Published: Jul 15, 2017, 01:33 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 15, 2017, 03:19 PM (IST)
South Africa vs Australia
With both teams already qualified for the semi-finals, South Africa and Australia will play each other for supremacy on Saturday. The teams have been in terrific form right throughout the tournament. Apart from losing one encounter (each against England), they have been pretty solid in their remaining games. ALSO READ: IND vs NZ, WWC17, Preview: Winner will enter semi-finals
For South Africa, it’s their captain, Dane van Niekerk, who has been the star performer. The leg-spinner has picked up three four-wicket hauls so far, and is certainly going to be the biggest threat for the Aussie batters. Also, the medium pacers in Shabnim Ismail and Marizanne Kapp have done a fabulous job for their skipper. With the bat, their openers (Laura Wolvaardt and Lizelle Lee) have been in fine touch and have done the bulk of scoring in all the matches. Not to forget the contributions of Mignon du Preez, who has played some useful knocks for the Proteas.
South Africa’s concern will be the form of the rest of their batters. Except the three players mentioned above, not many have got an opportunity with the bat; and in the matches where they did get a chance, they fared poorly. Against a fierce bowling attack like that of Australia, South Africa would want the middle-order to come up with a much better performance than what they have up until now.
Speaking of their opponents, they have been relentless to say the least. After losing a close knit contest against England, they bounced back strongly against India to win the match convincingly by 8 wickets. Australian skipper Meg Lanning, who blasted an 88-ball 76, said that her team will go into the South Africa match to win the contest rather than thinking too much of the semi-finals. “We haven’t spoken much about the semis at all, to be honest,” Lanning said. “We’re going into South Africa game to win and make sure we keep improving on our game, that’s what we’re going to focus on and whatever happens after that will happen.”
Overall, this is going to be a fascinating contest. A win for Australia by a big margin will help them secure the No. 1 spot, while a win for South Africa will guarantee them a second spot finish.
Squads
Australia Women: Nicole Bolton, Beth Mooney, Meg Lanning(c), Ellyse Perry, Elyse Villani, Alex Blackwell, Alyssa Healy(wk), Ashleigh Gardner, Jess Jonassen, Megan Schutt, Kristen Beams, Rachael Haynes, Belinda Vakarewa, Amanda Wellington, Sarah Aley
South Africa Women: Laura Wolvaardt, Lizelle Lee, Trisha Chetty(wk), Mignon du Preez, Marizanne Kapp, Chloe Tryon, Dane van Niekerk(c), Sune Luus, Shabnim Ismail, Ayabonga Khaka, Masabata Klaas, Nadine de Klerk, Raisibe Ntozakhe, Odine Kirsten, Moseline Daniels
England vs West Indies
The second of the four matches will be between heavyweights England and erratic West Indies. On one hand, you have the Heather Knight-led side, who have been crushing every opposition – except India – coming in their way. On the other, you have the side from Caribbean who have managed to find some form in their last two matches. The catch, however, is that West Indies have won the matches against relatively weaker oppositions (Sri Lanka and Pakistan), while England have beaten teams like South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
From the outset, England look a much stronger team as compared to West Indies and they have been good in all the three departments. In the first few matches, batters have put up massive totals on the scoreboards; in the recent ones, the bowlers have been able to defend the totals. However, it is their batting that still holds the key for them. Natalie Sciver scored her second century in the tournament and all eyes will be on her once again. A win over West Indies will secure the top position for them going into the semi-finals, if Australia don’t win their match against South Africa by a massive margin.
West Indies, on the other hand, are already out of the race. Even though they won their last two games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, losing the previous four encounters against heavyweights like Australia, India, South Africa and New Zealand trimmed their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals. The only positive, which they can take of an otherwise forgettable tournament, is the century from Deandra Dottin against Pakistan. But if they can defeat the favourites and table-toppers, England, on their way going out, then there would be nothing more special than that.
If we look at the head-to-head records, then England are way ahead of their opponents. The hosts have won 11 out of 18 matches and have ended up losing on just 5 occasions. In World Cup, too, England boasts a record of 3 wins out of 3 matches. Also, England will have an advantage of already playing two matches at County Ground, Bristol and winning both of them. On the other hand, West Indies will play their first match at this venue.
Squads:
England Women: Lauren Winfield, Tammy Beaumont, Sarah Taylor(wk), Heather Knight(c), Natalie Sciver, Fran Wilson, Katherine Brunt, Jenny Gunn, Anya Shrubsole, Laura Marsh, Alex Hartley, Danielle Hazell, Beth Langston, Danielle Wyatt, Georgia Elwiss
West Indies Women: Hayley Matthews, Kycia Knight, Stafanie Taylor(c), Chedean Nation, Deandra Dottin, Merissa Aguilleira(wk), Kyshona Knight, Shanel Daley, Afy Fletcher, Akeira Peters, Anisa Mohammed, Felicia Walters, Subrina Munroe, Qiana Joseph, Reniece Boyce
Pakistan vs Sri Lanka
This match, between the two bottom-ranked teams ,is nothing more than to salvage some pride for their nations. Having lost all their matches so far in this competition, both Sri Lanka and Pakistan have a forgettable tournament, to say the least. Both teams, however, will have a chance to finish their campaign on a positive note by winning this dead-rubber.
Apart from leaving a couple of games aside, they have faced drubbing at the hands of the opposition. While Pakistan came close in their opening match against South Africa, Sri Lanka had an opportunity to upset the Indians, where they fell just 16 runs short of the target.
If we compare the batting of the two sides, then there is not much to differentiate. The Sana Mir-led Pakistan side may have a slight edge in the bowling department over Sri Lanka. While they have picked up 37 wickets in the tournament, so far, the Sri Lankan bowlers have only managed to pick up 22 wickets. Having said that, they have also been expensive in a few games and conceded far too many runs.
The match will be played at Grace Road, Leicester, where the seamers might get some help from the pitch as well as the overcast conditions. Pakistan, having played the majority of their matches at the same ground, will certainly have an advantage over Sri Lanka who will be playing their first match at Leicester.
Batting has been a letdown for both teams. In the end, the side that performs well with the bat will have a better chance of winning the match.
Squads:
Sri Lanka Women: Chamari Atapattu, Chamari Polgampola, Hasini Perera, Prasadani Weerakkody, Shashikala Siriwardene, Dilani Manodara(wk), Harshitha Madavi, Sripali Weerakkody, Eshani Lokusuriyage, Ama Kanchana, Inoka Ranaweera(c), Chandima Gunaratne, Nipuni Hansika, Udeshika Prabodhani, Oshadi Ranasinghe
Pakistan Women: Ayesha Zafar, Nahida Khan, Javeria Khan, Iram Javed, Nain Abidi, Sana Mir(c), Sidra Nawaz(wk), Asmavia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu, Sadia Yousuf, Diana Baig, Waheeda Akhtar, Ghulam Fatima, Kainat Imtiaz, Marina Iqbal
Time: 10:30 local | 09:30 GMT | 15:00 IST
