Women's Tri-Nation T20

SA-W vs IND-W, 5th T20

Preview: 

SA-W and IND-W will face off on South African soil in the T20I series at Buffalo Park in East London on Saturday, January 28 at 10:30 PM IST. Women in Blue suffered a huge batting collapse in their first game against The Hosts. It was Deepti Sharma and Amanjot Kaur who led the visitors to a 147-run total in the first encounter. Some very economical spells from Indian bowlers handed them a 27-run victory over SA-W. The star batters in the top order would be hoping for a comeback against SA-W. Another collapse and India may not come out of it this time.

The reason is SA-W's recent form. N Milaba has been the pick of bowlers for the Proteas. She finished with 1 for 7 against WI-W in her 4 overs as the opposition finished with 97-6 batting first. She was also the top bowler against India with 2 for 15. Another key bowler to watch out for is Masabata Klaas. For The Hosts, Marizanne Kapp and captain Sune Luus will be the key batters for SA-W against a strong Indian bowling attack.

It will be up to the bowlers to get the hosts on top in this match. The opposition also comes here with a great variety in the bowling attack. As such, Sune Luus will be hoping the bowlers pose a tough challenge while being aware of her role with the bat. The Hosts have a decent-looking batting order. Unlike other Women’s teams, the Proteas aren’t dependent only on a few top-order players.

The right-handed batter Laura Wolvaardt at the top is known for her scoring abilities and can be a key player to get the hosts to a good total in the powerplay. In the middle order SA-W has Kapp and Luus have a big responsibility to build partnerships. The two are in good form. If these two fall in quick succession without making any big contributions, the Proteas would be in deep trouble. The bowlers have been impressive so far. Milaba continued her brilliant run of form as she finished with 1 for 10 in the next game. 

And this time she was joined by Ayabonga Khaka who had figures of 1 for 11 from her 4 Overs. Khaka and Masabata Klaas will be the key bowlers alongside Milaba who would make a big impact. For the Visitors have sent Rodrigues, Mandana's former opening partner, down to number 4 in the batting order. Wicket-keeper batter Yastika Bhatia now opens alongside the southpaw star. Though Bhatia hasn’t played a big knock so far, she seems to be doing a decent job at the top.

The pitch isn’t great for batting and one cannot expect the openers to score at 9 or 10 an over in the powerplay. As such, Bhatia’s cautious approach coupled with Mandhana’s attacking cricket could work wonders for India.

India's captain Harmanpreet Kaur is known for her big-hitting skills and has played many such knocks over the years. Kaur scored a fifty in her last outing at number 4 helping India on their way to 167 runs.

All-rounders Harleen Deol and Deepti Sharma also have a key role in this batting lineup. While Deol hasn’t been able to convert her starts, Sharma played a crucial knock against SA-W in the first game of the tournament.

India has played Amanjot Kaur, a batter, quite low in the batting order. That is a good sign for the women in blue as it creates scope for a comeback after an early collapse. Team India has Rajeshwari Gaikwad, Deepti Sharma, and Radha Yadav will be key players in the bowling attack.

Match Details

Match: SA-W vs IND-W, 5th T20, Women's Tri-Nation T20, 2023

Date: Saturday, January 28, 2023

Time: 10:30 PM (Jan 28)

Venue: Buffalo Park, East London, South Africa

Pitch Report: 

The pitch at Buffalo Park in East London has something for both batters and bowlers. Batting hasn’t been easy on this pitch. Even the fastest fifty of the tri-series from India's skipper Harmanpreet Kaur had no sixes and only fours. Batters can’t get going right away and need to stay on the crease longer before they can time the ball perfectly. The bowlers will have a great outing at this venue.

The average 1st innings score at this venue in Women’s T20Is is 141 runs on this pitch. This figure isn’t high in the Men’s T20 format either. A 155+ score batting first would be a decent total at this venue. Given the bowling attack of both teams, it looks quite challenging to put on a competitive total at this venue. The weather forecast for this game is going to be light clouds with a moderate breeze. The venue will host the fifth match of the 2023 Tri-series between SA-W and IND-W.

The maximum temperature will remain at 27°C, with a low of 17°C with 70% humidity, and a strong wind speed of 34 Km/hr for the fifth T20 on Saturday between SA-W vs IND-W. Some rain is expected in East London on the morning of the match, but the match is unlikely to be disrupted with a 50% chance of precipitation.

SA-W vs WI-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: Laura Wolvaardt, Anneke Bosch, Marizanne Kapp, Sune Luus (c), Chloe Tryon, Delmi Tucker, Nadine de Klerk, Sinalo Jafta (wk), Masabata Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Nonkululeko Mlaba

IND-W: Yastika Bhatia (wk), Smriti Mandhana, Harleen Deol, Harmanpreet Kaur (c), Jemimah Rodrigues, Devika Vaidya, Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Radha Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Rajeshwari Gayakwad

Match Prediction:

Both teams have a  good variety in the bowling attack and their key players are consistent. It is also the pitch conditions that have helped them dominate the opposition. On paper, the Hosts look pretty solid in the batting department. However, India’s bowlers will pose a tough challenge to the hosts. And if they dismiss the two key middle-order batters, India will be right on top. Women in Blue got many promising T20 players throughout the lineup and the first match showed that the lower order can also make significant contributions when needed. IND-W will start as favourites in our match prediction.

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