RL:
This is another of those games that Hermes simply have to win if they are to have any chance of staying up. But it’s Punjab who have the greater firepower, with player-coaches Shoaib Minhas and Khurram Shahzad in excellent form and surrounded by useful supporting acts. If there’s a question mark it’s about the bowling, but unless Myburgh, Statham and ter Braak all go big it’s hard to see Hermes being able to take advantage of it. And despite the emergence of Lokendra Bohra, Hermes’ attack also looks vulnerable.

BdJ:
Certainly Hermes are starting to look a little lonely at the bottom of the table, and Punjab seem set to give the lie to the idea that this expanded Topklasse format might serve to insulate more established clubs from the pressure of relegation. The Schiedammers have been picked as relegation favourites before only to recover strongly in the mid-season, but if they can't break their duck tomorrow their prospects look increasingly bleak. Though Minhas was absent at Thurlede yesterday, even without him Punjab travel to Harga as favourites to take the points.

VRA Amsterdam vs HBS Den Haag (Amstelveen)

RL:
A crucial match for both sides if they are to position themselves to take advantage of any slip-up by leaders Excelsior. Tobias Visée for HBS and Peter Borren for VRA are probably the two most explosive batsmen in the competition, and whoever comes off better will give his team a significant edge. VRA’s bowling is probably slightly stronger overall, and home advantage may shade a fascinating tie marginally in their favour.

BdJ:
Agreed, even without the back issue that kept him out of the team yesterday and from keeping last week, Visée's record away from home isn't quite as imposing as his form at Craeyenhout. VRA will likely be more concerned about HBS overseas players Rutgers and Morgan, both of whom are in fine form and will likely be more at home on VRA's turf wicket than on the mats they've played on to date. Nonetheless with the home side's top-order finally starting to fire, and the middle-order engine of Szwarczynski and Borren in solid and phenomenal form respectively, overconfidence is probably the greatest threat to the hosts. HBS' new ball partnership of Khan and Fink has impressed this season, but the rest of the attack looks a little thin – especially if Morgan is stuck behind the stumps again – and their hosts will doubtless take pleasure in reminding them what happened last time they visited the Bos.

VOC Rotterdam vs Dosti United Amsterdam (Hazelaarweg)

RL:
Another one that’s hard to pick: VOC surprised HCC last week with a solid team performance, all the more remarkable because they were without several key players. The injury to Pieter Seelaar is a major blow, and even if Caleb Jewell, who was ill last week, is able to return, the absence of Seelaar’s all-round skills may be decisive. So may the roles of Taruwar Kohli and Corné Dry, who are evidently capable of winning matches on their own when the rest of the Dosti side fails to perform.

BdJ:
A tricky one this, with both sides under-performing dramatically thus far. VOC have shown signs of turning their season around with wins over HCC and (an admittedly near Zulfiqar-less) ACC yesterday, but Seelaar's injury still leaves a big gap in both the bowling and batting. Dry and Kohli have been keeping Dosti afloat so far this season though. The failure of one or both has usually been enough to see Dosti capitulate, and one suspects that a degree of despondency may be creeping into the Dosti dressing room. Despite a disappointing start to the summer VOC were the popular pick for pre-season favourites for good reason. Even without Seelaar it's tough to rule them out at home and so, if only for the sake of prognosticatory diversity, I'm picking them to take the points tomorrow.

Quick Haag vs ACC (Nieuw Hanenburg)

RL:
Quick have so far been unable to deliver anything like their potential, and they will need to be at their best to overcome the four Zulfiqars and the rest of the ACC line-up. Nieuw Hanenburg is, it is true, a great leveller, but despite a long losing streak there the Amsterdammers have the capacity to rise to that occasion. We have yet to see what Zakir Kathrada can offer with the bat; Jean Bredenkamp, on the other hand, is a proven force, and his encounter with the Zulfiqar brothers will be extremely interesting. The winner of this game will probably stay in the theoretical hunt for the championship; the loser will be in danger of losing touch, especially if they emerge pointless from Saturday’s programme as well.

BdJ:
Having the advantage of writing some 40 or so hours later, I have seen what Kathrada can offer with the bat – specifically a clinically-compiled 91 yesterday against VOC in difficult circumstances. His efforts saw a second-string ACC side run VOC remarkably close at het Loopveld, and despite their eventual defeat that showing will have done little to dent their confidence. The returning Zulfiqar brothers – all in solid form or better – will give ACC an extra edge or four tomorrow. That said, the short boundaries and traditionally sluggish outfield at Nieuw Hanenburg will somewhat blunt what has been ACC's least remarked-upon advantage this season – namely their exemplary ground fielding. We've not seen the best of Wesley Barresi yet this this season, and with a batting line-up capable of clearing the ropes all the way down to number 8 at least Quick have the potential to spring a surprise on ACC – whose chief weakness remains a workmanlike but unspectacular bowling attack. Nonetheless it is the hosts that will start as underdogs tomorrow.

HCC vs Excelsior ’20 Schiedam (De Diepput)

RL:
Could HCC tame Excelsior at De Diepput? As long as Jonathan Vandiar continues his purple patch the answer is probably yes, at least in theory; but the Excelsior top order looks a lot more solid than the home side’s, and HCC’s bowling has also not been firing on all cylinders up to now. Their defeat by VOC emphasised their limitations and their dependence on Vandiar, while no-one has yet (at the time of writing at least) found a way of halting Excelsior’s winning run.

BdJ:
Again it's hard to argue with that analysis. Certainly yesterday's narrow defeat against Quick only reconfirmed the dependence of HCC on Staal and Vandiar batting long, the latter's wicket especially tending to presage collapse. It has of course proven one of the tougher wickets to get this season - often requiring a combination of luck, skill or creativity – but Excelsior haven't shown themselves lacking in any of those three thus far. It's not yet clear whether the injury that Ali Ahmed Qasim picked up yesterday will keep him out tomorrow, but the travails of HCC's pace attack are as much of a worry as his potential unavailability. There's no doubt that on paper HCC have the quality to derail the defending champion's streak, but they remain a team in something of a slump. Excelsior, conversely, are a team on a roll, and as they showed last season are dab hands at riding momentum.

Form Guide:

[Note: These tables show the results of this fixture over the past ten seasons. ‘W’ means a win for the home side, ‘L’ a defeat, ‘T’ a tie, ‘N’ no result. Matches played on the opponent’s ground or a neutral venue are shown in square brackets.]

Rod Lyall’s predictions:

Punjab, VRA, Dosti, ACC, Excelsior.

Bertus de Jong’s predictions:

Punjab, VRA, VOC, ACC, Excelsior.