What a Triple-Header Wednesday we had! Australia and India completely dominated their opponents, while South Africa and Pakistan delivered the thriller we were expecting, with South Africa chasing down Pakistan’s target of 127 with just two wickets to spare.
In the first match of the day, Australia comfortably brushed aside Bangladesh, chasing down a modest target of 78 in just 9.8 overs. It was a complete team performance from the six-time champions, with both their batting and bowling units firing as they secured a commanding victory.
The second match between India and the Netherlands was nothing short of total domination from the Women in Blue. India thrashed the Dutch by 95 runs to move to the top of their group. Smriti Mandhana led the charge with a magnificent 74 off just 47 deliveries, earning her the Player of the Match award. Shafali Verma also chipped in with a brilliant half-century, while Richa Ghosh’s explosive cameo of 20 off just 8 balls helped India post a daunting total of 209.
The Netherlands simply had no response. At one stage they were 96/3 and looked capable of putting up a fight, but the Indian bowlers turned the game on its head as the Dutch collapsed to 114 all out, handing India one of the most comprehensive victories of the tournament so far.
Coming to today’s game, we have just one match on the schedule, but it’s an exciting one nonetheless. The 2016 Women’s T20 World Cup champions, West Indies, take on Scotland at Headingley, Leeds, as both teams look to strengthen their positions in the tournament.
The Women in Maroon will be full of confidence after their thrilling victory over defending champions New Zealand, while Scotland will be eager to build on their own positive start and pull off another upset on the world stage. With valuable points up for grabs, both teams have plenty to play for.
As always, we’ll be bringing you everything you need to know before the match, including the probable playing XIs, head-to-head record, pitch and weather conditions, and finally, our prediction for who comes out on top.
Expected Playing 11:
West Indies:
- Qiana Joseph
- Hayley Matthews (C)
- Shemaine Campbell (WK)
- Deandra Dottin
- Jahzara Claxton
- Aaliyah Alleyne
- Jannillea Glasgow
- Shawnisha Hector
- Zaida James
- Afy Fletcher
- Karishma Ramharack
Scotland:
- Alisa Lister
- Katherine Fraser
- Kathyrn Bryce (C)
- Sarah Bryce (WK)
- Megan McColl
- Alisa Lister
- Priyanaz Chatterji
- Kirstie Gordon
- Chloe Abel
- Gabriella Fontenla
- Rachel Slater
Head to Head:
| Matches- | 1 |
| West Indies Won- | 1 |
| Scotland Won- | 0 |
| No Result- | 0 |
Pitch and Weather Conditions:
While Australia’s bowlers bulldozed Bangladesh, India’s batters made merry to show the batting-friendly nature of the surface in Leeds. Weather wise, the evening is likely to become cooler, with temperatures ranging from 19 to 22 degrees celsius. There is no forecast of rain, even though it grew slightly overcast towards the start of Netherlands’ innings on Wednesday.
-ESPN CricInfo
Prediction:
We’re backing the Women in Maroon to take the victory against Scotland. The Scots were impressive in their win over Ireland and showed exactly why they deserve to be competing on this stage, but West Indies arrive with even more momentum after defeating the defending champions, New Zealand, in one of the games of the tournament so far.
That result carries a lot of weight. Beating New Zealand is no easy task, and it underlines the quality and experience that the West Indies squad possesses. They have match-winners throughout their line-up and will come into this clash as deserved favourites.
The last time these two teams met was at the 2024 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup. While history is always interesting, a lot can change in two years, and Scotland have continued to grow as a side since then. If they play their best cricket, they’ll certainly believe they can challenge the Women in Maroon.
But for now, we’re backing West Indies to make it two wins from two matches. That said, this is the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup, and if there’s one thing we’ve learned over the years, it’s that anything can happen on the biggest stage.
If you want to watch West Indies take on Scotland in their second ever game in T20I’s, then tune into JioHotstar at 11:00 PM IST. If you live in the UK, then tune into Sky Sports Cricket at 6:30 PM BST.
Until next time!
Thank you.
SlogVlog 