The seventh match of the Commonwealth Games Women’s Cricket Qualifier 2022 will be played between Malaysia and Sri Lanka on January 22 at Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Both the teams have had contrasting starts to the tournament. While Malaysia has lost both their matches so far, Sri Lanka, on the other hand have pocketed two wins from as many matches played.
Match preview
Squads
Malaysia: Winifred Duraisingam (c), Nik Nur Atiela, Sasha Azmi, Aisya Eleesa, Mas Elysa, Ainna Hamizah Hashim, Jamahidaya Intan, Wan Julia (wk), Dhanusri Muhunan, Nur Arianna Natsya, Nur Natasya Nazira, Amalin Sorfina, Elsa Hunter, Yusrina Yaakop, Wan Nor Zulaika, Mahirah Izzati Ismail, Noor Hayati Zakaria
Sri Lanka: Chamari Atapattu (c), Harshitha Madavi (vc), Kavisha Dilhari, Ama Kanchana, Achini Kulasuriya, Sugandika Kumari, Sachini Nisansala, Hasini Perera, Udeshika Prabodhani, Vishmi Gunaratne, Oshadi Ranasinghe, Inoka Ranaweera, Anushka Sanjeewani, Tharika Sewwandi, Nilakshi de Silva, Prasadani Weerakkody
Players to watch out for
Mas Elysa:
The right arm leg spinner accounted for 2-29 in her four overs. One-third of the total balls bowled by her were dots. Apart from her bowling, she is a top order bat. In her last game against Scotland, she scored 11 runs off eight balls, including two boundaries.
Winifred Duraisingam:
The captain of Malaysia, who opened the batting in her last outing against Scotland scored a blistering 22 off 19 balls, including four boundaries. She laid a solid foundation for her team. She also opened the bowling and bowled three overs giving away 28 runs. She is a right arm seamer.
Chamari Athapaththu:
The Sri Lankan captain is in red hot form as she has already registered two consecutive half-centuries in the tournament so far. She has won the player of the match on both occasions. Apart from her batting, she also contributes with the ball bowling right arm off spin. She is a perfect all-rounder.
Kavisha Dilhari:
The right arm off spinner from Sri Lanka was the pick of the bowlers in her last match against Kenya. She scalped 1-11 in her four overs, including one maiden. She was the only bowler in the match to bowl a maiden over. She is consistent with her lines and lengths and can pose problems to any batter, when she is on song.
Pitch
Batters will enjoy batting on this surface and with the Sri Lankan team in good form, expect a lot of runs, if they bat first. For the bowlers, it will be important for them to stick to the basics and be patient. There could be some assistance for the spinners given that the wicket must have undergone wear and tear through the course of the tournament.
Weather
The weather is expected to be partly cloudy with scattered thunderstorms. The average temperature will be around 31 degrees Celsius. There is around a 40% chance of precipitation. The wind will blow from the west-southwest.
Fantasy playing XI
Wan Julia, Nilakshi de Silva, Vishmi Rajapaksha, Harshitha Madavi, Chamari Athapaththu, Mas Elysa, Winifred Duraisingam, Sachini Nisansala, Ama Kanchana, Arianna Natsya, Kavisha Dilhari
Match details
Date: January 22, 2022
Time: 10.45am IST
Venue: Kinrara Academy Oval, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Live Score: FanCode
I am a former cricketer having represented Mumbai University at All India University level. I was a part of MCA probables for the U-19 and U-23 age group. I have been an avid cricket writer for the last five years. Currently I am pursuing my Ph.D from IIT Bombay.