ICC Women’s World Cup 2017, Preview and likely XI: South Africa, England, New Zealand eye semi-final berth

WWC17, Preview: SA, ENG, NZ eye semi-finals berth

It’s going to be a super Wednesday in ICC Women’s World Cup 2017, with three big matches lined up. First of all, it will be South Africa will take on Sri Lanka in what is expected to be fairly one-sided contest. While South Africa dominated in their last match against India, Sri Lanka suffered their fifth straight loss against West Indies. FULL CRICKET UPDATES: South Africa vs Sri Lanka, England vs New Zealand, ICC Women’s World Cup 2017

For South Africa, the match against Sri Lanka presents them with a chance to solidify their position for the semi-final spot. They are currently placed fifth on the points table and it’s only the net run-rate that separates New Zealand and them. With their next and final match against World Champions Australia, they would really like to win this one by a big margin and make their chances brighter for the knockouts.

As far as Sri Lanka are concerned, apart from Chamari Atapattu – who scored a sizzling 178 against Australia – none of the other batters have put up a commendable performance for their side. There has been just one more fifty – scored by Dilani Manodara – and a couple of 40-odd scores registered by the batsters in their five matches so far. Nothing much to mention about their bowling as well. Except Sripali Weerakkody, who took 3-fors in the matches against India and West Indies, there has not been any other notable performance from their bowlers. FULL CRICKET UPDATES: India vs Australia, ICC Women’s World Cup 2017

From the outset, South Africa appear to be favourites, but you never know which team can spring a surprise. With Sri Lanka having nothing to loss for, they must go out and play fearless cricket for them to stand a chance to win against Dane van Niekerk and co.

Squads:

South Africa: Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee, Trisha Chetty(wk), Mignon du Preez, Marizanne Kapp, Dane van Niekerk(c), Sune Luus, Chloe Tryon, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Moseline Daniels, Masabata Klaas, Nadine de Klerk, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Odine Kirsten

Sri Lanka: Nipuni Hansika, Hasini Perera, Chamari Atapattu, Shashikala Siriwardene, Dilani Manodara, Prasadani Weerakkody(wk), Oshadi Ranasinghe, Ama Kanchana, Sripali Weerakkody, Udeshika Prabodhani, Inoka Ranaweera(c), Chandima Gunaratne, Eshani Lokusuriyage, Harshitha Madavi, Chamari Polgampola

Let’s come to the second match of the day. Now, this one is expected to be a close-knit contest (just like the England-Australia one). Both, England and New Zealand, come from of a confidence-booster win in their last matches. While England clinched a last-over thriller against arch-rivals Australia, New Zealand – riding on the back of a terrific 41-ball 93 from Sophie Devine – chased down the target in just 15 overs to thrash Pakistan by 8 wickets.

While batting has been a clear strength for both teams, it’s the New Zealand bowling that has made the difference in their victories. In the three matches against Sri Lanka, West Indies and Pakistan, their bowlers have restricted the opposition to less than 200, which has made the job for the batters relatively easier to go and chase down the target. However, it’ll be an altogether different equation for New Zealand bowlers when they will clash against table-toppers England.

The hosts possess one of the most powerful batting lineups, and have two of the leading run-scorers in this tournament, Sarah Taylor and Heather Knight, in their ranks. In their matches against Pakistan and South Africa, they posted two mammoth targets of 377 and 373 respectively; against Sri Lanka, they chased down the target (205) pretty comfortably with more than 19 overs to spare. Their bowling has also been impressive and in their last match against Australia, the bowlers showed that they can also defend a target of 250 odd.

If we look at the head-to-head record between these two teams, there is hardly anything that separates them. Out of the 66 matches they played, New Zealand have won 33, while England have been victorious in 31 (1 ended up as N/R and 1 in tie). However, when it comes to Women’s World Cup, the hosts have a better record, having won 9 out of 16 times.

All in all, it’s going to be a fascinating contest when these two sides lock horns at the County Ground, Derby. With five teams still in contention for a place in the semi-finals, this match could well turn out to be a decisive one as to which team will make it to the final four.

Squads:

New Zealand Women: Amy Satterthwaite, Rachel Priest(wk), Sophie Devine, Katey Martin, Suzie Bates(c), Katie Perkins, Maddy Green, Lea Tahuhu, Amelia Kerr, Leigh Kasperek, Hannah Rowe, Erin Bermingham, Thamsyn Newton, Holly Huddleston, Anna Peterson

England Women: Lauren Winfield, Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Taylor(wk), Heather Knight(c), Natalie Sciver, Danielle Wyatt, Katherine Brunt, Jenny Gunn, Anya Shrubsole, Danielle Hazell, Alex Hartley, Georgia Elwiss, Beth Langston, Laura Marsh, Fran Wilson

Time: 10:30 local | 09:30 GMT | 15:00 IST