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

Romania Cricket Team (Image Courtesy: Cricket Romania)

The final of the Continental Cup 2021 will see Luxembourg and Romania square off at the Moara Vlasiei Cricket Ground on Sunday, September 5.

Luxembourg, led by Joost Mees, have had an impressive run in the ongoing edition of the Continental Cup. Luxembourg finished atop the points table in Group A after beating Malta and Bulgaria. They also ended with the best net run rate of 1.692.

However, Luxembourg had to strain in the semi-final against Hungary. The game went right down to the wire and in the end, Luxembourg won by two runs. After being put in to bat first, Timothy Barker and skipper Mees notched 43 runs each to guide their team to 179 for six.

While defending the score, Hungary’s Satyadeep Ashwathnarayana’s 19-ball knock of 41 runs gave them an almighty scare. However, Luxembourg managed to hold their nerve and restricted Hungary to 177 for nine in their 20 overs.

In the second semi-final on Saturday, September 4, Romania beat Malta by 36 runs. Romania hammered 202 on the back of opener Taranjeet Singh’s 57-ball 91, a knock laced with one six and as many as 13 sixes.

They then restricted Malta to 166 for eight in 20 overs. Aftab Kayani and Pavel Florin each picked up two wickets to restrict the opposition. Waseem Abbas’s five-wicket haul for Malta was ultimately in vain.

Match details

Match: Luxembourg vs Romania, Final, Continental Cup 2021

Date & Time: September 5, 2021 (Sunday), 3:00 PM (IST)

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

Weather report

There is no chance of rain for the final and fans can expect a full game on Super Sunday. The temperature will be around the 21-degree Celsius mark with the humidity in the 50s.

Pitch report

The pitch has been fairly good for batting thus far in the Continental Cup but chasing has always been tough in crunch games. Hence, the teams should opt to bat first after winning the toss.

Predicted XIs

Luxembourg

Opener Timothy Barker has been in jaw-dropping form for Luxembourg. He has notched up 157 runs at an average of 52.33 and a strike rate of 118.93. Tony Whiteman and skipper Mees have also done their bit with the bat. Vikram Vijh is their leading wicket-taker, having picked up seven wickets.

Predicted XI: Timothy Barker, William Cope, Tony Whiteman, Vikram Vijh, Joost Mess (c), Mohit Dixit, James Barker, Advyth Manepalli (w), Amit Dhingra, Pankaj Malav, Marcus Cope

Romania

Skipper Ramesh Satheesan and Taranjeet Singh have scored 133 and 115 runs respectively for Romania. Sivakumar Periyalwar has scored 84 runs with a top score of an unbeaten 54. Asif Bevinje is their leading wicket-taker, having picked up six scalps.

Predicted XI: Gohar Manan, Ramesh Satheesan (C), Waqar Abbasi, Sivakumar Periyalwar, Abdul Shakoor (wk), Vasu Saini, Cosmin Zavoiu, Sami Ullah, Aftab Kayani, Pavel Florin, Marian Gherasim

Match prediction

Both Romania and Luxembourg have been in impressive form in the Continental Cup. In the final, the team that bats first should be able to come out trumps.