnoi, Samuel Stanislaus, Varun Prasath and Waseem Abbas, Malta have an experienced unit.

Predicted XI: Bikram Arora(c), Amar Sharma, Ashok Bishnoi, Basil George, Bilal Muhammad, Niraj Khanna, Sam Aquilina(wk), Samuel Stanislaus, Varun Prasath, Waseem Abbas, Zeeshan Khan.

Match Prediction

Romania are undefeated in the Continental Cup so far. Malta lose their first game, but came back strong with a convincing win. Against Romania's dangerous batting line-up, Malta's bowlers will face a tough challenge, though. While Romania might appear to be favourites, Malta could pose a threat, which should make for an interesting game.