It’ll be a face-off between Southern Brave and Welsh Fire for match no. 5 of the ongoing 2023 edition of The Hundred (Women’s). The game is scheduled to be played on the 4th of August, 2023, at 7:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST), at the Rose Bowl, Southampton.
The Southern Brave and Welsh Fire have faced each other thrice, twice in the inaugural edition and once in the 2022 edition. The former emerged victorious in all three contests, securing a comforting lead in their head-to-head encounters.
Squads:
Southern Brave – Smriti Mandhana, Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Freya Kemp, Danni Wyatt, Anya Shrubsole (C), Chloe Tryon, Maitlan Brown, Georgia Adams, Rhianna Southby, Danielle Gregory, Kalea Moore, Seren Smale, Ellie Anderson, Mary Taylor
Welsh Fire – Tammy Beaumont (C), Hayley Matthews, Sophia Dunkley, Shabnim Ismail, Georgia Elwiss, Freya Davies, Laura Harris, Alex Hartley, Alex Griffiths, Claire Nicholas, Sarah Bryce, Emily Windsor, Ella McCaughan, Chloe Skelton, Kate Coppack
Players to watch out:
Maia Bouchier
The 24-year-old batter, in 12 Twenty20 International (T20I) appearances, has accumulated 148 runs at a strike rate of 118.39. Maia has had a brilliant summer so far, scoring 196 runs in 6 Charlotte Edwards (CE) Cup innings and 256 runs in 6 Rachael Heyhoe Flint (RHF) Trophy outings. The in-form batter will look to carry forward the same momentum into the tournament.
Mary Taylor
The 18-year-old all-rounder bagged only 2 wickets in 6 CE Cup outings. However, her promising form at the RHF Trophy, which saw her bag 5 wickets in 6 innings, helped her earn a place in The Hundred opening XI. Mary, with figures of 3/18 in the opener, has proved her mettle and will be worth following closely this season.
Sarah Bryce
The 23-year-old keeper-batter has had a decent lead-up to The Hundred (03), scoring 115 runs, including the highest of 67*, in 6 CE Cup innings. Additionally, she has scored 162 runs in 8 RHF Trophy outings. Sarah has been impressive in The Hundred as well, contributing 152 runs in 8 outings.
Freya Davies
The 27-year-old pacer has struck 23 T20I wickets in 25 innings. However, in 5 CE Cup innings this summer, she only managed 4 wickets, while she struck 11 wickets in 7 RHF Trophy outings. Freya has been lethal at The Hundred as well, bagging 10 wickets in 13 innings, and will look for a much better season this time.
Pitch:
The Rose Bowl, Southampton, has traditionally offered good batting-friendly surfaces, and it is expected to be no different this time around as well. However, the wicket also provides enough assistance for bowlers, especially the pacers, who can potentially change the course of the game with their skills.
Weather:
The conditions over Rose Bowl, Southampton, are favorable for a game of cricket as the radar is all bright with no expected rain. The temperature is forecasted to hover around 20°C, with light winds and humidity of 92%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Sarah Bryce, Danni Wyatt, Sophia Dunkley, Smriti Mandhana, Tammy Beaumont, Maia Bouchier, Georgia Adams, Hayley Matthews, Chloe Tryon, Shabnim Ismail, Anya Shrubsole
Match details:
Date – August 4, 2023
Time – 7:30 PM IST
Venue – Rose Bowl, Southampton
Broadcast – All games of the tournament will be telecasted on the Sony Sports Network and will be available for live-stream on Sony LIV and Fancode.
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