Continental Cup: 5th Place play-off, Bulgaria vs Czech Republic - Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, weather forecast, pitch report, and live streaming details

Continental Cup: 5th place play-off, Bulgaria vs Czech Republic - Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, weather forecast, pitch report, and live streaming details

The Czech Republic and Bulgaria will face each other in the 5th place play-off of the Continental Cup on Saturday at the Moara Vlasiei Cricket Ground in Ilfov County.

Bulgaria, led by Prakash Mishra, have had a disastrous campaign thus far. In Group A, they are placed third in the points table with a net run rate of -3.549. After their 62-run loss at the hands of Luxembourg, Bulgaria lost to Malta by seven wickets with 50 balls remaining.

After electing to bat first, Bulgaria could only manage 112 for the loss of nine wickets. Opener Hristo Lakov scored a sparkling 60-ball 62 with four fours and two sixes. However, he didn’t get any support from his teammates as Extras turned out to be the second-highest scorer for the team.

Malta chased down a modest target in a mere 11.4 overs. Lakov also went on to pick up two wickets to show his utility. Czech Republic, on the other hand, had every chance of beating Hungary, but they lost the game by five runs after failing to chase down 166.

In their second game on Friday, September 3, Romania beat them by 35 runs. Romania hammered 211 runs after electing to bat first. Skipper Arun Ashokan scored a 30-ball 51 with four fours and as many sixes but his knock went in vain.

Kyle Gilham picked up two wickets but didn’t get much support from others in the bowling unit. The Czech Republic will want to end their campaign on a positive note after two losses on the trot.

Match details

Match: Bulgaria vs Czech Republic, 5th Place play-off

Date & Time: September 4, 2021 (Saturday), 11:30 AM (IST)

Venue: Moara Vlasiei Cricket Ground, Ilfov County

Weather report

The conditions will be partly sunny with temperatures around the 21-degree Celsius mark. The humidity will mostly be in the mid-40s.

Pitch report

The pitch has been a fairly sporting one so far in the tournament. The track has had a bit, both for the bowlers and the batters. The teams batting second have faced some issues.

Predicted playing XIs

Czech Republic

Arun Ashokan and Sudesh Wickramasekara are currently the leading run-scorers for the Czech Republic in the tournament. Both have 61 runs each to their names. Kaushalkumar Mendon has also scored 51 runs. Kayul Mehta has been the team's standout bowler, having picked up four scalps.

Predicted XI: Sabawoon Davizi, Vyshakh Jagnnivasan, Arun Ashokan (C), Sudesh Wickramasekara, Kaushalkumar Mendon, Sahil Grover, Kyle Gilham, Naveed Ahmed, Hilal Ahmed (wk), Kayul Mehta, Sameera Waththage

Bulgaria

Hristo Lakov has done a chunk of the work for Bulgaria in the tournament. Apart from scoring 63 runs at an average of 63, he has also picked up three wickets at an economy rate of 6.75. The rest of the players haven’t put up significant shows due to which the team is yet to win a single match.

Predicted XI: Prakash Mishra (C), Kevin D’Souza, Hristo Lakov, Aravinda de Silva, Omar Rasool (wk), Vasil Hristov, Atagul Ahmadhel, Dimo Nikolov, Mukul Kadyan, Jacob Albin, Delrick Varghese

Match prediction

Czech Republic have a superior batting unit compared to Bulgaria. For Bulgaria, it’s mostly been a one-man show. Hence, Czech Republic have the upper hand going into the next game.