Stags take on Wayamba in dead ruber

Port Elizabeth: The penultimate league game of the Champions League would be a meaningless affair between the Central Stags and the Wayamba Elevens, both of whom would look to take some smiles back home by finishing their campaign on a winning note.

With both teams ending as losers on all three previous occasions, one of them will surely end its losing streak.

Both teams have had a lot of chinks in their armours but the Stags look a smarter bet in this face-off as their batsmen have performed better in comparison to Wayamba who rely heavily on Mahela Jayawardene. His failure - apart from a half century in the last match - has added to the Sri Lankan club's woes, with poor fielding and average bowling making the team look pushovers.

All in all, it has been disappointing second outing for Wayamba in the Champions League and with a collapse in the last match, their confidence will be at an all time low when they take the field against Jamie How's team.

New Zealand's fighting spirit is not accustomed to three defeats in three games and this would have surely hurt the Central Stags who would look to set the record straight.

While Stags' batting lineup should stand up against Wayamba's challenge, their bowlers haven't impressed and have been hammered by the oppositions.

Jamie How has been inspirational in batting with two fifties on the trot but support from the bowlers has gone missing on the field, leading to failure in defending decent-looking targets. Against Wayamba, though, there would be some incentive for the Stags' bowling lineup that will be up against batsmen in shambles.

The dead rubber may not set the TRP ratings ablaze but the teams on their part would pull every trick out of their bags to take home something to cheer about.