Women's Tri-Nation T20

SA-W vs IND-W, 1st T20

Preview: 

Host SA women will be looking to turn their fortunes around in the format when they take on India women in the opening game of the Tri-series at Buffalo Park in East London on Thursday, January 19 at 10:30 PM IST. The Proteas skipper Sune Luus will be hoping that the side can put on a strong show in this opening contest against Indian Women.

On the other hand, Indian women will be looking to adjust to the conditions and deliver a decent show in this fixture. Skipper Harmanpreet Kaur will need to lead from the front with the bat in this tri-series.

Both teams have faced off 13 times in the history of the T20 Format where Women in Blue have a clear advantage with eight wins compared to South Africa’s four victories whereas one match ended without a result.

Uncapped keeper Tebogo Macheke and all-rounder Annerie Dercksen have been included in South Africa’s T20I squad for the tri-series featuring Indian women and West Indies women.

In the batting department, the side will be relying on Lara Goodall, Laura Wolvaardt, captain Sune Luus, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp and Chloe Tyron to deliver the bulk of the runs.

Since 17th Janua1 2021, Laura Wolvaardt is leading the batting charts for South African women and accumulated 349 runs at an average of 43.62. The team management will be hoping that Wolvaardt can continue her merry ways with the bat.

Besides Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch has accumulated 337 runs in 13 T20Is at an average of 37.44 with two half-centuries to his name.

In the bowling department, the onus will be on the likes of Shabnim Ismail, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka and Sune Luus to make crucial breakthroughs.

Since 17th Jan 2021, pacer Shabnim Ismail has topped the bowling charts for South African women. In 13 T20Is, Ismail has claimed 16 wickets at an economy rate of 6.24.

Amanjot Kaur, Anjali Sarvani and Devika Vaidya are three uncapped players named in the T20 squad for the tri-series in South Africa.

In the batting department, the onus will be on the in-form players like Shafali Verma, captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Smriti Mandhana, all-rounder Deepti Sharma and Jemimah Rodrigues to do the bulk of the scoring.

Since 17th Jan 2021, experienced opener Smriti Mandhana has been the leading run-scorer for Indian women in the T20 format. Smriti Mandhana has scored 849 runs in 30 innings at an average of 32.65 with seven fifties to her name.

In the bowling department, the focus will be on the likes of Renuka Singh, Meghna Singh, Deepti Sharma, Sneha Rana and R Gayakwad.  Since 17 Jan 2021, left-arm Deepti Sharma has been the leading wicket-taker in the T20 format. She has claimed 34 wickets in nine matches at an average of 21.67.

South African women and Indian women lock horns in the tri-series opener at East London. South Africa lost five matches out of their last six completed T20Is played since the England tour. Laura Wolvaardt, Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp showed excellent form for South Africa in the shortest format of the game. Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur and Renuka Singh have been bankable performers for Indian women in the T20 Format.

Match Details

Match: SA-W vs IND-W, 1st T20, Women's Tri-Nation T20, 2023

Date: Thursday, January 19th, 2023

Time: 10:30 PM (Jan 19)

Venue: Buffalo Park, East London, South Africa

Pitch Report: 

Given the conditions, the side that wins the toss would be keen to bat first and post a competitive score on the board. The average first innings score at Kingsmead Durban is around 150 runs. The wicket at Buffalo Park is going to provide an interesting contest between bat and ball. The weather forecast for Thursday’s game is going to be light clouds with a moderate breeze.

Buffalo Park is going to host the opening game of the T20I series between South African women and Indian women. In 2018, Indian women registered a comprehensive nine-wicket win over South African women in a match played at Buffalo Park in East London.

The maximum temperature will remain at 28°C, with a low of 18°C with 70% humidity, and a strong wind speed of 31 Km/hr for the first T20 on Thursday between SA-W vs IND-W. Also, there is a hint of cool conditions after a blistering evening. There is more than a 60% chance of rain to happen in the first fixture of this tri-series.

SA-W vs IND-W Squads:

SA-W: Sune Luus (Captain), Chloe Tryon (Vice-Captain), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Nadine de Klerk, Annerie Dercksen, Lara Goodall, Shabnim Ismail, Sinalo Jafta, Marizanne Kapp, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Tebogo Macheke, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Tumi Sekhukhune, Delmi Tucker, Laura Wolvaardt.

IND-W: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (Vice Captain), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Devika Vaidya, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Radha Yadav, Renuka Thakur, Meghna Singh, Anjali Sarvani, Shushma Verma (wk), Amanjot Kaur, Pooja Vastrakar, Sabbhineni Meghana, Sneh Rana, Shikha Pandey

Probable Playing XI

SA-W: Sune Luus (Captain), Anneke Bosch, Tazmin Brits, Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Nadine de Klerk, Masabata Klaas, Shabnim Ismail, Nonkululeko Mlaba, Ayabonga Khaka

IND-W: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Sneha Rana, Pooja Vastrakar, Harleen Doel, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Renuka Singh Thakur

Match Prediction:

Based on recent performances, SA-W will be slight favourites to win their game against IND-W on Thursday in the first T20 match of the series. With the likes of Laura Wolvaardt, Marizanne Kapp, Anneke Bosch and Sune Luus in their ranks, the Proteas women will be keen to deliver a clinical performance in this opening game of the tri-series. On the other hand,  Women in Blue have firepower in their batting and bowling department to upstage South African women tonight.

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