What a double-header Sunday we had, with Bangladesh beating the Netherlands in a good game of cricket, and India dominating arch-rivals Pakistan, thrashing them by 64 runs and registering their biggest victory against the Women in Green. It was a lovely day of cricket and a great day for both winning sides.
Today, no matches were played, as the teams were given a well-deserved rest day. But the action returns tomorrow with a Double-Header Tuesday.
The first match of the day sees the defending champions, New Zealand, take on Sri Lanka. New Zealand lost a thriller against the West Indies in their opening game of the tournament, while Sri Lanka too will be desperate to get off the mark after their defeat to England. With both teams searching for their first points of the campaign, this promises to be an important clash.
Expected Playing 11:
New Zealand:
- Suzie Bates
- Isabella Gaze (WK)
- Melie Kerr (C)
- Sophie Devine
- Brooke Halliday
- Maddy Green
- Izzy Sharp
- Jess Kerr
- Nensi Patel
- Lea Tahuhu
- Bree Illing
Sri Lanka:
- Vishmi Gunaratne
- Chamari Athapaththu (C)
- Imesha Dulani
- Harshitha Sawarwickrama
- Hansima Karunaratne
- Kavisha Dilhari
- Nikashi de Silva
- Kaushani Nuthyangana (WK)
- Sugandika Kumari
- Malki Madara
- Mithali Ayodhya Bandara
Head to Head:
| Matches- | 17 |
| New Zealand- | 14 |
| Sri Lanka- | 2 |
| No Result- | 1 |
Pitch and Weather Conditions:
Tuesday in Southampton is forecast to be partly sunny with temperatures climbing to 22 degrees Celsius. Only one match has been played at the venue so far, where West Indies successfully chased down 163 against New Zealand. The game was played on a hybrid surface with a healthy covering of live grass.
–Espn CricInfo
Prediction:
Both teams come into this match on the back of defeats, but the nature of those losses was very different. New Zealand suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the West Indies in a thriller, while Sri Lanka were comprehensively beaten by England, with the result looking beyond them long before the match ended.
We’re backing the defending champions, New Zealand, to take the win in this one. Despite their opening loss, they still look like the stronger and more balanced side on paper. The White Ferns have quality throughout their batting and bowling line-up, and they’ll be desperate to bounce back before their title defence slips further off course.
Sri Lanka certainly have the players capable of causing an upset, but they’ll need to raise their level significantly if they want to defeat a team of New Zealand’s calibre. If the defending champions play anywhere near their best cricket, we expect them to secure their first victory of the tournament and get their campaign back on track.
If you want to watch New Zealand take on Sri Lanka, then tune into JioHotstar at 7:00 PM IST. And if you live in UK, then tune into Sky Sports Cricket at 2:30 PM BST.
Until next time!
Thank you.
SlogVlog 